In 2007, CDA published a set of technical bulletins to supplement Dam Safety Guidelines. The technical bulletins suggest methodologies and procedures for use by qualified professionals as they carry out dam analyses and safety assessments.
The new Technical Bulletin: Application of Dam Safety Guidelines to Mining Dams, complements the Dam Safety Guidelines re-published by CDA in 2013 by providing additional explanation of how the concepts described in the guidelines apply to mining dams. The Bulletin identifies some specific issues that should be considered during the design and safety evaluation of both tailings dams and water retention dams used in the mining industry. Available in hard copy only.
The Guidelines consist of principles that are applicable to all dams, and an outline of processes and criteria for management of dam safety in accordance with the principles.
Risk-Informed Decision-Making (RIDM) is a method of dam safety evaluation that uses the likelihood of loading, system response given the loading, and consequences of failure to estimate risk. This risk estimate can be used to inform decisions regarding dam safety investments. This approach has many benefits including a greatly improved understanding of the safety of the dam and identifying dam safety vulnerabilities that have not been identified using standards-based evaluation techniques. This website includes dam safety guidelines to evaluate consequences of failure and is intended for use on water dams.
The Technical Bulletin: Dam Safety Reviews brings together knowledge from the 20 years of practice since the term Dam Safety Review was introduced in Dam Safety Guidelines published by the Canadian Dam Safety Association in 1995. The concept of periodic and systematic review has become accepted as an important part of dam safety programs in Canada and elsewhere.