Responsibility for response in the case of emergencies is shared among different authorities and levels of government. As outlined in CDA’s Dam Safety Guidelines, all dam owners should have emergency response procedures and emergency preparedness plans in place if lives are at risk or if implementation of emergency procedures could reduce the potential consequences of dam failure.
Also, dam operation may be involved in management of other emergencies such as extreme floods, even if the dam is in no danger of failing. CDA has established an Emergency Management Working Group to develop technical guidance in the area of emergency management for dams.
In February 2015, CDA organized a workshop at which 65 participants from across Canada gathered to consider the needs of the Canadian dam industry for emergency planning and management related to both conventional water-retaining dams and mine tailings dams. A broad cross-section of representatives of dam owners, operators, regulatory bodies, provincial and federal government agencies, consultants and emergency management specialists discussed the state-of-practice for dams in Canada.
A report summarizing the presentation, discussions and outcomes from the workshop is attached below. For further information, please contact executive.director@cda.ca.
