Your Dam Your Responsibility (PDF~1.2MB)
Your Dam Your Responsibility (PDF~1.2MB)
Your Dam Your Responsibility (PDF~1.2MB)
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2 Risks Posed by <strong>Dam</strong>s<br />
The most common causes for failure of farm dams in Victoria are as follows:<br />
(a) Design is not adequate.<br />
(b) Understanding of site conditions is poor.<br />
(c) Site preparation is not good enough.<br />
(d) Embankment material is not suitable.<br />
(e) Embankment placement methods are substandard eg. soil compaction methods.<br />
(f) Maintenance or inspection frequencies are inadequate, and/or remedial measures<br />
identified in maintenance inspections are not adequately acted upon.<br />
Many failures result in total loss of the dam. In those cases where damage can be<br />
repaired, the costs of repairs can be very high, and possibly greater than the original cost<br />
of construction of the whole dam.<br />
Many dams, even of modest size, should be designed and their construction supervised<br />
by a suitably qualified engineer. The advice of such an engineer should also be sought if<br />
any problems or uncertainties occur after the dam has been in service.<br />
‘It started as a small leak’<br />
PHOTO COURTESY OF B. LEWIS<br />
2.5 Complaint or Incident<br />
PHOTO COURTESY OF D. PLANT<br />
Photos of dam failures in this booklet are examples of one or more of the conditions outlined in<br />
points (a) to (f).<br />
Where a dam safety related complaint or incident is brought to the attention of a<br />
Licensing Authority, the circumstances will be investigated and, where appropriate, a<br />
Direction under the Water Act may be given to the owner to undertake appropriate<br />
works.<br />
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If the owner fails to comply with the Direction, then the Licensing Authority may carry<br />
out the necessary works to make the dam safe and recover the costs from the owner.<br />
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