Resources

These guidelines provide information on Dams Safety NSW requirements for dam owners.  Although we try to make all documents plain English, some of these documents contain technical information that may benefit from specialist advice to interpret.

Guidelines

Defining dams for declaration

Mining near declared dams

Operations and maintenance plans

Dam safety management systems

Emergency plans

Guidance Notes

Reducing dam safety risks So Far As Is Reasonably Practicable (SFAIRP)

The Dams Safety Regulation 2019 refers to methodologies that must be used to calculate societal and individual risk ratings for a declared dam, and to assess and determine a declared dam’s consequence category. Although we try to make all documents plain English, some of these documents contain technical information that may benefit from specialist advice to interpret.

Societal and individual risk rating methodology for Dams Safety Act 2015

Declared dams consequence category assessment and determination methodology for Dams Safety Act 2015

Our Fact Sheets and publications provide useful information on key topics

Risk Reports

• Preparing a risk report for a declared dam
• Engaging a competent person or panel to review my dam reports and assessments
• Finding a consultant to help prepare dam safety reports
• Provide Dams Safety NSW with a declaration of competency

Annual Dams Safety Standards Reports

• Preparing your declared dam's Annual Dams Safety Standards Report

Emergency plans and emergency exercises

• Conducting a dam emergency exercise
• New dam emergency plan summary information sheet: what you need to know

Operations and maintenance plans

• FAQs - Operations and maintenance plans

Dam safety management systems

• Dam safety management system tool

Education and training

• Competency assessment program

Community consultation

• Stakeholder engagement: why it’s important for dam owners to engage with the community

Publications

• Small dam safety: a guide for owners

General information on declared dams

• Defining dams for declaration
• Should your dam be declared?
• Decommissioning and revoking a declared dam
• Documents at a glance for declared dam owners 
• List of declared dams in NSW

Mining and declared dams

• Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management versus NSW dams safety legislation
• List of mining notification areas for declared dams

Dams safety legislation

• 2022 Changes to the Dams Safety Regulation

Dams Safety NSW has collaborated with TAFE NSW to deliver two three-hour online courses. They are both available on TAFE NSW's online learning platform.

Surveillance of EMBANKMENT dams - routine inspections The course will help NSW dam owners understand the activities involved in conducting routine visual inspections of embankment dams.

Surveillance of CONCRETE dams - routine inspections This course will help NSW dam owners understand the activities involved in conducting routine visual inspections of concrete dams.

PLEASE NOTE: successfully completing these courses does not mean you are a 'competent person'. You can choose to be assessed for competency against the National Water Training Package unit of competency 'NWPCAD011 - inspect and report on embankment dam safety' or NWPCAD010 – Inspect and report on concrete dam safety, for an additional fee.

Competency assessment program - To help declared dam owners, DSNSW also offers a competency assessment program for people who have successfully completed the online course and work for an organisation with a declared dam in NSW.

• Dam information form
• Declared dam owner's contact details form
• Annual Dams Safety Standards Report form
• Competent person declaration form

These policies and plans set out how Dams Safety NSW operates.

• Dams Safety NSW Public Interest Disclosure policy
• Dams Safety NSW Regulatory policy
• Dams Safety NSW Strategic Plan 2022-27
• Dams Safety NSW Regulatory Oversight Committee (ROC) Terms of Reference
• Dams Safety NSW Regulatory approach to dams with controlled spillways
• Dams Safety NSW 2023 stakeholder engagement survey

As part of our statutory reporting requirement, we prepare an annual report to the Minister and NSW Parliament detailing activities and outcomes for the financial year.

Dams Safety NSW Annual Report 2023-2024 (PDF, 1.99 MB)

Dams Safety NSW Annual Report 2022-2023 (PDF,  2.02 MB)

Dams Safety NSW Annual Report 2021-2022 (PDF, 7551 KB)

Dams Safety NSW Annual Report 2020-2021 (PDF, 2953 KB)

Dams Safety NSW Annual Report 2019-2020 (PDF, 16354.97 KB)

Dams Safety NSW webinars and information sessions run year-round. Sessions include information and insights from Dams Safety NSW officers, engineers and auditors about the challenges involved with owning a declared dam.

Dam Safety Insights is a series of podcasts designed to help declared dam owners, and their consultants, comply with the dam safety laws in NSW.