Alaska Dam Safety Program

“The mission of the Alaska Dam Safety Program is to protect life and property in Alaska through the effective collection, evaluation, understanding and sharing of the information necessary to identify, estimate and mitigate the risks created by dams.”

The Alaska Dam Safety Program is administered as a cooperative effort between the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the various persons, businesses, agencies, and other interests that are involved in the design, construction, and operation of dams. To foster cooperation, communication between these parties must be effective and efficient.

Communication is the key to the safety of dams. Design drawings, operation and maintenance manuals, inspection reports, emergency action plans, and other documents are simply methods of communicating important information directly related to the safe design, construction, and operation of dams. Because dams are typically complex, unique, engineered structures with a long service life, the specific nature of this communication will be similarly complex and unique, and will occur during a long period of time.

By anticipating the scope of the communication, all of the entities involved will better understand the level of commitment necessary to accomplish the objectives of a particular project. Safe dams are the ultimate objectives of the Alaska Dam Safety Program. If cooperative relationships can be established between all of the parties involved, the entire community will benefit.

To learn more about the Alaska Dam Safety Program, review the New Draft Revision Guidelines for Cooperation with the Alaska Dam Safety Program (PDF). These guidelines are published draft (2017). They are currently being updated but there is not yet a fixed date for their release. For the most current information or to answer any questions please contact the dam safety office directly.

For more information or to submit applications for the construction, modification, repair, removal or abandonment of dams, contact:

Department of Natural Resources
Division of Mining, Land & Water
Dam Safety and Construction Unit
550 West 7th Avenue, Suite 1020
Anchorage, AK 99501-3577
(907) 269-8636
E-mail: Ben Wagner, State Dam Safety Engineer