On-Demand Webinar: Michigan Failures/Pandemic – Impacts to the ASDSO Peer Review Process

On May 19, 2020, failures of the Edenville and Sanford Dams in Michigan left a lasting impact, not only on the city of Midland, MI and other localities, but also on the dam safety community writ large. Shortly after the failures, an ASDSO Peer Review was requested and conducted. This webinar will discuss various aspects of the peer review process – what is reviewed, why those items are reviewed, how that information is used in the preparation of the initial presentation to the agency, and the preparation of the written report. Lessons learned from the Michigan review will be highlighted. Since the report was submitted, the state of Michigan took many actions based on the recommendations in the report. These actions will be discussed, and the state agency will comment on the overall experience of the review process and the interaction with the review team.

Key Take-Aways:
• The Pandemic changed everything, even Peer Reviews
• Failure triggers Peer Review - Peer Review triggers program changes
• A Dam Safety Program is more than Inspections
• The Model Dam Safety Program is a great benchmark
• Lessons Learned add new elements to Dam Safety Programs
• Michigan’s DSP evolves as a result of the Peer Review