National Dam Safety Program Publications

The National Dam Safety Program provides a variety of publications, including:

  • Research Needs Workshop Reports
  • Technical Manuals, Guides and Reports
  • Technical Advisories
  • Safety Series Fact Sheets
  • Response and Recovery (R&R) Dam Response Operations Matrices
  • Dam Safety & Risk MAP/Flood Mapping Studies Fact Sheet Series
  • DSS-WISE Fact Sheets
  • FEMA P-1015, Technical Manual: Overtopping Protection for Dams (ZIP, 410MB)

Search for Dam Safety Publications

Search for documents below, or view our pages on Federal Guidelines, National Dam Safety Program Information, Resources for the General Public, or Resources for States.

You can order publications from the FEMA Distribution Center.

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Benefit Cost Analysis Case Examples

National Dam Safety Program Technical Seminar | February 17, 2021 
Danielle T. Hannes
Wheeler and Associates

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Biopolymer-Stabilized Earth Materials for Resilient and Adaptable Infrastructure | Sherif Abdelaziz

2020 NDSP Technical Seminar Presentation
Biopolymer-Stabilized Earth Materials for Resilient and Adaptable Infrastructure | Sherif Abdelaziz

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Building Resiliency through Hazard Mitigation Planning

2020 NDSP Technical Seminar Presentation
Building Resiliency through Hazard Mitigation Planning |

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Catalog of FEMA National Dam Safety Program Resources (P-732)

This is a catalog of all the print publications that have been developed by FEMA for the National Dam Safety Program.

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Changes in Design Criteria to Account for Intensifying Climate Conditions, Colorado's Adaptive Strategy | Bill McCormick and Mark Perry

2020 NDSP Technical Seminar Presentation
Changes in Design Criteria to Account for Intensifying Climate Conditions, Colorado's Adaptive Strategy | Bill McCormick and Mark Perry

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Communicating About Risk with Local Communities | Peter Herrick - FEMA

2019 NDSP Technical Seminar Presentation

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Conduits through Embankment Dams Brochure (FEMA L-266)

This brochure provides a summary of the information presented in FEMA 484, Technical Manual: Conduits through Embankment Dams, including the effects of conduits on embankment dams, internal erosion and backward piping erosion, the factors that can lead to embankment dam failure, and best practices for conduits through embankment dams.

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Conduits through Embankment Dams Brochure (FEMA L-266) (Text Version)

This brochure provides a summary of the information presented in FEMA 484, Technical Manual: Conduits through Embankment Dams, including the effects of conduits on embankment dams, internal erosion and backward piping erosion, the factors that can lead to embankment dam failure, and best practices for conduits through embankment dams.

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Considering the Residual Risk from Dams in Flood Risk Products

During a flood mapping project, to properly assess and communicate a complete view of the flood risk both upstream and downstream of a dam, it is critical to consider the effects of dams and their associated residual risk. Many large reservoirs are operated with outflow controls that include gates to regulate the flow through outlet structures. Dam outlet control structures can affect flow rates downstream regardless of the dam’s purpose. Even when dams perform as they are designed, there will always be a level of flood risk remaining, or “residual risk.”

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Corps of Engineers Water Control System (CWMS)

National Dam Safety Program | Micah Buchholz

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