Absolute horizontal displacements are an important element of dam safety level assessment. Appropriate design of measurement network is a prerequisite for the acquisition of displacement values that meet the reliability requirements. A network of this kind, apart from ensuring the required precision of displacement determination, should be characterised by reliability allowing for elimination of gross errors in the results of geodetic surveys. This study aims to propose a method to improve reliability characteristic of surveying network used for horizontal displacement identification in Zatonie dam. The desired effect (increase in the network’s reliability) is obtained by the authors in two stages. The first stage concerns expansion of the existing network by addition of three free stations. As the obtained effect did not prove to be satisfactory, in the second stage so called observation accuracy harmonisation was carried out, which optimally utilises the reliability potential of the measurement construction. In order to successfully carry out the harmonisation, a modification to the procedure’s algorithm had to be introduced. A design of a network ensuring detection of a gross error in any given observation was obtained as the result of the performed actions.