INCORPORATING DAM-BREAK CONCERNS IN SCHOOL SITE SELECTION

Site selection for new public schools in urbanizing areas involves a v ariety of decision factors. In particular, various risk factors must b e assessed to assure the safety of students attending school. These ri sk factors typically include items such as earthquake potential, separ ation distance from airport runways, and proximity to waste-disposal s ites and other environmental hazards. One additional risk factor that should be considered is the potential for flood inundation of a school site due to dam failure, should a prospective site be located downstr eam of a reservoir. Dam failures rarely occur; however, when they do, the potential for damage and destruction is tremendous. Historically, dam-break flooding has not been a significant factor in either school site selection, or the planning and development of many public and pri vate facilities. Based on a case study involving the Perris Reservoir in southern California, the flooding from a potential dam break is eva luated, and the results are utilized to illustrate how this risk facto r can be incorporated into the decision-factor matrix for the selectio n of new public school sites.