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Dam/Levee Failure <br />Dam/Levee Failure: Description <br />According to the 2013 State of Texas Hazard Mitigation Plan Update, a dam failure <br />is defined as a systematic failure of the dam structure resulting in the uncontrolled <br />release of water, often resulting in floods that could exceed the 100-year floodplain <br />boundaries. <br />The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) defines levees as an earthen embankment, floodwall, or <br />structure along a water course whose purpose is flood risk reduction or water conveyance. <br />Dam/Levee Failure: Extent Scale <br />Risk Assessment <br />The extent of dam failures can be measured in terms of depth of flooding within the inundation area. <br />Additionally, it can measured in terms of loss of life, economic impact, and volume of water overtopping <br />into the inundation areas. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) provides metrics that <br />classify dams based on this criteria, as seen on Tables 2.28 and 2.29. <br />Human and Economic Impact <br />No loss of life expected (no lives or permanent habitable structures in the <br />inundation area); <br />Low <br />Minimal economic loss (failure may cause damage to occasional farms, <br />agricultural improvements, and minor highways). <br />Loss of life is possible (1 to 6 lives or 1 to 2 permanent habitable structures in <br />the inundation area); <br />Significant <br />Appreciable economic loss (failure may cause damage to isolated homes, <br />secondary highways, minor railroads, or cause interruption of public services). <br />Loss of life is expected (7 or more lives or 3 or more permanent habitable <br />structures in the inundation area); <br />High <br />Excessive economic loss (failure may cause damage to public, agricultural, <br />industrial, or commercial facilities or utilities, and main highways or railroads.) <br />Size <br />Impoundment Maximum Storage (Ac-ft)Height (ft) <br />At Least 15 & Less Than 1,000At Least 25 & Less Than 40 <br />Small <br />At Least 50 & Less Than 1,000At Least 6 & Less Than 40 <br />IntermediateAt Least 1,000 & Less Than 50,000At Least 40 & Less Than 100 <br />LargeAt Least 50,000At Least 100 <br />Jurisdiction-specific data for location, previous occurrences, extent, probability, impact, and vulnerability <br />are found in jurisdiction annexes. <br />57 <br /> <br />