(a) The department shall inspect dams, reservoirs, and appurtenant structures to verify their safety in accordance with the following schedule:

(1) A facility that has been determined by the department, pursuant to Section 6160, to have a hazard classification of significant, high, or extremely high, shall be inspected at least once per fiscal year.

Terms Used In California Water Code 6102.5

  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
  • State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Water Code 18

(2) A facility that has been determined by the department, pursuant to Section 6160, to have a hazard classification of low shall be inspected at least once every two fiscal years.

(b) The department shall require owners to perform, at the owner’s expense, work as necessary to disclose information sufficient to enable the department to determine conditions of dams, reservoirs, and critical appurtenant structures regarding their safety and to perform, at the owner’s expense, other work necessary to secure maintenance and operation that will safeguard life and property. An inspection pursuant to subdivision (a) shall include, but is not limited to, visual inspection of major features of the dam, including its groins, abutments, and toe areas, the dam’s spillway, and the dam’s outlet works. The inspection shall also evaluate seepage and instrumentation, and include a review of available geological data and existing geological conditions.

(c) An owner of a dam shall operate critical outlet and spillway control features on an annual basis and shall demonstrate their full operability in the presence of the department every three years or as directed by the department.

(d) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), dam inspection reports conducted by the Division of Safety of Dams shall be public records subject to the California Public Records Act (Division 10 (commencing with Section 7920.000) of Title 1 of the Government Code).

(2) (A) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the department, in accordance with applicable law and in consultation with the dam owner and relevant local, state, or federal public safety entities, may withhold from public release sensitive data, images, or other information that discloses a dam’s vulnerability or poses a security threat.

(B) If the department withholds information pursuant to subparagraph (A), the department shall include in the public release a statement of findings that the withheld information would disclose a dam’s vulnerability or pose a security threat, as described in subparagraph (A).

(Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 615, Sec. 429. (AB 474) Effective January 1, 2022. Operative January 1, 2023, pursuant to Section 463 of Stats. 2021, Ch. 615.)

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