Inspection & Assessment of Dams

This event qualifies for 19 PDH

This seminar provides comprehensive instruction in inspection and evaluation techniques for dams. The principles, concepts, and procedures taught will be readily adaptable to any organization conducting dam inspections and evaluating their compliance with current design standards. Participants learn about a variety of dam types and their appurtenances, the function of typical dam features, common dam failure modes, and the conditions that can lead to these failure modes. Actual dam failure cases will be presented. Public safety, security, and liability will also be discussed along with approaches to responding to dam incidents. The use of drones, special cameras, GIS, and other new technology for use in performing dam inspections and assessments will be presented.

Learning objectives attendees will receive from this course:

Discuss the historical perspective of dam construction methods for various dam types.
Identify common failure modes associated with various dam types.
Learn about standards for maintaining dams.
Discuss techniques for performing a comprehensive dam inspection.
Gain awareness of emerging issues related to inspection and assessment of dams including risk-informed decision-making for dams.

Please note space is limited for this course and it typically fills early. Register now to secure your seat.

Speaker and Presenter Information

Paul G. Schweiger, P.E.
GFT
Vice President

Paul currently serves as a vice president of GFT and national practice leader for dams. He has over 40 years of consulting engineering experience and has served as a lead project engineer or manager for the design of twelve new dams, including four NRCS dams, and the design and technical review of many dam rehabilitation projects. His technical specialties include conducting dam assessments, designing spillways, hydraulics and hydrology. He served on the National Dam Safety Review Board and led the updating of the national FEMA Guidelines for Selecting and Accommodating Inflow Design Floods for Dams and the FEMA Lessons Learned from Dam Incidents and Failures research project and website. He serves as an expert hydraulics engineer on Independent External Peer Review panels for United States Army Corps of Engineers dam and levee projects and facilitates PFMA and EAP exercises for dam owners. He served on the Board of Consultants for the Oroville Spillways Emergency Repair Project, and the Independent Review Board for the Oroville Comprehensive Needs Assessment.

Dean B. Durkee, Ph.D., P.E., BC.GE
GFT
Vice President

Dean is a senior consultant and vice president at GFT and has nearly 40 years of engineering experience as a geotechnical and dam safety engineer having performed inspections, assessments, and risk analyses of over 500 dams. Dean is the past president US Society on Dams (USSD) and honorary vice president of the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD). His technical experience includes evaluation and design of new dams and development of rehabilitation and modification designs for existing dams, including earth embankment, roller-compacted concrete (RCC), moveable crest, and lined rockfill dams for hydroelectric power generation, flood control, water supply, recreation, and tailings management. Dean is approved by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for both Part 12D Independent Consultant and Risk Analysis Facilitator and served as lead facilitator for four of FERC's Risk-Informed Decision Making (RIDM) pilot projects, leading up to development of the FERCs Chapters 16-18 Engineering Guidelines. He has been involved in failure modes analysis and risk analysis for the last 20 years and over the last 10 years, focused his professional career on the application of risk-informed dam safety services, both as participant in and as facilitator for potential failure modes analyses (PFMA), failure modes and effects analyses (FMEA), and risk analyses, both semi-quantitative (SQRA) and quantitative (QRA). He has performed these services for Southern California Edison, California Department of Water Resources, Pacific Gas and Electric, Idaho Power, PacifiCorp, Freeport-McMoRan, Brazos River Authority, City of Tempe, New York Department of Environmental Quality, Flood Control District of Maricopa County, Resolution Copper, and Colorado Springs Utilities, State of Hawaii, and Barrick Gold.

Relevant Government Agencies

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