Dam Safety Alerts
In the event of a potentially life-threatening dam safety emergency, immediately call 911 and the State Watch Office at 800-320-0519.
To report an incident or emergency at a dam, contact your water management district (WMD) or Tracy Woods, P.G., State Dam Safety Officer (SDSO), at 850-274-3636.
Dam Safety Training Events
The Florida Dam Safety Program (FDSP) provides training for dam owners/operators, regulatory staff, professionals, and interested parties on the importance of dam safety to reduce the risk of loss of life and damage to property, infrastructure and the environment. Funding is provided by an annual National Dam Safety Program (NDSP) State Assistance Grant, administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and managed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Usually, two annual training events are offered. The dam owner workshop is provided in the spring and the technical seminar is offered in the fall.
2025 FDSP Dam Owner Workshop: Registration is now open for "Dam Engineering 101". This training will be provided virtually on May 15, 2025, from 9:00 to 5:00 EDT. Our instructor will be Mr. Eric Ditchey, P.E., through the Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) and DEP. The workshop is designed to provide practical, straightforward information addressing these topics: Introduction to Dams; Basic Dam Design; Erosion is Your Enemy; How Does a Dam Hold Water and Why Does It Leak?; Other Common Problems; and Dam Engineering in Practice; Case Studies. Attendance is free, and each person will need an ASDSO account to register and attend the course. After you register, you will receive a confirmation email with clear instructions on how to join the Zoom meeting. Florida-Licensed Professional Engineers will receive up to 6 Professional Develop Hours (depending on attendance). Attendance is limited to 100 people, so consider registering today.
The recording for the 2024 FDSP Dam Owner Workshop, "The Need-To-Know Basics of Owning a Dam", is available until May 7, 2025. This training provides instruction on several important topics: Introduction to Dams and State Regulation; FL Dam Safety Laws and Regulation; Dam Failure Modes and Case History; Operation, Maintenance, and Safety Inspection of Dams; Developing and Implementing Emergency Action Plans; Dam Owner Liability, Public Safety and Security; and Repair Costs, Hiring a Consultant, and Funding Options.
2025 FDSP Technical Seminar: Information on this training event will be posted here this fall.
Dam Safety Stakeholders
Dam systems are a critical part of Florida's infrastructure for the vital benefits they provide such as flood protection, water supply, irrigation, stormwater treatment and recreation. They must be properly maintained throughout their lifespan to operate as intended. As dams age, they require greater attention and investment to ensure their safe operation.
Continuous dam safety practices are particularly important for dams that are upstream of human populations, where dam misoperation or failure has the potential for loss of life and property. Visit the ASDSO's Take Action and Be Prepared website to learn more about the importance of dams.
Safeguarding dam safety in Florida depends on the involvement of local, regional, state and federal agencies, public and private dam owners and operators, industry specialists and the public. We encourage you to know your risk, know your role, know the benefits of dams and take action.
FDSP is composed of DEP, Northwest Florida WMD, Suwannee River WMD, St. Johns River WMD Southwest Florida WMD and South Florida WMD staff who perform activities to secure the safety of dams and related structures to promote the health, safety and general welfare of the public.
National Inventory of Dams
The dams that are located in Florida and meet one of the below criteria are listed in the NID. Being listed in the NID does not impose any additional expectations on a dam owner. four criteria:
- High Hazard Potential (HHP) dams - Loss of human life is likely if the dam fails.
- Significant Hazard Potential (SHP) dams - No probable loss of human life but can cause economic loss, environmental damage, disruption of lifeline facilities or other impacts.
- The dam is equal to or exceeds 25 feet in height and exceeds 15 acre-feet in storage.
- The dam exceeds six feet in height and is equal to or exceeds 50 acre-feet in storage.
New Permitting Criteria
To construct a new dam system or alter an existing dam system under Chapter 62-330, Florida Administrative Code, Environmental Resource Permitting, an applicant must meet the additional criteria in the Applicant's Handbook Volume I, Section 8.4.5, Appendix L. The following four criteria are intended to reduce potential damage from floods and degradation of water resources from uncontrolled releases of stormwater and to otherwise promote dam safety:
- Provide dam safety information for collection in a repository maintained by DEP.
- Establish a Downstream Hazard Potential that indicates the potential adverse impact on the downstream areas should the dam fail or be misoperated.
- Develop an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) for the owner of HHP and SHP dam.
- Provide a Condition Assessment Report for each existing HHP and SHP dam.
Voluntary Dam System Survey
If you are the owner or owner's representative of a dam located in Florida, please tell us about your dam system by filling in the Florida Dam Information Survey. There are no requirements for you associated with us receiving your dam information.
Voluntary EAP Development
Owners of HHP and SHP dams are strongly encouraged to develop EAPs to provide a comprehensive and consistent plan to implement in the event of a developing or imminent emergency in order to protect lives and reduce damage to property, infrastructure, and wetlands and other surface waters.
The EAP Template for Florida Dams and accompanying Instruction Manual, dated January 2023, are available to simplify the preparation of an emergency plan, reduce cost, provide consistency between individual EAPs, and identify effective lines of communication between Florida's dam owners, FDSP staff and the Florida emergency management community.
Permitting Assistance
The construction, operation, alteration, repair or abandonment of a dam, impoundment, reservoir and other works may require an Environmental Resource Permit under Chapter 62-330, Florida Administrative Code. The agency responsible for processing a permit application is determined by an "activity-based split" of regulatory authority. In general, DEP processes permits for dams associated with landfills, wastewater treatment, mining, hazardous waste and potable water treatment facilities. DEP also handles single-family and Port Authority dams as well as dams owned by WMDs.
Each WMD handles projects located in their region that are associated with commercial and office development, residential subdivisions and apartments, roadways, highways and most other large-scale developments. Permitting information:
Dam Owner and Operator Resources
Free educational videos, fact sheets, guidance and other resources are available for dam owners and operators on the ASDSO’s Resources for Dam Owners and Operators webpage. Review the 15 videos that are approximately 10 minutes each in length to learn more about caring for your dam.
Additionally, there are numerous fact sheets covering a wide range of topics, including ownership responsibility and liability, how to procure the services of a PE, EAPs, earth dam failures, seepage through earthen dams, trees and brush, rodent control, open channel spillways, design and maintenance of trash racks for pipe and riser spillways, inspection of concrete structures and concrete repair techniques. Other resources include downloadable and on-demand webinars.
National Dam Safety Awareness Day is May 31
Visit the ASDSO's Take Action and Be Prepared website to learn more about the importance of dams, which are as important as bridges, roads and airports in our nation’s infrastructure. Dam safety is a shared responsibility, and we encourage you to know your risk, know your role, know the benefits of dams and take action.
Dam Safety Professional Engineers List
If you would like to be added to a list of PEs who work on dams in Florida, please send your name, company, phone number, email address and location to Tracy Woods, P.G.
This list is being assembled to assist dam owners seeking help with inspections, maintenance, repairs and dam safety emergencies. The list is available upon request for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement of any kind by DEP.
