Dam safety scheme submissions summary

The Department has issued a summary of submissions on the dam safety scheme being introduced as part of the reforms of the Building Act 2004.

Regulations for the scheme are currently being developed. In response to concerns raised in submissions, they will include a 2-year gap between the regulations being made and taking effect. Dam owners will then have 3 months to classify and register their dam in terms of its failure having low, medium or high potential downstream impact.

The original proposal was for dam owners to be given 3 months from the date of enactment to classify and register their dams with the regional authority for their area. Submitters considered this period not long enough to do so.

The scheme will only affect the estimated 1150 large dams around the country. 'Large' is regarded as having a capacity of 20,000 cubic metres, which is equal to eight Olympic-sized swimming pools or a rugby field with water up to the crossbars. Councils own about 700 of these dams; about 50 are owned by power generation companies; and the remaining 400 or so are on rural properties.

The scheme is to ensure large dams have a formal system of dam monitoring, inspection and maintenance. Medium and high potential impact dams will require a dam safety assurance programme and an annual certificate of compliance as part of that programme.

The 58 submissions received were in response to public consultation on Regulations for the Dam Safety Scheme: Discussion Document, issued in May 2006.

Common themes in submissions included:

• concern over a possible lack of engineers with the skills to classify dams
• strong support for a national register of recognised dam engineers
• the need for a simpler process for classifying dams, in order to restrict compliance costs
• the use of professional discretion in the development of dam safety assurance programmes
• the need for a review of the definition of a 'dangerous dam' and further analysis of risk and probability factors for earthquakes and flooding
• support for the proposed accreditation of dam owners to review their dam safety assurance programmes
• the need for more incentives to become accredited.

The summary of submissions is available on the Department's website or by phoning 0800 242 243.