Carsington Dam

In September 2015, the Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO), in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), released the Lessons Learned from Dam Incidents and Failures website (DamFailures.org). The primary goal of this website is to convey educational information relating to and resulting from dam failures and incidents in an innovative, user-friendly manner. Since its release, over 600,000 users worldwide have accessed the site to learn more about dam engineering and design practices, human factors as they relate to dam incidents, emergency planning and response, operation and maintenance, and other dam safety topics. As part of the ASDSO Dam Failures and Incidents Committee, the DamFailures.org Subcommittee currently oversees the maintenance and development of the website. Thanks to continued FEMA funding, the website content is being significantly expanded and diversified. This session will consist of a brief update on new content on ASDSO’s DamFailures.org website. This will be followed by presentations about case studies from the website that highlight unique factors that have contributed to embankment failures and near-failures (e.g., wind, construction methods, and human factors). The potential for sudden formation of natural dam embankments due to landslides, avalanches, or ice jams will also be addressed.