New Government regulations for dam owners come into force next Monday (May 13), and the Otago Regional Council wants to help.

Owners of dams which are 4-metres high or more, and store 20,000 or more cubic metres of water (or other fluid) need to arrange and have this classification submitted to ORC no later than August 13.

The new regulations have been developed to provide a nationally consistent risk-based approach to dam safety, the ORC says.

The regional council’s dam register shows that in Otago, 98 dams will be affected by the new regulations, with an extra 34 dams close to exceeding the threshold, requiring further investigation.

Of those, 82 are in the Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes districts, while 45 are in Dunedin City and Waitaki and Clutha districts.

ORC acting regulatory general manager Joanna Gilroy says the council’s focus is on the implementation of the regulations and assisting dam owners to understand the steps they need to take over the coming months.

“ORC is here to help as needed with the new regulations and if anyone has any questions they are encouraged to get in touch with the team.

“We will be contacting dam owners directly, but we also have a number of resources online and are happy to help,” she says.

Dam owners will need to check if they exceed the threshold, and if so, carry out a potential impact classification (PIC) to assess the potential impact (i.e. low, medium or high) their dam’s failure could have on the community, historical or cultural places, critical or major infrastructure, and the natural environment.

Additional actions dam owners need to take will then depend on whether their dam is assessed as low, medium or high impact.

The regulations allow for anyone to carry out a PIC assessment (e.g. dam owners, farm consultants, technical practitioners). The role of a recognised engineer is to audit and certify these PIC assessments. 

Engineering New Zealand maintains a register of recognised engineers that can be accessed on their website, and has tips on how to effectively engage with them.

For more information, visit the ORC Dam Safety Regulations website, including the Dam Classification Certificate Form to use for submitting the classification.

A recording of a MBIE webinar for dam owners and other stakeholders who have an interest in dam safety is also available.