Early Warning Systems
"Most large dams or dams with high- or significant-hazard potential have at least some instrumentation to monitor dam performance and changes in behavior. Traditionally, dam instrumentation has required a person on-site to make readings and acquire data. Advances in technology and affordability now allow more efficient and effective fully automated collection and dissemination of monitoring data for dams of any size. An Early Warning System (EWS) is an Automated Data-Acquisition System equipped to transmit and process data to include early warning notification features, and programmed to operate without the need of human intervention. An EWS may include various types of sensors, including reservoir/tailwater level monitoring, stream gauges, and weather measurements, however a successful EWS program encompasses much more than just instrumentation and offers numerous potential benefits for a dam/levee safety program." [1]
Examples
Learn more about the effectiveness of early warning systems at DamFailures.org
Citations:
Revision ID: 7841
Revision Date: 03/28/2024