B.C.91裸聊视频檚 largest hydroelectric and open-pit mine dams have been under close scrutiny in recent years, but the same can91裸聊视频檛 be said for hundreds of other dams around the province, B.C.91裸聊视频檚 auditor general says.

Auditor General Michael Pickup91裸聊视频檚 review of regulated dams used for power generation, irrigation and flood control found that more than 60 per cent of those sampled lacked key information such as emergency contact and height of the dam. Nearly 200 dams were missing from ministry records

There are 1,900 regulated dams in the province, some designated as high-risk, and 87 of those had 91裸聊视频渟ignificant deficiencies91裸聊视频� that were not repaired for an average of more than seven years after the problems were identified, according to , released Sept. 14.

The audit did not include dams under construction, including B.C. Hydro91裸聊视频檚 Site C dam on the Peace River, or those associated with mines. Its focus is on the many smaller dams in the jurisdiction of the the forests and lands ministry.

In a statement to Black Press Media, the ministry said it is hiring five more dam safety staff to help take action on the auditor91裸聊视频檚 recommendations.

91裸聊视频淲hile dam owners are responsible for ensuring the safety of their operations, we recognize there91裸聊视频檚 more government can be doing to assist with oversight, outreach, and education,91裸聊视频� the ministry said.

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The audit makes nine recommendations, all of which have been accepted by the forests and lands ministry. They include reaching out to more dam owners to encourage safety training, rather than sending annual letters to owners of 91裸聊视频渉igh, very high and extreme consequence91裸聊视频� dams. 91裸聊视频淕oing forward, the ministry will explore options to expand this correspondence to include low and significant consequence91裸聊视频� dam owners, the ministry said in its response to the audit.

Another recommendation is to review staffing for mine inspection. The audit found that four out of 10 dam safety officers had a backlog of reports on high-consequence dam safety to review. 91裸聊视频淎verage time to accept safety reports was 20 months,91裸聊视频� the audit states. 91裸聊视频淪ome took eight years.91裸聊视频�

Pickup also recommends a province-wide program to identify dams built without authorization.

91裸聊视频淒am failures do not normally cause fatalities, but they can cause other damage,91裸聊视频� the audit says. 91裸聊视频淭he ministry reported, on average, three structural dam failures each year over the past five years, most of them causing minimal damage; however, larger failures have occurred in the past. For example, in 2010 the Testalinden Dam failed, destroying or damaging five homes and causing significant damage to crops and farm equipment.The debris covered 200 metres of Highway 97 and blocked several secondary roads. The estimated cost of this dam failure was in the millions of dollars.91裸聊视频�

tfletcher@blackpress.ca
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