Quality control on projects for the construction or rehabilitation of dams is the responsibility of the construction contractor. Contractors have control of the site during construction and are responsible for understanding and complying with the requirements of the contract documents. It would be remiss on the part of the owner however, to solely rely on the contractor for this task. To verify contract compliance, construction of complex and...

Learn everything you need to know about the Americans with Disabilities Act and how it affects each stage of employment, from recruiting and hiring through termination. Complaints about violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are at an all-time high. Verdict and settlement amounts are on the rise. Without expert guidance about how to navigate the tricky waters of disability law, employers face enormous liability risks. This top...

This webinar is designed to provide dam and levee owners, and their specialist consultants, an introduction to a comprehensive program to assess and reduce public safety risk around dams, levees and powerhouses. In 2011 the Canadian Dam Association, an association similar in nature to the ASDSO, published “Guidelines for Public Safety Around Dams”. Dam owners across Canada are embracing these Guidelines and are assessing and reduc...

Earthquakes represent a hazard to dams in many parts of the United States and therefore are of interest to design engineers and dam safety officials. The hazard from earthquakes includes strong shaking, fault rupture displacements, reservoir seiche and earthquake-induced landslides, all potentially damaging to dams and reservoirs. This webinar will discuss the physics and geology of the earthquake process and the methods used to identify seis...

This webinar is the third and final course in the series on Concrete Gravity Dams. The first webinar entitled “Introduction to Concrete Gravity Dams” (July 2012) presented information regarding the types of gravity dams, historic design and construction practices as well as lessons learned from noteworthy gravity dam failures. The second webinar in this series entitled “Stability Evaluations for Concrete Dams” (Oct. 20...

This webinar will address a wide range of foundation preparation and treatment methods applicable to construction of new dams, rehabilitation of existing dams, and enlargement of existing dams. Topics to be covered include: 1) treatment of surface rock exposures in dam foundations, 2) rock grouting, 3) treatment of foundation soils, 4) foundation seepage barrier walls and upstream blankets, and 5) foundation seepage collection and control methods.

Some amount of seepage passes through and under all embankment dams. The collection, monitoring, and analysis of seepage is crucial in the successful execution of any dam safety program and is helpful in deciding if it is expected ambient seepage or indicative of a more serious condition. Seepage collection methods typically include toe drains, blanket drains, and relief wells. Monitoring schemes can be grouped into several categories includi...

Failure mode evaluation or what now is more commonly referred to as potential failure mode analysis (PFMA) for dam safety has become routine practice for many in the profession. The process became more formally organized by the US Bureau of Reclamation in the early to mid 1990’s and gained wider industry exposure in the early 2000’s through the publication of FERC’s Engineering Guidelines, Chapter 14 – Dam Safety Perfo...

ASDSO members are called upon to communicate in many different situations: in presentations to colleagues, in testimony before regulatory bodies and legislative committees, and interviews with reporters. Whatever the circumstances, best practices can help to ensure that communication is as effective as possible. Participants will be asked to share experiences ahead of time that will be incorporated into the session, which will focus especially...

Introduction to Armoring Embankment Dams and Earth-Cut Spillways with ACBs Over the past 23 years numerous embankment dams and earth-cut spillways in the United States have been armored with Articulating Concrete Blocks (ACBs) to provide overtopping protection and to extend the life of the structures. With the current focus on evaluating and rehabilitating dams throughout the United States to pass increased design flows, the use of this const...