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to public safety, it is unlikely that the engineering error

would have escaped detection and produced a great disaster.

A sound policy of public safety and business and

engineering judgment demands that the construction and

operation of a great dam should never be left to the sole

judgment of one man, no matter how eminent, without check by

independent expert authority, for no one is free from error,

and checking by independent experts will eliminate the effect

of human error and insure safety.

The exemption of municipalities from supervision

by state authorities in the building of dams involving public

hazards is a very serious defect of the state law that should

be corrected.

Recommentaions

We respectfully recommend

That the regulations governing the conduct of all

municipal and county bodies engaged in building and operating

dams be revised so that the construction and operation of all

such dams will be subject to review by competent experts in

addition to the regular executive engineering organization of

the respective public bodies. It should not be left to the

discretion of the Chief Engineer of such a body to submit such

matters to experts, but should be mandatory upon the highest

executive authority to employ thoroughly competent consultants

that will not be subservient to the Chief Engineer.

That steps be taken to the end that all existing

dams be thoroughly examined as to their safety by a board of

boards of outstanding experts on the construction of dams.

That steps be taken to change the state law so as

to place the building of municipal and county, as well as

privately owned dams under the jurisdiction of the state

authoritieso

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