In 2007, the CDA established the Mining Dams Committee that has been very active with publishing guidance related to tailings storage facilities and water dams. This has extended onto the international stage with the ICOLD and the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management. After the Mining Dams Bulletin was issued in 2014 (Version 1), there were several other important initiatives undertaken by the CDA that related to both tailings storage facilities and water retaining dams.

In 2024, the CDA embarked on a major revisions to the dam safety guidelines for both tailings storage facilities and water retaining dams and decided to develop a single guidance document that addresses all dams in Canada. This initiative has involved extensive collaboration between both groups, sharing best practices between the two groups and developing a guidance document that is better than what each group could have developed on their own; 1+1=3.