In 2016, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed an evaluation known as the Herbert Hoover Dike Dam Safety Modification Study (HHD DSMS) to address problems and develop alternatives for rehabilitation of the dike.
The DSMS was the most comprehensive study ever conducted on the dike. It reviewed the geology and geometry of the dike in multiple locations. The study examined impacts from a full range of structural and non-structural alternatives which could be implemented to reduce risk.
The results of the study provided the final roadmap toward the ultimate goal of reducing the failure risk at the Herbert Hoover Dike.
COMMON INUNDATION ZONES
As the Dam Safety Modification Study has progressed, the Corps completed analysis on consequences that would result from a breach in the dike with a lake level at elevation 25 feet (NAVD).
Based on this analysis, the Corps identified seven common inundation zones designed to illustrate areas that could be impacted. Failure of the dike at any location along the lakeside of a common inundation zone would flood the impacted area with at least one foot of water.