Northeast Regional Conference: Agenda
The Northeast Regional Conference will be held in Buffalo, NY. All times listed below are Eastern time.
The agenda is subject to change.
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MONDAY, MAY 18, 2026
12:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Exhibitor Move-In
2:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Registration Open
2:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Speaker Preview Room Open
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Northeast Regional Caucus Meeting
TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2026
7:00 am – 6:00 pm
Speaker Preview Room Open
7:00 am – 5:30 pm
Registration Open
7:00 am – 8:30 am
Breakfast with the Exhibitors
8:30 am – 10:00 am
General Session & Welcome
Welcome
John Roche, P.E., ASDSO President
Navigating the Shift to a Dam Safety Culture at the NYS Canal System
Thomas McDonald, P.E., New York Power Authority
10:00 am – 10:30 am
Break in the Exhibit Hall
10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Session 1: Rehab
Reducing the Risk Footprint of Onondaga Dam
Brandon George, EIT, and Kenneth Avery, P.E., CFM, D.WRE, Colliers Engineering & Design
Reeling in the Leaks: Adaptive Engineering Solutions for a Historic Dam Rehabilitation
Marc Chmura, P.E., and Gillian Wiliams, P.E., GEI Consultants, Inc; Richard Parker, Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
Seepage Solutions: Engineering Excellence on the Erie Canal
Wesley Hollenbach, P.E., AECOM
Session 2: Spillways
Linking Foundation Conditions to Operational Risk: A Case Study on Youghiogheny Dam Spillway
Cheyne Aiken, R.G., and Nicole Brennan, P.G., GEI Consultants, Inc; Justin Pearce, CEG, Sharon Schulz, P.E., and Carolyn Wehner, US Army Corps of Engineers
Piano Key Weir Considerations in Northern Climates
Kevin Ruswick, P.E., CFM, and Jack Gergel, P.E., Schnabel Engineering; William Simcoe, P.E., City of Albany Department of Water & Water Supply
The Fall Protection Cable that Changed a Dam: How a Simple Safety Upgrade Sparked Major Improvements
Jeff Wackowski, P.E., LaBella Associates; Todd Mueller, P.E., Colliers Engineering & Design
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Lunch on own
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Session 3: Rehab Case Studies
Design and Construction for the Loughberry Lake Dam Rehabilitation
Zachary King, P.E., Schnabel Engineering; James Salaway, P.E., City of Saratoga Springs - DPW
TBA
Kyle Taylor, P.E., French and Parrello Associates
Multi-Regulatory Agency Involvement To Remove Amboy Dam
Brandon George, EIT, Claire Brady, P.E., and Kenneth Avery, P.E., CFM, D.WRE, Colliers Engineering & Design
Session 4: Canals
Enhancing Waterway Management and Decision-Making through System-Wide Hydrologic and Hydraulic Modeling of the Erie Canal
Allan Estivalet, P.E., CFM, Schnabel Engineering; Barry Anctil, P.E., MBA, New York Power Authority
Finding ‘New’ Dams on the Erie Canal
Kevin O’Malley, P.E., New York Power Authority
Rehab of a 1830s Canal Dam
Joseph Troxell, Michael Baker International, Inc.
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Break in the Exhibit Hall
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Session 5: Armoring
Armoring Spillways and Embankments with Articulating Concrete Blocks
Paul Schweiger, P.E., CFM, GFT
Fission Chips and Train Trips: Adventures in Dam Safety
James R Guistina, P.E., Colliers Engineering and Design
One Dam, Two Spillways: Comparative Armoring Approaches at Crosley Lake Dam
Randy Thompson, P.E., WatershedGeo
Session 6: Risk
A State Regulator’s Perspective: Chasing the RIDM Principle
Andrea Henry, P.E., VA Department of Conservation and Recreation
Dam that CIP: Considerations for dam safety risk in capital planning
Rachel Barrows and Rachael Bisnett, Stantec
Visualizing Risk Pathways: Event Tree Analysis for Dam and Levee Safety
Daniel A. Vellone, M.S., P.G., CPG, US Army Corps of Engineers
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Welcome Reception in the Exhibit Hall
WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2026
7:00 am – 3:30 pm
Speaker Preview Room Open
7:30 am – 3:30 pm
Registration Open
7:30 am – 8:30 am
Breakfast with the Exhibitors
8:30 am – 10:00 am
General Session
Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Abandoned Dams Program Update
Jennifer Doyle-Breen, PWS, and Doug Gove, Jr. , P.E., AECOM; William Salomaa, MA Department of Conservation and Recreation
10:00 am – 10:30 am
Break in the Exhibit Hall
10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Session 7: Removal
TNC Free Rivers Accelerator and Massachusetts Acceleration Programs with Case Study
Marea Gabriel, The Nature Conservancy
Non-ecological Co-Benefits of Dam Removal
Christiana Pollack, CERP, GISP, CFM, Princeton Hydro, LLC; Beth Styler Barry, The Nature Conservancy
Using Prioritization Tools in Dam Removal Decision Making
Charles DeCurtis, Ph.D., The Nature Conservancy; Shawna Fix, Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership
Session 8: LLO
Cuba Lake Dam Low Level Outlet Replacement
N. Johan Anestad, P.E., and Hannah R. Williams, EI, Ramboll
Gate House Repairs Under Pressure (Literally)
Gregory Johnson, P.E., PMP, and Rex Powell, P.E., Colliers Engineering & Design
Inspection of underground intake conduits at Niagara power Project: Operational insights and future monitoring strategies
Ketan Ragalwar, P.E., Ph.D., New York Power Authority
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Lunch with the Exhibitors
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Session 9: Best of the Rest
Back in my day...How historical data can help your project of today
Nathan Clymer, P.E., Hazen and Sawyer
Rebuilding a Waterfall
Joseph Troxell, Michael Baker International, Inc.
No Way In, No Way Out: The Realities of Small-Reservoir Dredging
James R Guistina, P.E., CED, Colliers Engineering & Design
Session 10: Seismic
Seismic Results of Comprehensive Risk Assessments: What Are We Doing Here?
Jake Dafni, Ph.D., P.E., Matt Farren, and Heidi Pence, P.E., GEI Consultants, Inc.
Stability Analysis of an Historic Dry Stack Masonry Dam in New Hampshire
Mark DiLullo, P.E., AECOM
The Engineering Geologist's Critical Role in FERC Part 12D Comprehensive Assessments: Lessons Learned from Diverse Physiographic Provinces
Todd G. Bown, P.G., GZA GeoEnvironmental
1:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Exhibitor Move-Out
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Break
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Session 11: Inundation Mapping
Is it worthwhile to update old inundation maps with new modeling software?
Christine Suhonen P.E., GZA GeoEnvironmental
Screening-level breach analyses and hazard classification at large portfolio scales
Jonathan Quebbeman, Ph.D., P.E., P.H., Hazen and Sawyer
A River Process and Risk Based Framework for Sediment Management at Dam Removal Projects in New York State
Foster Valle and Tim Koch, NY State Department of Environmental Conservation
Session 12: Anchoring
Indian Lake Dam Rehabilitation - Strengthening Aged Concrete and Stone Masonry for Post-Tension Anchoring
Todd Mueller, P.E., and Greg Johnson, P.E., PMP, Colliers Engineering & Design
Losing Your Grip? Liftoff Testing of 41-year-old Post-tensioned Rock Anchors
Nathaniel W. Martin, P.E., AECOM; Frank Schumaci, P.E., NY State Canal Corporation
New Heights and Unknown Depths: Anchoring a 150-year-old Wall for Modern Floods
Jeff Wackowski, P.E., LaBella Associates; Todd Mueller, P.E., Colliers Engineering and Design
