Plans & Specs Review and Construction Inspections for Dams, Levees, and Ancillary Structures

Course Objectives

Important aspects of dam safety are the design and construction of the dam, levee and appurtenant structures. The basis for dam and levee safety is established in the development of the detailed design drawings and project specifications, and implemented in construction of the project. Technical reviewers have the important role of checking to verify if the design meets the requirements and criteria that have been developed by the regulatory agency, prior to issuance of the permit to construct. Designs involving the subsurface soil and geologic conditions also must be adaptable to actual conditions encountered during construction as the geotechnical investigation is not complete until construction has been completed. This seminar will focus on:

1) The design review for dam and levee safety, including what is important and how to avoid getting side-tracked by non-safety related issues, and 2) What to look for in construction inspection and addressing unexpected conditions.

This is a BASIC level seminar. Participants should have a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and at least 5 years of experience design or construction of dams or levees, or 10 years of related technical experience in the investigation, design, or construction of levees or dams and reservoirs.

Course Materials

Attendees will receive presentation and reference materials that will aid in both implementing lessons learned in the seminar, and adapting review procedures and checklists to their specific organization. A CD of the presentation material and references will also be provided.

Professional Development Hours

Up to 15 PDHs are available for attending this two-day course. Each attendee will receive a form on which to record contact hours for continuing education credit. Note: This course will be evaluated for approval of continuing ed credit for New York-licensed professional engineers. Watch the ASDSO website for an announcement in this regard.

Speaker and Presenter Information

Instructors: Terrence E. (Terry) Arnold, P.E., MS, is a registered professional engineer with nearly 40 years experience in water resources, dams and reservoir projects. As a civil/geotechnical engineer, Mr. Arnold’s experience encompasses the full range of project life cycle including feasibility/conceptual studies, field investigations, analysis, preparation of design, plans and specifications, resident engineering during construction, dam safety investigations, and monitoring during operation. Water resource projects include pipelines, pump stations, flood control facilities and water storage impoundments for municipal, industrial, irrigation use, flood control and environmental restoration. Project experience includes more than 18 states across the U.S., South America, Africa and south-east Asia. Design engineering experience includes principal designer or senior technical reviewer for rehabilitation of existing dams, enlargement of existing dams and new water storage and flood control dams. Construction experience includes construction inspection and resident engineering on earth-rock and roller compacted concrete dams. He is active in the U.S. Society on Dams (and serves on the ICOLD Committee for Cemented Materials Dams) and the Association of State Dam Safety Officials.

Daniel Johnson, P.E., MS. has more than 40 years of experience in water resources, dam engineering, geotechnical engineering and civil engineering. He has served as project manager or technical lead on approximately 120 water resource and mine tailings dam projects in the U.S.A., Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Central and South America, and Canada. His roles have covered all project components from planning, evaluations, design, bidding, construction, and operations. He is active in ASDSO, USSD and ICOLD, ASDSO, currently participating on the ASDSO Committee on Education Outreach and as the Chairman of USSD’s Construction and Rehabilitation Committee. He has authored many papers on RCC technology, dam foundations and embankment dams. in general, and has assisted in preparation of Portland Cement Association (U.S.) guidelines for RCC dam rehabilitation and quality control and on the USSD publication on Construction of RCC Dams.

Kevin Clark, P.E., is a Utilities Project Manager in the Public Works Department for the City of Boulder. Kevin has 23 years of experience in planning, investigations, design and construction for multi-purpose water resource projects involving hydraulic, hydrologic and structural design for installations including high pressure pipelines, flow control valve systems, outlet works, spillways, stream diversion structures, headworks, canal systems, and related control structures. He is also experienced in procurement, construction management and site supervision for large-scale civil projects. Site supervision experience includes on-site inspection of reinforcement steel placement, formwork, concrete, pipe installation, flow control mechanical systems (i.e. gates and valves) and general earthworks for water conveyance and related hydraulic structures.

Relevant Government Agencies

Army, Dept of Agriculture, Dept of Homeland Security, Dept of the Interior, Other Federal Agencies, State Government, County Government, City Government, Municipal Government, FEMA, Federal Government, State & Local Government