ADVERTISEMENT
FEMA’s National Dam Safety Program
Construction on the Big Tujunga Dam, as seen from above the dam.
M
any of the nation’s large, federally owned hydropower dams are aging and in need of repairs, which are often funded by agencies like the Bureau of Reclamation. However, such funding streams are often not open to smaller, state-regulated private and municipal dams. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is helping address this gap through its National Dam Safety Program (NDSP), which provides pass-through grants to states, which in turn award the money to subrecipients who sponsor rehabilitation projects. In this interview, James Demby, the senior technical and policy adviser on dam safety issues and program manager for the NDSP, tells Municipal Water Leader about the projects that the program funds and how states can best apply for grant funding. Municipal Water Leader: Please tell us about your background and how you came to be in your current position.
28 | MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER | January 2021
James Demby: The NDSP is a public-private partnership whose purpose is to reduce risk and reduce dam failure in the United States. The establishment and maintenance of an effective dam safety program brings together the expertise of federal and nonfederal resources and subject-matter experts. The goal is to achieve national dam safety hazard reduction. The program had its genesis in the 1970s, when a series of dam failures occurred under the Carter administration. An ad hoc group was created to look at concerns about dams and to establish federal dam safety guidelines. That group’s guidelines were established in 1979 and provided the framework for federal dam safety programs. In 1996, the NDSP was codified in statute. The NDSP provides financial assistance in the form of grants to states that have legislated dam safety programs. It also provides training for state dam safety professionals and other dam safety professionals. We also have a research program that develops tools to support state and federal agencies in their dam safety activities. We promote public outreach activities. It’s a modest program, but it benefits the profession. There are two advisory committees under the NDSP. One is the Interagency Committee on Dam Safety, which brings together the federal agencies that have some role or municipalwaterleader.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF ADAM DUBROWA AND FEMA.
James Demby: I have more than 30 years of experience in the area of dam safety. I started working on civil works projects and military construction projects for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where I spent about 14 years. I then went to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Forest Service, where I was the dam safety program manager. I was there for about 4 years. In 2007, I came to FEMA in the same position I now hold.
Municipal Water Leader: Would you give us a quick introduction to the NDSP?
