Owners of all Significant Hazard and High Hazard dams whose failure could threaten public safety downstream are required to complete and maintain an EAP which addresses the area of concern and identifies procedures to be initiated in the case of a dam failure. (See DES Fact Sheet WD-DB-15 for definition of Significant Hazard and High Hazard dams.)

This website will assist you in reviewing your Emergency Action Plan (EAP) to see that it includes all the information required by department's administrative rules, and to guide you through the testing procedures.

N.H. Department of Environmental Services' administrative rules, Env-Wr 507.01 and Env-Wr 507.02, require that Emergency Action Plans be reviewed, updated and tested every two years for High Hazard dams and every 4 years for Significant Hazard dams.

It is important that EAPs be kept up-to-date in order to ensure that notification procedures of local and state officials are correctly outlined. Also, it is important to review the inundation map, which delineates the hazards downstream, to ensure that any new development in the area is delineated on the map.

The department has developed a template to assist dam owners in preparing their EAP according to the department's rules. Most, but not all, EAPs are already in this format.