Dam failure e-mail updates

For 30 years, the Federal Government has been working to protect Americans from dam failure through the National Dam Safety Program (NDSP). The NDSP, which is led by FEMA, is a partnership of the states, federal agencies, and other stakeholders to encourage individual and community responsibility for dam safety.

The NDSP, which was formally established by the Water Resources and Development Act of 1996, includes:

• Grant Assistance to the States
  Provides vital support for the improvement of the state dam safety programs that regulate most of the 79,500 dams in the United States.
   
• Dam Safety Research
  A program of technical and archival research.
   
• Dam Safety Training
  For state dam safety staff and inspectors.

The Dam Safety and Security Act of 2002, signed into law on December 2, 2002, reauthorized the NDSP for 4 more years and added enhancements to the 1996 Act that are designed to safeguard dams against terrorist attacks.

NDSP Public Laws

• Water Resources and Development Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-303)
• Dam Safety and Security Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-310)