Your Dam Your Responsibility (PDF~1.2MB)

Preface
This booklet is an updated edition of ‘Your Dam, Your Responsibility’ first published in
2002. The booklet was originally prepared following changes in the Victorian Water
Act 1989 to assist farm dam owners understand their responsibilities associated with
planning, designing, building, operating and maintaining a dam.
Even small dams have the potential to cause damage, not only to property and the
environment, but to persons, even resulting in death. This booklet provides some
guidance on current practices relating to dam safety management.
Farm dam owners are legally responsible for the safety of their dams and accountable
for the damage these dams may cause if they fail. The Water Act specifies licensing
requirements for the construction and operation of dams and licensing the take and use
of water from them.
This booklet concentrates on the planning, construction and operational aspects and the
safety management of farm dams.
As the owner of a dam, it is important for you to know that:
• if it fails, you are likely to be held liable for any loss of life, injury or damage which
results;
• even if you are able to prove in a court of law that some or all of the responsibility
for a failure lies with others, it is very likely that you will still be considerably out of
pocket; and
• even if a failure does not cause damage outside your property, the cost of remedial
work can easily exceed the original construction cost of the dam.
This means that you should:
• have your dam designed and construction supervised by a suitably qualified
professional engineer;
• establish a program of regular inspections (surveillance) and periodic maintenance,
including the keeping of appropriate records;
• be able to recognise the signs of potential problems and imminent failure; and
• know what to do and who to contact when such signs appear or if the dam fails.
These matters are covered in general descriptive terms in the first part of the booklet.
The Appendices list in greater detail the causes, consequences and remedies of problems
most often experienced by dam owners in Victoria, and outline suggested procedures for
routine inspections and surveillance activities.
Your comments of this booklet are invited and can be sent to:
Mr Siraj Perera, Manager Infrastructure and Risk
Department of Sustainability and Environment
PO Box 500
East Melbourne Vic 3002
They will be acknowledged and, as far as possible, taken account of in subsequent
editions.
Detailed information on licensing procedures for farm dams can be obtained from your
local Licensing Authority, listed in Section 3.4.
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