Dam safety consulting services

Dam monitoring

The purpose of dam monitoring is to receive continuous information on the performance of the dam and detect changes that could affect the safety of the dam.

Instrumentation must be relevant measuring relevant parameters. Moreover, instrumentation and data acquisition must be reliable, and the data provided must be evaluated and interpreted appropriately.

A good starting point is that instrumentation is not a means in itself. Every single instrument should have a specific purpose related to the dam safety. One way to achieve this is to do a Potential Failure Mode Analysis (PFMA) and relate the monitoring efforts to specific failure modes.

Potential failure mode analysis

The Potential Failure Mode Analysis (PFMA) is a useful tool to improve the safety of dams and prioritize between different measures. The concept is to focus on identified areas of potential dam safety deficiencies

It is normally performed by a team of experts together with field and operational personnel using all existing data and information about the dam. The PFMA provides enhanced understanding on the risk exposure associated with the dam and constitutes a foundation for determination of the monitoring needs.

Dam inspection