5.2 Dam Surveillance

For about 8 years experience of dam engineering, regular dam instrumentation and check up as well as visible inspection are great resources of dam health. This activity is like regular check of our body during our lifetime. And through this pre-check tells us where we are, what we need, and what we lack of, to stay in health. So this is very basic, core process to keep dam safety.

In California, surveillance measurements of dams are the responsibility of the owner and are subject to supervision by the Department of Water Resources, as specified in the State Water Code. The review of owner transmittals of surveillance data plays a significant part in the State's dam safety program, serving to supplement the primary State surveillance activity, periodic inspections. Very good guide is shown in the “Surveillance of Existing Dams by Dean Smith, 1989”.

Essentially, California dam owners are responsible for:
- Instrumenting each dam at their own expense to the minimum required for safety, as determined by the State.
- Collection of the surveillance measurements.
- Timely evaluation of their measurements.
- Transmitting to the State, at regular intervals, a copy of their surveillance measurements with an evaluation.

On the other hand, the State is responsible for:
- Regulating dams and reservoirs to safeguard life and property including supervision of surveillance measurements.
- Determining the minimum amount of instrumentation needed for each dam to safeguard life and property.
- Verifying that each dam and reservoir is operated and maintained in a safe manner, including periodic review of the dam owners' surveillance programs.