Dam engineering is about dams, but is done by and for people. As a result, in order to achieve dam safety, we need to understand not just dams, but also the people (including ourselves) involved in designing, constructing, operating, maintaining, and benefitting from them. Social scientists have been studying people scientifically for more than a century, and we are now at a point historically where the social sciences have generated valuable...

Join us on October 13, from 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm for the Delhi Dam Failure. This webinar will involve the presentation of the Delhi Dam failure case history. Delhi Dam failed on July 24, 2010 during a record storm. The failure was a result of a number of factors all contributing to the ultimate failure. The review of dam failure by a forensic team allowed for a good understanding of the mechanisms that lead to failure. Analysis were performed wh...

Join us on August 11, from 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm Eastern for Low-Level Conduits – What Can Go Wrong, How to Inspect, How to Repair? This course will provide an overview of commonly observed issues associated with the most common type of spillway for relatively small dams (riser and low-level conduit). Importantly, the presentation will summarize methods to evaluate the condition of existing conduits and present common methods to repair and/...

Join us on June 9, from 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm Eastern for The 1979 Machhu Dam Disaster: Social Origins and Social Consequences. In this webinar, Utpal Sandesara and Tom Wooten will discuss their book “No One Had a Tongue to Speak: The Untold Story of One of History’s Deadliest Floods.” The course will cover the social causes and social consequences of the 1979 failure of the Machhu Dam-II in Gujarat, India. The flood wiped out d...

While there have been many notable dam failures throughout the past century, the failure of Teton Dam in 1976 led to significant changes at the Bureau of Reclamation, in the Federal Government, and in the dam engineering industry. This course will provide information about the dam, the failure, ensuing investigations, and the changes that were implemented in the years that followed. Five Learning Objectives of This Course: The failure of Teton...

Five Learning Objectives of This Course: Scour of rock is a dam safety concern that requires meaningful quantification It is possible to predict the scour potential of rock using data normally available for dam design High-resolution remote sensing and monitoring can facilitate improved scour assessment Course attendees should develop an understanding of processes and key drivers/controls for scour of rocks Course attendees should be able to e...

This webinar will review the design and construction of filters and drains for embankment dams. Specific topics covered will include 1) principles of filters and drains, 2) locations and configurations of filters and drains in embankment dams (for both new dams and dam rehabilitations) , 3) design guidelines for filters and drains, 4) evaluations of filters and drains in existing embankment dams, and 5) practical considerations for design and...

This is the second of a two-part series on overtopping protection systems for embankment and concrete dams (Register for Intro to Overtopping Protection Systems). Many dams today have insufficient spillway capacity and may be overtopped during large floods below the regulatory requirement. In recent years, dam overtopping protection has become increasingly popular as a means to provide additional flood release capacity when more conventional m...

This is the first of a two-part series on overtopping protection systems for embankment and concrete dams. Five Learning Objectives of This Course: Exposure to wide range of potential overtopping protection systems for dams. Case histories of design applications and performance. Limitations of use, including infrequent operation and/or low hazard conditions. Advantages of one system relative to the others, including cost. Current research and...

In the last forty years, dam safety professionals have recognized the importance of preparing emergency actions plans (EAPs) as an effective tool to minimize the consequences of dam failures. In the last 15 years, the National Incident Management System (NIMS) was established and the Incident Command System (ICS) has become a more important emergency response tool. As a result, EAP formats, procedures for testing dam EAPs and training personne...