18 C.F.R. Subpart D—Inspection by Independent Consultant
Title 18 - Conservation of Power and Water Resources
This subpart applies to any licensed project development that has a dam: (a) That is more than 32.8 feet (10 meters) in height above streambed, as defined in §12.31(c); (b) That impounds an impoundment with a gross storage capacity of more than 2,000 acre-feet (2.5 million cubic meters); or (c) That has a high hazard potential and is determined by the Regional Engineer or other authorized Commission representative to require inspection by an independent consultant under this subpart. For purposes of this subpart: (a) Independent consultant means any person who: (1) Is a licensed professional engineer; (2) Has at least 10 years experience and expertise in dam design and construction and in the investigation of the safety of existing dams; and (3) Is not, and has not been within two years before being retained to perform an inspection under this subpart, an employee of the licensee or its affiliates or an agent acting on behalf of the licensee or its affiliates. (b) Dam that has a high hazard potential means any dam whose failure, in the judgment of the Commission or its authorized representative, might endanger human life or cause significant property damage, or which meets the criteria for high hazard potential as defined by the Corps of Engineers in 33 CFR part 222. (c) Height above streambed means: (1) For a dam with a spillway, the vertical distance from the lowest elevation of the natural streambed at the downstream toe of the dam to the maximum water storage elevation possible without any discharge from the spillway. The maximum water storage elevation is: (i) For gated spillways, the elevation of the tops of the gates; (ii) For ungated spillways, the elevation of the spillway crest or the top of any flashboards, whichever is higher; (2) For a dam without a spillway, the vertical distance from the lowest elevation of the natural streambed at the downstream tow of the dam to the lowest point on the crest of the dam. (d) Gross storage capacity means the maximum possible volume of water impounded by a dam with zero spill, that is, without the discharge of water over the dam or a spillway. (e) The Director of the Office of Energy Projects Licensing may, for good cause shown, grant a waiver of the 10 year requirement in paragraph (a)(2) of this section. Any petition for waiver under this paragraph must be filed in accordance with §1.7(b) of this chapter. [Order 122, 46 FR 9036, Jan. 28, 1981, as amended at 49 FR 29370, July 20, 1984] In accordance with the procedures in §12.35, the project works of each development to which this subpart applies, excluding transmission and transformation facilities and generating equipment, must be periodically inspected and evaluated by or under the responsibility and direction of at least one independent consultant, who may be a member of a consulting firm, to identify any actual or potential deficiencies, whether in the condition of those project works or in the quality or adequacy of project maintenance, surveillance, or methods of operation, that might endanger public safety. (a) Upon written request from the licensee, the Director of the Office of Energy Projects Licensing may grant an exemption from the requirements of this subpart in extraordinary circumstances that clearly establish good cause for exemption. (b) Good cause for exemption may include the finding that the development in question has no dam except dams that meet the criteria for low hazard potential as defined by the Corps of Engineers in 33 CFR part 222. [Order 122, 46 FR 9036, Jan. 28, 1981, as amended at 49 FR 29370, July 20, 1984] At least 60 days before the initiation of an inspection under this subpart, the licensee must submit to the Director of the Office of Energy Projects Licensing for approval, with a copy to the Regional Engineer, a detailed resume that (a) describes the experience of the independent consultant; and, (b) shows that the consultant is an independent consultant as defined in §12.31(a). [Order 122, 46 FR 9036, Jan. 28, 1981, as amended at 49 FR 29370, July 20, 1984] (a) Scope of inspection. The inspection by the independent consultant shall include: (1) Due consideration of all relevant reports on the safety of the development made by or written under the direction of Federal or state agencies, submitted under Commission regulations, or made by other consultants; (2) Physical field inspection of the project works and review and assessment of all relevant data concerning: (i) Settlement; (ii) Movement; (iii) Erosion; (iv) Seepage; (v) Leakage; (vi) Cracking; (vii) Deterioration; (viii) Seismicity; (ix) Internal stress and hydrostatic pressures in project structures or their foundations or abutments; (x) The functioning of foundation drains and relief wells; (xi) The stability of critical slopes adjacent to a reservoir or project works; and (xii) Regional and site geological conditions; and (3) Specific evaluation of: (i) The adequacy of spillways; (ii) The effects of overtopping of nonoverflow structures; (iii) The structural adequacy and stability of structures under all credible loading conditions; (iv) The relevant hydrological data accumulated since the project was constructed or last inspected under this subpart; (v) The history of the performance of the project works through analysis of data from monitoring instruments; and (vi) The quality and adequacy of maintenance, surveillance, and methods of project operations for the protection of public safety. (b) Evaluation of spillway adequacy. The adequacy of any spillway must be evaluated by considering hazard potential which would result from failure of the project works during flood flows. (1) If structural failure would present a hazard to human life or cause significant property damage, the independent consultant must evaluate the ability of project works to withstand the loading or overtopping which may occur from a flood up to the probable maximum flood or the capacity of spillways to prevent the reservoir from rising to an elevation that would endanger the project works. (2) If structural failure would not present a hazard to human life of cause significant property damage, spillway adequacy may be evaluated by means of a design flood of lesser magnitude than the probable maximum flood, if the report of the independent consultant pursuant to §12.37 provides a detailed explanation of the bases for the finding that structural failure would not present a hazard to human life or cause significant property damage. If, in the course of an inspection, an independent consultant discovers any condition for which emergency corrective measures are advisable, the independent consultant must immediately notify the licensee and the licensee must report that condition to the Regional Engineer pursuant to §12.10(a) of this part. (a) General requirement. Following inspection of a project development as required under this subpart, the independent consultant must prepare a report and the licensee must file three copies of that report with the Regional Engineer. The report must conform to the provisions of this section and be satisfactory to the authorized Commission representative. (b) General information in the initial report. (1) The initial report filed under this subpart for any project development must contain: (i) A description of the project development; (ii) A map of the region indicating the location of the project development; (iii) Plans, elevations, and sections of the principal project works; (iv) A summary of the design assumptions, design analyses, spillway design flood, and the factors of safety used to evaluate the structural adequacy and stability of the project works; and (v) A summary of the geological conditions that may affect the safety of the project works. (2) To the extent that the information and analyses required in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, are contained in a report of an independent consultant prepared and filed in compliance with Commission regulations in effect before March 1, 1981 the information and analyses may be incorporated by specific reference into the first report prepared and filed under this subpart. (c) Information required for all reports. Any report of an independent consultant filed under this subpart must contain the information specified in this paragraph. (1) Monitoring information. The report must contain monitoring information that includes time-versus-reading graphs depicting data compiled from any existing critical or representative monitoring instruments that measure the behavior, movement, deflection, or loading of project works or from which the stability, performance, or functioning of the structures may be determined. (i) Any monitoring data plotted on graphs must be presented in a manner that will facilitate identification and analysis of trends. The data may be summarized to facilitate graphical representation. (ii) Plan and sectional drawings of project structures sufficient to show the location of all critical or representative existing monitoring instruments must be included. If these drawings have been included in a previous report prepared and filed by an independent consultant, they may be incorporated by specific reference to that earlier report. (2) Analyses. The report must: (i) Analyze the safety of the project works and the maintenance and methods of operation of the development fully in light of the independent consultant's reviews, field inspections, assessments, and evaluations described in §12.35; (ii) Identify any changes in the information and analyses required by paragraph (b) of this section that have occurred since the last report by an independent consultant under this subpart and analyze the implications of those changes; and (iii) Analyze the adequacy of existing monitoring instruments, periodic observation programs, and other methods of monitoring project works and conditions effecting the safety of the project or project works with respect to the development. (3) Incorporation by reference. To the extent that conditions, assumptions, and available information have not changed since the last previous report by an independent consultant under this subpart, the analyses required under paragraphs (c)(2)(i) and (ii) of this section may be incorporated by specific reference to the last previous report. (4) Recommendations. Based on the independent consultant's field observations and evaluations of the project works and the maintenance, surveillance, and methods of operation of the development, the report must contain the independent consultant's recommendations on: (i) Any corrective measures necessary for the structures or for the maintance or surveillance procedures or methods of operation of the project works; (ii) A reasonable time to carry out each corrective measure; and (iii) Any new or additional monitoring instruments, periodic observations, or other methods of monitoring project works or conditions that may be required. (5) Dissenting views. If the inspection and report were conducted and prepared by more than one independent consultant, the report must clearly indicate any dissenting views concerning the analyses or recommendations of the report that might be held by any individual consultant. (6) List of participants. The report must identify all professional personnel who have participated in the inspection of the project or in preparation of the report and the independent consultant who directed those activities. (7) Statement of independence. The independent consultant must declare that all conclusions and recommendations in the report are made independently of the licensee, its employees, and its representatives. (8) Signature. The report must be signed by each independent consultant responsible for the report. (a) General rule. After the initial inspection and report under this subpart for a project development, a new inspection under this subpart must be completed and the report on it filed not later than five years from the date the last report on an inspection was to be filed under this subpart. (b) Initial inspection and report. (1) For any development that has a dam that is more than 32.8 feet (10 meters) in height above streambed or impounds an impoundment with a gross storage capacity of more than 2,000 acre feet (2.5 million cubic meters), which development was constructed before the date of issuance of the order licensing or amending a license to include that development, the initial inspection under this subpart must be completed and the report on it filed not later than two years after the date of issuance of the order licensing the development or amending the license to include the development. (2) For any development that was constructed after the date of issuance of the order licensing or amending a license to include the development, the initial inspection under this subpart must be completed and the report on it filed not later than five years from the date of first commercial operation, or the date on which the impoundment first reaches its normal maximum surface elevation, whichever occurs first. (3) For any development not set forth in either subparagraph (b)(1) or (b)(2), the initial inspection under this subpart must be completed and the report on it filed by a date specified by the Regional Engineer. The filing date must not be more than two years after the date of notification that an inspection and report under this subpart are required. (4) The last independent consultant's inspection and report made for a development before March 1, 1981 in compliance with the Commission's rules then in effect is deemed to fulfill the requirements for an initial inspection and report under this subpart for that development, except that the first report filed under this subpart for that development after March 1, 1981 must contain the information and analyses required by §12.37(b). (c) Extension of time. For good cause shown, the Regional Engineer may extend the time for filing an independent consultant's report under this subpart. (a) Corrective plan and schedule. (1) Not later than 60 days after the report of the independent consultant is filed with the Regional Engineer, the licensee must submit to the Regional Engineer three copies of a plan and schedule for designing and carrying out any corrective measures that the licensee proposes. (2) The plan and schedule may include any proposal, including taking no action, that the licensee considers a preferable alternative to any corrective measure recommended in the report of the independent consultant. Any proposed alternative must be accompanied by the licensee's complete justification and detailed analysis and evaluation in support of that alternative. (b) Carrying out the plan. The licensee must complete all corrective measures in accordance with the plan and schedule submitted to, and approved or modified by, the Regional Engineer. (c) Extension of time. For good cause shown, the Regional Engineer may extend the time for filing the plan and schedule required by this section.
Title 18: Conservation of Power and Water Resources
PART 12—SAFETY OF WATER POWER PROJECTS AND PROJECT WORKS
Subpart D—Inspection by Independent Consultant
§ 12.30 Applicability.
§ 12.31 Definitions.
§ 12.32 General inspection requirement.
§ 12.33 Exemption.
§ 12.34 Approval of independent consultant.
§ 12.35 Specific inspection requirements.
§ 12.36 Emergency corrective measures.
§ 12.37 Report of the independent consultant.
§ 12.38 Time for inspections and reports.
§ 12.39 Taking corrective measures after the report.
