About the Dam Safety Program
Here in Hawaii, most of our dams were constructed before 1940 to support the sugarcane plantations. Because of the age of these facilities, the State Dam Safety Program plays a vital role in regulating and promoting the safety of these structures.
While no dam can ever be completely “fail-safe” due to inherent uncertainties in man-made structures, the dam safety program strives to increase the safety of the dams in Hawaii by:
- Encouraging high safety standards and regulations in the practices and procedures for dam site investigation, design, construction, operation and maintenance, and emergency preparedness through inspections, enforcement, permitting, and certificates to impound water.
- Maintaining an updated and accurate inventory of dams, physical conditions, and potential hazard classifications.
- Promoting a continuous, dynamic process where guidelines, practices, and procedures are examined periodically and updated and providing technical assistance to dam owners.
- Outreach to all public and private agencies involved in dam safety activities including owner training and dissemination of information to the public.
- Emergency preparedness.
- Providing financial resources to owners through State and Federal grants, when available.
Number of Regulated Dams
Further details of the Program’s activities and achievements can be found in the annual reports submitted to the Governor and the Legislature for the preceding fiscal year.