Engineering Resilience: TCEQ's Dam Safety Guide

Understanding dam safety regulations is essential for floodplain managers working to protect communities and infrastructure across Texas. This presentation provides an overview of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) dam safety regulations, focusing on how dams are defined, classified, and managed under current guidelines and the risks they pose to communities downstream, even outside the floodplain. 

• Define a Dam: Criteria for regulated dams, including height, storage volume, and downstream risk.
• Hazard Classifications: Overview of low, significant, and high hazard categories, and how each impacts design, inspection, and maintenance standards.
• Regular Requirements: Guidance on permitting, Emergency Action Plan (EAP) development, and compliance for dam owners and engineers. Real-world examples will illustrate how these rules are applied, helping professionals navigate Texas’s dam safety framework.