Incorporating on-farm water storage safety into catchment policy frameworks: International best practice policy for private dam safety accountability and assurance

The safety of catchment basins is threatened because of the potential and severe consequences of private on-farm dam failure. Such failure follows inadequate development and implementation of accountability and assurance policy in relation to water storage, a consideration which resources and land use policy planning must take into account if lives, private property, public infrastructure and the environment downstream are to be saved. Thus, this paper aims to explore the interrelated policy issues associated with improving safety of farm dam water storage structures to mitigate individual and cumulative dam failure threats. The paper provides insights into the design of best-practice resources and land use policy for the Australian setting based on contemporary international best practice in private dam safety accountability and assurance policy. A strategic literature review identifies international dam safety policy benchmarks from minimum to best practice. Practical application of the benchmarked policy is then undertaken through case studies in two contrasting Australian states, Tasmania and South Australia, which literature suggests represent a leader and laggard in terms of best international policy practice. Whilst Tasmania provides leadership and best practice in comparison with international policy benchmarks, the paper reports data from a 15-year longitudinal case study which confirms that South Australia lags and demonstrably would benefit from application of the policy guidelines developed. The case study on appropriate dam safety management accountability and assurance policy development for catchments in two strongly contrasting state jurisdictions in Australia is novel, as are the recommendations developed for how resources and land use policy can best address cumulative threats from smaller dams in catchments. The case study and recommendations can assist similar jurisdictions world-wide to address the threats associated with farm dams in catchments.

► Severe cumulative farm dam failure impacts threaten the safety of catchment basins.
► Best practice private dam safety accountability and assurance policy identified.
► Policy guidelines applied to Australia to mitigate cumulative dam failure threats.