2001 – Financial and Economic Consequence Assessment – Is the Methodology Important?

Ian Millward-Brown, John Wall

Australian Governments have recently undertaken series of consequence studies for all of their major and some minor dams. The methods used for the analysis were along the lines of the “Rapid Appraisal Method” (RAM). However, the exercise highlighted the need for care in undertaking such evaluations if meaningful comparisons are to be made between the studies. Dam owners, regulators and consultants need to understand that within the RAM framework there can be considerable variations in evaluation procedures and outcomes. Care also needs to be exercised in using these studies for ranking dams for asset and refurbishment planning and programs.