Dam Safety Planning and Documentation

Dam Safety in Canada is primarily a provincial responsibility. In Ontario, it is governed under the Lakes and Rivers Improvement Act (LRIA) with the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) as the regulating body. In British Columbia, most dams associated with waterpower facilities are governed by the Dam Safety Regulation (DSR) under the Water Sustainability Act (WSA) with the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations as the regulating body through its Dam Safety Section of the Water Management Branch. Both provinces rely on the Canadian Dam Association’s (CDA) Dam Safety Guidelines (2007) when assessing dam safety programs.

Owner responsibility includes the establishment and implementation of a Dam Safety Management Plan. MKE works with your team to develop the following elements of this plan: