Okla. Admin. Code § 785:25-9-1

Current through Vol. 42, No. 8, January 2, 2025

Section 785:25-9-1 - Inspections of dams

(a)Oversight vested in Board. Oversight of the maintenance and operation of constructed dams and reservoirs insofar as necessary to safeguard life and property from injury by reason of the failure thereof is vested in the Board.

(b)Periodic inspections. Except for low hazard potential dams, owners are required to have their dams inspected by qualified persons periodically according to a schedule prepared by the Board to meet the requirements of paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection. Periodic inspections of dams shall be according to hazard potential classifications as follows:

(1) High hazard. High hazard potential dams shall be inspected at least once annually.

(2) Significant hazard. Significant hazard shall be inspected at least once every three years.

(3) Low hazard. Low hazard potential dams shall be inspected at least once every five years, which inspection shall be conducted by the owner and shall consist of a review of the hazard classification on forms provided by the Board.

(4) Significant or high hazard dams in an unsatisfactory or poor condition, described in Section 6 of the National Dam Safety Review Board's Guidelines for Updating the 2008 National Inventory of Dams (NID), April 2008, as determined by the Board shall be inspected by a register Professional Engineer at the expense of the owner at least every six months until such time as the deficiencies have been corrected.

(5) Periodic inspections shall be conducted by the end of the calendar year indicated by the schedule above.

(c)Expense of periodic inspections. Periodic inspections shall be at the owner's expense (except for low hazard potential periodic inspections) and shall be conducted by a Registered Professional Engineer hired by the owner, who is licensed in the state of Oklahoma, and shall have training and/or experience concerning the analysis, design, and/or construction of dams and reservoirs, or by an engineer of any United States governmental agency acting in his official capacity. Provided that inspections of low hazard classification dams may be conducted by persons who are not Registered Professional Engineers but who are trained in inspecting dams.

(d)Unscheduled inspections. Unscheduled (non-periodic) inspections such, as those conducted in response to complaints, after major heavy precipitation events, after earthquakes within 50 miles of a high or significant hazard potential dam that measure 5.0 or greater on the Richter magnitude scale, or in emergency situations, may be conducted by Board staff, or the Board may require the owner to conduct an unscheduled inspection at the owner's expense. No fee for such inspection shall be due, provided that a request for inspection by other parties shall be governed by 785:25-9-6.

(e)United States dams not subject to inspection. Any dam constructed by the United States or its duly authorized agencies shall not be subject to inspection while under the supervision of officers or the United States. [82:105.27]

(f)Board to notify when inspection due; violation. The Board shall notify persons shown by its records to own the dam of the date the periodic inspection of the dam is due. Failure to have the inspection completed shall constitute a violation of Board rules.

(g)Minimum standards. Except for low hazard potential dams, qualified persons shall submit a written report describing any dam safety deficiencies observed and outline remedial actions to be taken to address those deficiencies as follows:

(1) Engineering inspection reports shall be prepared for each inspection completed. The inspecting engineer shall record their findings of the inspection and submit a written inspection report to the Board not later than 30 days after the inspection.

(2) All inspections shall also include documentary digital photographs of the dam, auxiliary spillway, principal spillway inlet structure, principal spillway outlet, and potential safety concerns. When explanation is needed to identify or describe the safety concern, notes shall be included in the written report to provide this explanation. Photographs shall be attached to the completed inspection report.

(3) Inspection reports shall include a schedule of corrective actions to be taken to address dam safety deficiencies.

(4) Periodic inspection reports shall also include review of the Emergency Action Plan and of the operation and maintenance manual to assure they are still accurate and applicable, as well as any changes in downstream development or other conditions if applicable.

Okla. Admin. Code § 785:25-9-1

Amended at 10 Ok Reg 3287, eff 6-25-93 ; Amended at 11 Ok Reg 2931, eff 6-13-94 ; Amended at 12 Ok Reg 2687, eff 7-1-95 ; Amended at 25 Ok Reg 1440, eff 5-27-08 ; Amended at 27 Ok Reg 1300, eff 5-27-10 ; Amended at 30 Ok Reg 883, eff 6-13-13

Amended by Oklahoma Register, Volume 37, Issue 24, September 1, 2020, eff. 9/11/2020