Regulatory Corner - April 2025

British Columbia – Guidelines for Dam Design and Construction

On March 18, 2025, the B.C. Dam Safety Program released the Province’s new Guidelines for Dam Design and Construction which replace the former Plan Submission Requirements for the Construction and Rehabilitation of Small Dams Guidelines that were originally intended for application to small dams. The new Guidelines apply to water dams of all sizes.

These Guidelines provide information on the regulatory requirements to construct, alter, improve, or replace a dam licensed under British Columbia’s Water Sustainability Act.

The new Guidelines are available on the dam safety technical resources website of the B.C. Dam Safety Program at the following web link https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/air-land-water/water/drought-flooding-dikes-dams/dam-safety/technical-resources