Findings that many existing dams fail to meet current spillway capac- ity criteria for new dams. Tightened budget requirements at the federal level and need for in- creased justification for requests for funds to improve existing federal dams in the interest of public safety. The committee is gratified that, through its work, a considerable range of professional viewpoints and backgrounds has been brought to bear on the problems involved in dam safety criteria relating to extreme floods and earthquakes. However, establishing such criteria necessarily involves bal- ancing risks among various interests. Establishing acceptable levels of risk to humans and properties is a matter of public policy.
Technical experts can only help to determine what level of risks are acceptable.
Guidelines for dam safety should not be applied in a mechanical fashion by specialists in a narrow field of technical activity. A review in the broad public interest of dam safety evaluations and plans to improve dam safety is desirable for each project.