Current through Register 1531, September 27, 2024
All dams classified as High Hazard Potential or Significant
Hazard Potential shall have an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) submitted to the
Commissioner and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. All EAPs shall
be updated annually and their format shall be in accordance with guidelines
established by ODS which will be posted and updated on the ODS website.
Approval to construct a new Significant Hazard Potential dam or High Hazard
Potential dam shall be contingent upon the submission of an EAP to the
Commissioner. All EAPs are subject to approval by the Commissioner.
(1)
High Hazard Potential
Dams. High Hazard Potential EAPs shall, at a minimum, contain the
following:
(a) Identification of equipment,
manpower and material available for implementation of the plan;
(b) A notification procedure, including
Flowchart, for informing the local emergency agencies;
(c) A dam failure inundation map showing the
stream which will be flooded, as well as the impacted downstream environment.
The inundation map shall be developed by engineering modeling and methods
subject to review by the Commissioner and shall display the timing and
attenuation of the dam breach flood at strategic locations; and
(d) A procedure for warning downstream
residents if failure of the dam is imminent, and a listing of addresses and
telephone numbers of downstream residents who may be affected by the failure of
the dam. If an automatic notification procedure is available within the town
such as a reverse 911 or comparable alert system, this may augment or
substitute for a traditional telephone list, subject to approval by the
Commissioner.
(2)
Significant Hazard Potential Dams. Significant Hazard
Potential EAPs shall, at a minimum, contain the following:
(a) Identification of equipment, manpower and
material available for implementation of the plan;
(b) A notification procedure, including
Flowchart, for informing local emergency agencies
(c) A dam failure inundation map showing the
stream which will be flooded as well as the impacted downstream environment.
The inundation map shall be developed by engineering modeling and methods
subject to review by the Commissioner and shall display the timing and
attenuation of the dam breach flood at strategic locations;
1. For Significant Hazard Potential Dams, an
inundation map developed by engineering modeling and methods shall be required
where, in the judgment of the dam owner's engineer or the Commissioner, more
than several downstream interests are expected to be significantly impacted
resulting from dam failure..
2. In
the judgment of the dam owner's engineer, and subject to review by the
Commissioner, a simplified inundation map may be allowed if there exists only
one to several downstream interests that are expected to be significantly
impacted by dam failure. In such a case, engineering modeling and methods may
be substituted with simpler methods such as engineering judgment considering
FEMA flood plain maps, review of height of dam, volume in storage, breach
discharge calculations, stream channel slope, topography, proximity of the
identified several interests along the anticipated flood wave route. A
simplified inundation map shall locate and annotate the several downstream
interests that are expected to be impacted following dam failure. An example of
a setting where this paragraph may be applicable is a Significant Hazard
Potential dam that carries a public roadway across the dam crest (that would
collapse into a dam failure) and there are two or three occupied properties
located downstream that are likely to be significantly impacted..
(d) A procedure for warning
downstream residents if failure of the dam is imminent and a listing of
addresses and telephone numbers of downstream residents who maybe affected by
the failure of the dam.
(3) Prior to submission of an EAP to the
Commissioner, the owner shall submit a copy of the proposed EAP to the local
and state emergency agencies, and all local emergency coordinators involved in
the plan for review. The owner shall submit with the EAP, recommendations
received from said agencies and coordinators, if any.
(4) Annually, the owner shall review the EAP,
update it and provide the updated EAP to all involved agencies for review. Any
GIS based inundation map shapefiles are to be forwarded to ODS electronically
along with their copy of the completed EAP.
(5) EAPs and annual updates shall be provided
by the owner in both hard copy and electronic format to the Commissioner and
the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.
