Report on Dam Failure Released

By 250 News

Oliver, B.C.- The Province has announced it is exploring further compensation  avenues for those impacted by the  water and mud slide in Oliver last month, and the Province will  adopt all 12 recommendations made in the  report on the incident.

It has been just over a month since a torrent of water and mud hit some residents  of Oliver when a dam burst . 

The dam was privately owned, and the review says while the current owner was advised to make some repairs, “There is no indication that the needed repairs were acted upon but also no indication that the owner was being held accountable to make those repairs.”

There was also a communication gap. A a hiker noticed the high water level, and  had reported the dam had overflowed spilling water on to the road. That information was passed down a chain of authorities, with the  final warning left on an answering machine which wasn’t  checked until the day after the dam burst it’s banks. The report makes recommendations “to improve awareness of “who to call when” and to enhance the timely sharing of emergency information.”

"The review highlights evidence of a consistent pattern of concerns and warnings about the state of the Testalinden Dam dating back to the 1960s," said de Jong. "We cannot turn back time or change what has happened, but going forward, we will ensure communities are better protected from this kind of risk. As well, we are currently looking at possible ways to build on existing compensation programs for either remediating or purchasing properties."

The review, completed by deputy solicitor general David Morhart, looked into the events leading up to the failure of the Testalinden Dam, the circumstances of the debris torrent and a broad analysis of dam safety oversight in British Columbia.

"Our government is committed to strengthening the accountability of dam owners and taking greater action to ensure they fulfil their legislated licensing requirements," said de Jong.

The entire report can be found  by clicking here

Here are the 12  recommendations:

Recommendation 1: The Ministry of Environment should review its record keeping practices to ensure that proper and complete files are kept and archived on all dam structures, including details of water licenses, transfers of appurtenancy, and correspondence with owners.

Recommendation 2: The Ministry of Environment should review the historical warnings about the conditions of the dam and any actions taken to hold the owner(s) responsible for inspection and maintenance as per the Dam Safety Regulation.

Recommendation 3: The Ministry of Environment should consider implementing signage at all dam locations to make it clear to passersby that the structure is a dam and to provide direction and emergency contact information, including contact information for the owner, to report any issues observed.

Recommendation 4: Emergency Management BC should work with local officials, local and provincial policing and first response agencies, and ministry provincial and regional offices to provide a quick reference list of key contact numbers, focused on “who to call when,” and develop an alert matrix to quickly escalate priority issues.

Recommendation 5: The Ministries of Forests and Range and Environment should review their call-out procedures to ensure that compliance and enforcement personnel are familiar with the issues escalation process noted in Recommendation 4, as they are often among the first individuals aware of local incidents.

Recommendation 6: Building on Recommendation 4, Emergency Management BC should continue to coordinate awareness and encourage training and orientation for local emergency response agencies, local government officials, and provincial government agency personnel to prepare for emergency situations. Local governments are required to have emergency plans in place, per the Emergency Program Act, and Emergency Management BC can assist with the development and testing of these plans. 5

Recommendation 7: The Ministry of Environment should review and update the Dam Safety Regulation to incorporate best practices on dam safety found in other jurisdictions. This would include but is not limited to an update to the downstream consequence classification tool, inclusion of a requirement for the owner to develop an emergency preparedness plan for the structure, and consideration of further regulatory oversight to enhance enforcement and compliance.

Recommendation 8: The Ministry of Environment should complete its Rapid Dam Assessment Project and update its consequence rating system accordingly to determine priority areas in need of attention. The Ministry should develop an action plan to address those areas needing immediate attention and schedule appropriate follow up based on overall findings.

Recommendation 9: The Ministry of Environment should continue its work in building a robust Dam Registry, with linkages through to geo-reference tools which can be utilized by other partners.

Recommendation 10: The Ministries of Environment and Transportation and Infrastructure need to continue to ensure effective communication and information sharing of community development and transportation initiatives as they relate to downstream consequences for dam safety. This information should be periodically reviewed on a priority basis to account for any historical changes. In addition, other ministries such as Forests and Range and Energy Mines and Petroleum Resources should be linked in to any consequence review initiatives to ensure that all appropriate information is considered on a periodic basis.

Recommendation 11: The Ministry of Environment should ensure the consistent oversight and regulation of all water related structures, including licensing, standards and risk assessments, by working with the ministries that have the legislative authority. The Ministry should build a business case to rationalize the types of resources and supports that would be needed to accomplish this recommendation.

Recommendation 12: The Ministry of Environment should continue and expand its education and awareness initiatives with dam owners and should work with Emergency Management BC to ensure that dam owners are working directly with local government officials in tying together their emergency preparedness and response plans. In addition, the Ministry of Environment should publish an annual Dam Safety Program report on its public website for the information of the public.

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