DAM EMERGENCIESPreparing Communities for Dam-Related Emergencies

Published 16 June 2022

There are more than 90,000 dams registered in the U.S. National Inventory of Dams across the country. But we rarely hear about them until the worst happens: one of them fails. Extreme weather events and the aging dam infrastructure are making dam-related emergency action plans more critical than ever.

There are more than 90,000 dams registered in the U.S. National Inventory of Dams across the country. But we rarely hear about them until the worst happens: one of them fails.

In 2020, record-breaking rainfall in Central Michigan caused the breach of two aging dams along the Tittabawassee River within hours of each other. The result was historic flooding. The failed dams — both nearly a century old — displaced thousands of residents and caused millions of dollars in damages.

Such incidents are rare. But extreme weather events like floods and storms are putting added pressure on the aging U.S. dam infrastructure that provides essential functions like water storage, hydropower generation, flood control and recreation. The age of the dams combined with the force of the water they hold back presents potential hazards to downstream communities.

Regardless, many communities are not prepared for a dam-related emergency, said Molly Finster, an environmental health systems scientist in the Decision and Infrastructure Sciences division at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory.

“Local jurisdictions do not have access to the resources or expertise needed to fully assess the risks and potentially devastating impacts associated with the dams in their communities. They also often lack the plans vital for an effective response,” said Finster. ​“Emergency managers understand that a dam failure could be potentially devastating. However, they are often, and understandably, occupied with other more immediate issues, such as a pandemic, hurricane or wildfire. For that reason, dam safety might not be a top priority.”

To help communities better understand their risks and the potential consequences of a dam-related incident, Argonne experts are working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on its Collaborative Technical Assistance Program. The program provides at-risk communities with the expertise, coaching and tools needed to develop emergency action plans. It is offered through FEMA’s National Dam Safety Program, in conjunction with the National Integration Centers.

Communities Learn Through Modeling, Flood Maps
Through the FEMA program, Argonne experts work with dam owners and operators and emergency planners to create dam-related emergency action plans that are ready for real-world use.

Finster presents in-person and virtual sessions on dam safety topics including risk-informed decision making, infrastructure dependencies and flood inundation modeling and mapping. Mustafa Altinakar, an Argonne senior computational hydroscience engineer, trains participants on a web-based, dam-break flood-simulation model called Decision Support System for Water Infrastructural Safety (DSS-WISE) Lite.