[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 33, Volume 3]
[Revised as of July 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 33CFR222.4]

[Page 221-223]
 
                TITLE 33--NAVIGATION AND NAVIGABLE WATERS
 
 CHAPTER II--CORPS OF ENGINEERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF 
                                 DEFENSE
 
PART 222_ENGINEERING AND DESIGN--Table of Contents
 
Sec.  222.4  Reporting earthquake effects.

    (a) Purpose. This regulation states policy, defines objectives, 
assigns functions, and establishes procedures for assuring the 
structural integrity and operational adequacy of major Civil Works 
structures following the occurrence of significant earthquakes. It 
primarily concerns damage surveys following the occurrences of 
earthquakes.
    (b) Applicability. This regulation is applicable to all field 
operating agencies having Civil Works responsibilities.
    (c) References. (1) ER 1110-2-100 (Sec.  222.2).
    (2) ER 1110-2-1806.
    (3) ER 1110-2-8150.
    (4) ER 1130-2-419.
    (5) State-of-the-Art for Assessing Earthquake Hazards in the United 
States--WES Miscellaneous Papers S-73-1--Reports 1 thru 14. Available 
from U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, P.O. Box 631, 
Vicksburg, Mississippi 39180.
    (d) Policy. Civil Works structures which could be caused to fail or 
partially fail by an earthquake and whose failure or partial failure 
would endanger the lives of the public and/or cause substantial property 
damage, will be evaluated following potentially damaging earthquakes to 
insure their continued structural stability, safety and operational 
adequacy. These structures include dams, navigation locks, powerhouses, 
and appurtenant structures, (intakes, outlet works, buildings, tunnels, 
paved spillways) which are operated by the Corps of Engineers and for 
which the Corps is fully responsible. Also included are major levees, 
floodwalls, and similar facilities designed and constructed by the Corps 
of Engineers and for whose structural safety and stability the Corps has 
a public obligation to be aware of although not responsible for their 
maintenance and operation. The evaluation of these structures will be 
based upon post-earthquake inspections which will be conducted to detect 
conditions of significant structural distress and to provide a basis for 
timely initiation of restorative and remedial measures.
    (e) Post-earthquake inspections and evaluation surveys--(1) 
Limitations of present knowledge. The design of structures for 
earthquake loading is limited by the infrequent opportunity to compare 
actual performance with the design. Damage which would affect the 
function of the project is unlikely if peak accelerations are below 
0.1g.; but it cannot be assumed that a structure will not be damaged 
from earthquake loadings below that for which it was designed. 
Furthermore, earthquakes have occurred in several parts of the country 
where significant seismic activity had not been predicted by some 
seismic zoning maps. This indicates the possibility that earthquake 
induced loads may not have been adequately considered in the design of 
older structures.

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    (2) Types of reportable damage. Many types of structural damage can 
be induced by ground motion from earthquakes or from large nuclear 
blasts (which also tend to induce ground vibrations in the more damaging 
lower frequency ranges). Any post-earthquake change in appearance or 
functional capability of a major Civil Works structure should be 
evaluated and reported. Examples are symptoms of induced stresses in 
buildings made evident by cracked plaster, windows or tile, or in 
binding of doors or windows; cracked or shifted bridge pier footings or 
other concrete structures; turbidity or changed static level of water 
wells; cracks in concrete dams or earth embankments; and misalignment of 
hydraulic control structures or gates. Induced dynamic loading on earth 
dams may result in loss of freeboard by settlement, or cause localized 
quick conditions within the embankment sections or earth foundations. 
Also, new seepage paths may be opened up within the foundation or 
through the embankment section. Ground motion induced landslides may 
occur in susceptible areas of the reservoir rim, causing embankment 
overtopping by waves and serious damage. All such unusual conditions 
should be evaluated and reported.
    (f) Inspection and evaluation programs. (1) If the project is 
located in an area where the earthquake causes significant damage 
(Modified Mercalli Intensity VII or greater) to structures in the 
vicinity, the Chief, Engineering Division, should be immediately 
notified and an engineering evaluation and inspection team should be 
sent to the project.
    (2) If the project is located in an area where the earthquake is 
felt but causes no or insignificant damage (Modified Mercalli Intensity 
VI or less) to structures in the vicinity of the project, project 
operations personnel should make an immediate inspection. This 
inspection should determine: (i) Whether there is evidence of earthquake 
damage or disturbance, and (ii) whether seismic instrumentation, where 
present, has been triggered. The Chief, Engineering Division should be 
notified by phone of the results of the inspection. If damage is 
observed, which is considered to threaten the immediate safety or 
operational capability of the project, immediate action should be taken 
as covered in paragraph (f)(1) of this section. For other situations, 
the Chief of Engineering Division will determine the need for and 
urgency for an engineering inspection.
    (3) When an engineering inspection of structures is deemed necessary 
following a significant earthquake, HQDA (DAEN-CWE) WASH DC 20314 will 
be notified of the inspection program as soon as it is established.
    (4) As a general rule, the structures which would be of concern 
following an earthquake are also the structures which are involved in 
the inspection program under ER 1110-2-100. Whenever feasible, 
instrumentation and prototype testing programs undertaken under ER 1110-
2-100 to monitor structural performance and under ER 1110-2-8150 to 
develop design criteria will be utilized in the post-earthquake safety 
evaluation programs. Additional special types of instrumentation will be 
incorporated in selected structures in which it may be desirable to 
measure forces, pressures, loads, stresses, strains, displacements, 
deflections, or other conditions relating to damage and structural 
safety and stability in case of an earthquake.
    (5) Where determined necessary, a detailed, systematic engineering 
inspection will be made of the post-earthquake condition of each 
structure, taking into account its distinctive features. For structures 
which have incurred earthquake damage a formal technical report will be 
prepared in a format similar to inspection reports required under ER 
1110-2-100. (Exempt from requirements control under paragraph 7-2b, AR 
335-15.) The report will include summaries of the instrumentation and 
other observation data for each inspection, for permanent record and 
reference purposes. This report will be used to form a basis for major 
remedial work when required. Where accelerometers or other types of 
strong motion instruments have been installed, readings and 
interpretations from these instruments should also be included in the 
report. The report will contain recommendations for remedial work when 
appropriate, and will be

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transmitted through the Division Engineer for review and to HQDA (DAEN-
CWE) WASH DC 20314 for review and approval. For structures incurring no 
damage a simple statement to this effect will be all that is required in 
the report, unless seismic instrumentation at the project is activated. 
(See paragraph (h)(4) of this section.)
    (g) Training. The dam safety training program covered by paragraph 6 
of ER 1130-2-419 should include post-earthquake inspections and the 
types of damage operations personnel should look for.
    (h) Responsibilities. (1) The Engineering Divisions of the District 
offices will formulate the inspection program, conduct the post-
earthquake inspections, process and analyze the data of instrumental and 
other observations, evaluate the resulting condition of the structures, 
and prepare the inspection reports. The Engineering division is also 
responsible for planning special instrumentation felt necessary in 
selected structures under this program. Engineering Division is 
responsible for providing the training discussed in paragraph (g) of 
this section.
    (2) The Construction Divisions of the District offices will be 
responsible for the installation of the earthquake instrumentation 
devices and for data collection if an earthquake occurs during the 
construction period.
    (3) The Operations Division of the District offices will be 
responsible for the immediate assessment of earthquake damage and 
notifying the Chief, Engineering Division as discussed in paragraphs 
(f)(1) and (2). The Operations Division will also be responsible for 
earthquake data collection after the construction period in accordance 
with the instrumental observation programs, and will assist and 
participate in the post-earthquake inspections.
    (4) The U.S. Geological Survey has the responsibility for servicing 
and collecting all data from strong motion instrumentation at Corps of 
Engineers dam projects following an earthquake occurrence. However, the 
U.S. Army Waterways Experiment Station (WES) is assigned the 
responsibility for analyzing and interpreting these earthquake data. 
Whenever a recordable earthquake record is obtained from seismic 
instrumentation at a Corps project, the Division will send a report of 
all pertinent instrumentation data to the Waterways Experiment Station, 
ATTN: WESGH, P.O. Box 631, Vicksburg, Mississippi 39180. The report on 
each project should include a complete description of the locations and 
types of instruments and a copy of the instrumental records from each of 
the strong motion machines activated. (Exempt from requirements control 
under paragraph 7-2v, AR 335-15).
    (5) The Engineering Divisions of the Division offices will select 
structures for special instrumentation for earthquake effects, and will 
review and monitor the data collection, processing, evaluating, and 
inspecting activities. They will also be specifically responsible for 
promptly informing HQDA (DAEN-CWE) WASH DC 20314, when evaluation of the 
condition of the structure or analyses of the instrumentation data 
indicate the stability of a structure is questionable. (Exempt for 
requirements control under paragraph 7-2o, AR 335-15.)
    (6) Division Engineers are responsible for issuing any supplementary 
regulations necessary to adapt the policies and instructions herein to 
the specific conditions within their Division.
    (i) Funding. Funding for the evaluation and inspection program will 
be under the Appropriation 96X3123, Operations and Maintenance, General. 
Funds required for the inspections, including Travel and Per Diem costs 
incurred by personnel of the Division office or the Office, Chief of 
Engineers, will be from allocations made to the various projects for the 
fiscal year in which the inspection occurs.

[44 FR 43469, July 25, 1979. Redesignated at 60 FR 19851, Apr. 21, 1995]