Modification Decision Analysis (MDA)

The process of determining with confidence whether dam safety deficiencies exist for maximum loading conditions. The MDA process is a technical, state-of-the-art evaluation whose complexity can range from the simplified SEED Analysis Report evaluations using available data, to advanced engineering and geologic analyses conducted using material properties and other data obtained from detailed field and laboratory investigations. The MDA evaluates suspected safety of dam deficiencies, identifies the critical types of loading conditions that may cause dam failure, (e.g., earthquake, flood, and static reservoir loading), and eliminates or verifies suspected deficiencies which are capable of causing failure of the dam.