Dam Owner Responsibilities

Our rules (A.A.C. R12-15-1205) describe the general responsibilities of each dam owner.  An owner is responsible for safe design, operation, and maintenance of a dam. The owner is responsible to operate, maintain, and regularly inspect a dam so that it does not constitute a danger to human life or property.  Owners of high or significant hazard dams are required to provide timely warning to the Department and all other people listed in the emergency action plan of problems at the dam.  The owner is required to develop and maintain effective Emergency Action Plans and coordinate those plans with local officials.

Dam owners are responsible to notify the Dam Safety Section and local authorities in adjacent and downstream communities of a condition that may threaten the safety of the dam.

We also require dam owners to install, maintain, and monitor instrumentation to evaluate the performance of the dam.  Conditions that may require monitoring include land subsidence, earth fissures, embankment cracking, phreatic surface, seepage, and embankment movements.

The dam owner is responsible to perform timely maintenance and ordinary repair of the dam. 

If a change of ownership of a dam occurs, the new owner is required to notify the Department within 15 days after the date of the transaction and provide the mailing address and telephone number where the new owner can be contacted.  Within 90 days after the date of the transaction, the new owner is required to provide the name and telephone number of the individual or individuals who are responsible for operating and maintaining the dam.