Dam Monitoring: General Considerations

One of this bulletin’s tasks was to bring bulletins n° 21 and 23 up to date and merge them into a single ICOLD bulletin. The whole committee agreed that:

The underlying principles and basic philosophy were clearly and cogently stated in these earlier bulletins and provided a good foundation for those needing to involve themselves in dam monitoring

Some details needed revision (only minor points, considering they were first published twenty years ago)

The sections on optical survey methods could be cut down, both bulletins giving them much space with overabundant details. Topographic survey is now losing favour for dam monitoring purposes and it would seem sufficient simply to remind readers of a few basic ideas and refer to the abundant literature on the subject.