SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District conducted an inspection Dec. 10 at Martis Creek Dam following a reported 5.8 magnitude earthquake in Nevada.
Inspectors found no issues or concerns and the dam is functioning as designed. The seismic instrumentation on site did not detect the event.
This post-seismic inspection follows four other inspections performed at the district’s structures last week after a 7.0 magnitude event off the coast of Northern California.
USACE policy requires post-seismic inspections for its project structures based upon the intensity or magnitude of a seismic event and the distance at which the event occurred from a project structure. The inspections are performed to ensure the safe performance and integrity of dams immediately following seismic activity.
“Based upon the distance from an earthquake event may trigger a special inspection at a project,” noted Daniel Vellone, the district’s Dam Safety Program Manager.
Routine annual inspections are also conducted at all projects to make informed decisions about dam operation and maintenance. The Sacramento District’s Dam Safety Program includes 17 dams within California’s Central Valley and within Seismic Zones 3 and 4.
“In addition to the annual inspection conducted earlier this summer at Martis Creek, our teams also jointly conducted an Emergency Preparedness Exercise,” said Zeffy Ruvalcaba, the district’s Operations Management Support Branch Chief.
Seismic Zones have been defined across the United States to identify areas prone to varying degrees of seismicity.
“Seismic Zone 3 consists of areas that are expected to experience some seismic-induced ground acceleration, while Zone 4 generally consists of areas that may be more prone to higher ground accelerations or near active fault lines,” Vellone explained.
The Sacramento District ensures that our projects continue to perform as designed and serves the community as vital infrastructure for flood risk management, water supply, environmental stewardship, debris management, and recreation.
For more information about the USACE Sacramento District’s Dam Safety Program, visit https://www.spk.usace.army.mil/Dam-Safety.