1. Field observations of hydraulic structures of electric plants under construction or in operation constitute a highly effective measure for increasing the reliability and safety of these structures, for introducing new construction techniques, and for improving analysis methods. 2. The most important result from activities in the area of ensuring reliability and safety of hydraulic structures is the creation, during the Tenth Five-Year Plan, of a branch system of supervision of the safety of hydraulic structures. 3. Further increase in the effectiveness of operation control of the state of hydraulic structures calls for optimization of the observation volumes and frequency; increase in the operativeness of analyses of observation results; automation of field observations; furnishing, to all electric plants, of the criteria (indices) of reliable state of hydraulic structures required for operative evaluation of results of field observations; expansion of production of field control technical means, Including those required for use at existing structures; development and introduction of new field control methods making it possible to obtain the required results for structures insufficiently equipped with control-measurement instruments; and introduction of methods of technical diagnosis of the state of structures.