Dangerous Dams Policy
What is the Dangerous Dams Policy?
The Bay of Plenty region houses a number of large dams that are used for a variety of purposes including hydroelectric generation, water supply, flood control, irrigation, farm stock supply and recreation. The existing dangerous dams policy covers the identification of at-risk sites and their management.
This policy is being updated to assist Regional Council to reduce the risk of dam failure in the region, as part of our obligations under central government’s Building (Dam Safety) Regulations 2022.
We’re updating this policy
Regional Council is required to update its existing Dangerous Dams Policy to align with new dam safety regulations that have been set by central government.
This has been done to increase the resilience and safety of Aotearoa / New Zealand’s dams, protecting people, property and the environment from the potential impacts of dam failures.
This policy update means that if you own a dangerous, earthquake-prone and / or flood-prone dam of a certain height and volume, you will need to certify the dam’s potential impact classification, put in place safety plans and undertake regular dam inspections to help reduce the risk of failure.
Only classifiable dams are impacted by this policy update. This is a dam that is 4m or more in height and stores 20,000m3 or more in volume of water or other fluid.
We’re taking feedback on the draft policy
The draft Dangerous Dam Policy is open for submissions from 26 June to 29 July 2024.
What’s changing under the new regulations?
Under the new regulations (which will take effect through Regional Council’s policy update), dam owners of dangerous, earthquake-prone and /or flood-prone dams are required to determine if they own a classifiable dam.
The key aspects of the new regulations to address are:
- Determine if you own a classifiable dam that is 4m or more in height and impounds 20,000m3 of water or fluids.
- Undertake a Potential Impact Classification (PIC) on your dam.
- Have the PIC audited and approved by a Recognised Engineer.
- Lodge the PIC with your Regional Authority (Bay of Plenty Regional Council).
- If the PIC assesses your dam as Medium or High Potential Impact, undertake to develop or update a Dam Safety Assurance Programme for your dam to be lodged with your Regional Authority.
The following web links contain information that will help you complete an assessment and advise you of actions to take moving forward.
Further information
- Please visit: building.govt.nz for:
- Background to the regulations
- Implementation timeframes
- Complying with the regulations
- Roles and responsibilities
- A full guide to complying with the new regulations can be found at: Guide to complying with the Dam Safety Regulations (building.govt.nz)
- How to measure and calculate the height and volume of an agricultural dam: Measuring and calculating the height and volume of agricultural dams (building.govt.nz)
- Waikato Regional Council has developed a full resource on their website:
- Develop a Potential Impact Classification for your dam using prescribed forms available at: