Many dams and levees have embankment drains, structure underdrains, and relief wells to control seepage through and beneath the dam and piezometers to monitor the performance of these features. Dam and levee owners, managers, and maintenance staff may be uncertain about the function of these features and what maintenance is required. This webinar will summarize seepage principles and terminology in layman's terms and describe the purposes and...

During recent years the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drone technology for the inspection and monitoring of dams and levees has increased. This rate of integration is, in part, due to FAA regulation revisions and the advantages regarding personnel safety, flexibility, speed and volume of data acquisition, and cost. This webinar presents an overview of drones and how this technology can be incorporated into dam safety inspections an...

This course is based on 50 years of NRCS experience with investigating and remediating cracked earth embankments. The presentation consists of two main sections, covering: 1) the nature of soil cracking and the associated internal erosion failure modes; and 2) how to remediate cracked earth embankments. In the first section, general information is presented on which soils are most susceptible to cracking and which pose the greatest risk for fa...

Oroville Dam is the tallest dam in the United States. On February 7, 2017, a section of the concrete chute slab of the service spillway failed during spillway discharge, and several days later the emergency spillway was activated for the first time in the half-century history of the dam, resulting in rapid and severe erosion of the hillside below the emergency spillway weir, and prompting precautionary evacuation of nearly 190,000 downstream r...

The 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, and common dam failure modes and the conditions that can...

In this classroom seminar, participants will gain a practical knowledge of methods for simulation of runoff from storm rainfall. The methods covered relate to the processing of historical and hypothetical (design-storm) rainfall data; estimation of losses (infiltration); transformation of rainfall excess to direct runoff with unit hydrographs; routing of flood waves; calibration of model parameters; and modeling of runoff from watersheds. Expe...

The objective of this course will be to provide a comprehensive presentation of the significant principles and concepts of soil mechanics to the participants. The material will be presented with emphasis on the basic soil mechanics principles prerequisite to further study for design or rehabilitation of earth embankment dams. This is a basic level course intended as an introduction for those with minimal to moderate knowledge or experience in...

The objective of this course is to provide a general understanding of conduits, valves and gates in the context of the operation, maintenance and design of dams and dam safety. Emphasis will be placed on issues related to the design, construction, and performance of conduits, values, and gates types commonly used at dams. Case histories and practical exercises will be used to enhance learning of the purposes and features of conduits, valves, a...

The 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, and common dam failure modes and the conditions that can...

Together Paul Schweiger and Dean Durkee have offered this seminar 13 times in 12 states and it has been attended by more than 800 students. The 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...