Safety Programs

                                                                                      Dam Safety Program

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Dam Safety Program uses a risk-informed approach to manage its portfolio of 694 dams, with public safety the number one priority. This robust risk-informed approach is a best practice adopted to develop balanced and informed assessments of the safety of our dams and to evaluate, prioritize and justify dam safety decisions.

Critical to an effective safety program is, of course, the focus on public safety, but it also requires continuous and periodic project inspections and evaluations. The Dam Safety Program seeks to ensure that USACE owned and operated dams do not present unacceptable risks to people, property, or the environment, with the emphasis on people.

USACE has learned a great deal about its dams through an initial screening of its portfolio. More importantly, however, are the lessons we learn about how to continually adjust and fine tune the program.

                                                                                

                                                                                      Levee Safety Program

Levee Safety Program- Levees provide tremendous benefits to communities. For example levee systems in 2011 contributed to more than $120 billion of damages prevented. But with those benefits come risks. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Levee Safety Program works to better understand, manage, and reduce the flood risks associated with levees. We maintain a national inventory of levee systems and make the information available in the National Levee Database. We inspect and assess about 2,500 levee systems nationwide, and use the data to prioritize action.

We communicate risk-related issues and concerns, holding life safety as paramount, and support USACE and local decisions aimed at reducing risk. Recognizing that managing risk is a shared responsibility, we work closely with federal, state, local and international partners to share information and develop solutions.