Dam Safety

Program Mission

Willow Creek Dam, Prescott, AZ

The mission of Arizona's Dam Safety program is to maximize protection of human life and property against dam failure.

The Arizona Revised Statutes (A.R.S.) §45-1201 assigns the responsibility for supervision of the safety of dams to the Arizona Department of Water Resources.   Our objective is to maximize the protection of the public against loss of life and property by reducing the likelihood of catastrophic failure of dams within the Department’s jurisdiction. 

The Dam Safety Program is responsible for the safety of all non-federal dams in Arizona through the review of applications for proposed new dams, and monitoring of construction of new dams and repairs for existing structures.  Program personnel inspect and evaluate operating dams to determine if safety deficiencies exist and to develop actions to remove those deficiencies.