Key facts
There are risks associated with the operation of water retaining facilities. In Switzerland, a sound legal framework ensures the regulation and supervision of water retaining facilities and the clear allocation of responsibilities. The Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) is responsible for ensuring that water retaining facilities achieve an accepted level of safety. DETEC delegated the operational technical safety supervision to the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE). Specifically, this task is performed by the Supervision of Dams Section, which is part of the Supervision and Safety Division.