CS27C - Concurrent Session 27C: Insights, Challenges and Opportunities of the Kansas Dam Safety Program

Abstract Description: This presentation will review key aspects and insights of the Kansas Dam Safety Program Evaluation and Peer Review that was conducted in 2023 and steps that have been taken since the evaluation. The presentation will include a brief overview of the evaluation project, distinct differences in dam safety programs among the states interviewed, and key recommendations from the evaluation, such as proposed legislative changes. The presentation will then discuss specific challenges identified in Kansas, such as aging infrastructure, watershed districts, downstream development below dams, and costs associated with these issues. We will discuss ways that other states appear to be addressing these issues, and what opportunities exist in Kansas. Finally, we will discuss at a high level the industry’s shift to Risk Informed Decision Making (RIDM), and how that fits into defining an unsafe dam. We will discuss opportunities that Kansas has undertaken to utilize RIDM for defining an unsafe dam, prioritizing targeted dam improvements, and applying for grant opportunities.