Prioritization of ten embankment dams according to physical deficiencies

Ten embankment darns managed by the Massachusetts Department of Environment al Management Office of Dam Safety have been prioritized according to their physical deficiencies. Based upon visual inspection reports by several ind ependent engineers engaged by the Department of Environmental Management an d using a computer program that automates the risk indexing procedure, the 10 dams have been assigned a risk index (Or priority ranking) number that i dentifies potential deficiencies in the physical condition of each structur e and provides an evaluation of the overall importance of these deficiencie s. Comparisons of the computed total risk indices for all dams in an invent ory provides a basis for prioritizing future maintenance and repair actions for that inventory. Examination of the risk indices for each physical cond ition at a single dam can also give an indication as to which deficiencies may be the most significant. This paper will assist dam safety engineers in evaluating the potential benefits of the application of risk indexing to d arns within their inventory. A companion paper presents the theoretical bas is for prioritizations presented herein.