Dam Safety Program

Monitors and regulates both private and public dams in Texas.

The Dam Safety Program monitors and regulates both private and public dams in Texas. The program periodically inspects dams that pose a high or significant hazard and makes recommendations and reports to dam owners to help them maintain safe facilities.

This page links to Texas regulations on dams, manuals on dam safety, and forms used by the program. Some files linked from this page are in Portable Document Format (PDF). (Help with PDF).

UPDATE: Dam Safety Workshops 2012

The TCEQ Dam Safety Program is holding a series of one-day workshops around the state for dam owners. The workshops will educate dam owners about state dam safety laws and regulations, dam failure modes and case histories, owner responsibilities/liabilities and security issues, dam operations, maintenance and inspections, and developing and implementing emergency action plans. Detailed information is available at the link: Dam Safety Workshops

The workshop presentations have been posted to our website in Microsoft PowerPoint format and can be downloaded at the link: Dam Safety Workshop Presentations.

UPDATE: Emergency Action Plan Guidelines (Revised March 2012)

The Guidelines for Developing Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) for Dams in Texas publication was revised in March 2012. The revised publication includes updates to the notification flowchart, EAP templates, inundation map guidance, and a glossary of dam safety terms.

Dam Exemption

Effective September 1, 2011, dams that are located on private property, have a maximum impoundment capacity of less than 500 ac-ft, classified as low or significant hazard, located in a county with a population of less than 215,000 (as per 2010 census), and not located within the corporate limits of a municipality are exempt from safety requirements. Dam owners will still have to comply with maintenance and operation requirements. These exemption provisions expire August 31, 2015. You can view a map based on county population criteria at the following link: Exempt County Map

Guidance on Implementing Dam Safety Legislation September 1, 2011

Emergency Action Plans

In accordance with Title 30 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Chapter 299, Dams and Reservoirs, §299.61(b), owners of significant and high hazard dams were required to submit an Emergency Action Plan, which may be a draft version, to the executive director for review by January 1, 2011. If you have any questions about the preparation and submittal of EAPs, please contact the Dam Safety Section at (512) 239-0326 for assistance.

Emergency Action Plans must be delivered to either: Warren D. Samuelson, P. E., Manager, Dam Safety Section or Megan Dutton, E.I.T., Dam Safety Section at the following address:

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
MC-177
P.O. Box 13087
Austin, TX 78711-3087

Procuring the Services of a Professional Engineer and List of Engineers:

Many actions/repairs at a dam require the services of a professional engineer. TCEQ Dam Safety Program maintains a document to answer the most commonly asked questions about hiring an engineer and to provide a list of engineers who have requested to be placed on a list. The document is available at the link: Engineers List