Section 535.210 - Submission of application for approval of plans for dam1. Except as otherwise provided in NAC 535.220, a person who is required by NRS NRS 535.010 to file an application for approval of plans for a dam must submit to the State Engineer in person or by mail: (b) The fee for examining and acting upon such plans and specifications required by NRS NRS 533.435; and(c) Three copies of the plans and specifications, including, without limitation: (2) A geotechnical report;(3) The specifications for construction;(4) A potential hazard classification report;(6) If required or permitted by the State Engineer, one or more addenda. Each element of the plans and specifications must be prepared by or under the supervision of a professional engineer and must bear the wet stamp and signature of the professional engineer.
2. The application must: (a) Be on a form provided by the State Engineer;(c) Bear the original signature of each owner of the dam or an agent authorized to sign the application on behalf of the owner; and(d) Be bound separately from the plans and specifications.3.The design report must include, without limitation: (a) A description of the proposed structure;(b) Discussions of: (2) The downstream hazard in the event of a failure of the dam or a large release of water;(3) Any special conditions at the site of which the applicant is aware;(4) Selection of the inflow design flood; and(5) Selection of the design earthquake; and(c) Calculations that establish: (2) The dam's inflow design flood;(3) The dam's outlet capacity;(4) The dam's spillway capacity;(5) The dam's storm surcharge; and(6) If the dam is: (I) Concrete, the dam's stability under critical reservoir and seismic loading conditions for sliding, overturning, cracking and abutment failure; or(II) An earthen embankment, the dam's slope stability under static, seismic, rapid fill and rapid draw down conditions. 4. The geotechnical report must:(a) Include, or if filed with the plans refer to, one or more plats showing each test pit, borehole or other exploration site;(b) Show the lithology at each exploration site, including standard penetration test results or other means of estimating bearing capacity;(c) Include estimates of the: (1) Suitability of the site for the proposed project;(2) Foundation bearing capacity of the site; and(d) Indicate the soil properties in each relevant area, including, without limitation: (e) Show the depth to groundwater and permeability of foundation materials;(f) Explore seismic hazards in the area; and(g) Include a discussion of any special conditions at the site of which the applicant is aware.5. The specifications for construction must:(a) Address all aspects of construction;(b) Include a schedule of testing for quality assurance and quality control;(c) Provide a precise citation to the location of any other common specification to which it refers; and(d) Be on standard paper that is 8 1/2 by 11 inches in size.6. The potential hazard classification report must: (a) Address any potential impact of the dam on life, property and any lifeline, both downstream of the dam and within the potential reservoir inundation area, for: (1) Bank-full reservoir conditions; (2) Maximum discharge conditions; and (3) Dam breach conditions; and (b) Make a recommendation for the hazard classification to be assigned to the dam, including, without limitation, identification of the conditions that justify the recommendation.7. The plans must:(a) Depict the proposed work adequately and include, without limitation: (1) A cover sheet that includes, without limitation: (I) The name of each owner of the dam;(II) The name of the dam; and(III) A location plat that shows at least one section corner;(2) A second sheet that shows elevation-capacity and elevation-area curves;(3) A third sheet which includes a plan view of the dam and impoundment that shows, without limitation: (I) The alignments of cross sections of the dam;(II) The reference point of the dam, tied to a found section corner and identified by latitude and longitude; and(III) Section corners and postconstruction elevation contours;(4) A fourth sheet which includes cross sections at each outlet and spillway, and at the maximum embankment height, that show preconstruction and postconstruction ground elevation contours; and(5) A fifth sheet that shows appurtenant works and details.(b) Show a tie with bearing and distance to a found section corner from a reference point on the dam. The reference point must be on the long axis at the station where the toe is at the lowest elevation. If no single point meets this criterion, the reference point must be at the intersection of the long axis and the centerline of the principle outlet.(c) Not include any spurious or excessive detail, including, without limitation, plantings, streets, buildings and pipelines, unless their location directly affects construction, operation or maintenance of the project.(d) Unless the use of exaggerated dimensions is necessary for clarity, have the same vertical and horizontal scales.(e) Be in one color on standard paper that is 24 by 36 inches in size. 8. Each addendum must: (a) Be reasonably necessary; and(b) Be on standard paper that, if the addendum consists of:(1) Text only, is 8 1/2 by 11 inches in size; or(2) An illustration, is not larger than 11 by 17 inches in size.9. A calculation included in the plans and specifications that concerns strength or stability must incorporate a factor of safety. The factor of safety:(a) If the calculation describes conditions of steady-state seepage static load, must not be less than 1.4;(b) If the calculation describes conditions of postconstruction static load, must not be less than 1.3;(c) If the calculation describes conditions of rapid reservoir draw down load, must not be less than 1.25; or(d) If the calculation describes conditions of seismic load, must not be less than 1.1, unless a deformation analysis showing adequate residual strength and retention of freeboard is provided.10. For the purposes of determining whether a person is required to apply for approval of plans for a dam pursuant to paragraph (b) of subsection 2 of NRS NRS 535.010, the State Engineer will calculate the capacity of the dam as the volume of water, expressed in acre-feet, detained above the anticipated elevation of the lowest point on the toe of the dam.11. As used in this section, "design earthquake" means a hypothetical earthquake of a specified magnitude or return period used in the design of a dam.Nev. Admin. Code § 535.210
Added to NAC by St. Engineer by R124-02, eff. 5-30-2003; A by R054-14, eff. 10/24/2014NRS 532.120, 533.435, 535.010