Independent Consultant's Inspection Reports F.E.R.C. Order No. 122?The First Five Years

by John K. Hawk, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, USA,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Water Power '87

Abstract:

On January 21, 1981, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued Order No. 122, revising and expanding the periodic inspection program established in 1965 by the Federal Power Commission (FPC), the predecessor of the FERC. This program was intended to provide third-party, unbiased safety evaluations of dams at the Commission's licensed projects. Inspections were to be performed at five year intervals by 'independent' consultants engaged by the licensees. The FPC program included projects having a dam exceeding 10. 7 meters (35 feet) in height or having a gross storage capacity in excess of 2. 5 million cubic meters (2,000 acre-feet). By the time Order No. 122 was issued, most of the licensed dams already had been inspected three times. With the regulations promulgated by Order No. 122 now more than five years old, the second round of inspections are underway. This paper presents a discussion of the success of the program, its importance within the context of the Commission's dam safety program, problems encountered relative to approval of consultants, the quality of reports submitted, the application of current design criteria to existing dams, and the independence of consultants.

Subject Headings: Inspection | Consulting services | Dam safety | Licensure and certification | Federal government | Dams | Project management

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