Risk management for UK reservoirs (C542)

No lives have been lost through the failure of a dam in the UK since 1930, when reservoir safety legislation was introduced. However, no one should be complacent about the risk posed by reservoirs as Britain still has a large stock of embankment dams built more than 100 years ago before the development of soil mechanics. Tolerance of risk or hazard is lower today than in the past, and demands for accountability and transparency are correspondingly higher, thereby increasing the need for adequate risk assessment and risk management. Risk management for UK reservoirs starts by examining past failures, major incidents and problems at UK reservoirs. It considers the most likely modes of failure for dams of various types and age, and offers an easily applicable assessment procedure to determine potential floodwater levels and their impact following a failure. Following chapters look at methods of mitigating risks, carrying out remedial works and emergency planning in the event of dam failure. Extensive appendices consider overseas practice, hazard indexing and database analysis. The risk assessment procedure is demonstrated on six test cases for different types of reservoir. Prepared after extensive consultation within the UK reservoir community, the book is aimed chiefly at owners, managers, engineers, regulators, insurers and safety personnel concerned with reservoirs in the UK. It applies to all reservoirs that fall within the scope of the Reservoirs Act 1975.

Key words: dams and reservoirs, health and safety, soil-structure interaction, flooding.

ISBN: 978-0-86017-542-1

Author: A Hughes et al

Number of pages: 214 (paperback)

Publisher: CIRIA

Date of Publication: October 2000