Reservoirs storing large volumes of water have the capability of causing considerable damage and loss of life if they fail.

Reservoirs are considered "installations containing dangerous forces" under international humanitarian law because of their potential adverse impact.

[2] The government of New Zealand is consulting the public about the proposal to establish legislative control over the design, construction and monitoring of dams and reservoirs.

In the absence of any legislation or control of quality or design it was inevitable that failures would occur and by 1863 at least 12 dams had failed causing loss of life.

[4] In 1864 a newly constructed dam at Dale Dyke near Sheffield failed as the reservoir was being filled and the resultant out-wash killed 244 people.

[4] As a result, a draft bill requiring dams and reservoirs to have their plans and the construction approved by an independent competent person was written in 1865 but was lost when there was change of government.

The new legislation recognised that more significant people were involved in the design and construction of a dam and the impoundment and it assigned accountabilities to those identified players.

It also raised the volume threshold to 25 thousand m3 (5.5 million imp gal) and "provides the legal framework within which qualified civil engineers make technical decisions.

[5] As a result, Congress enacted Public Law 92–367 in November 1977 which authorized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to inventory and inspect non-Federal dams.