Opening General Session: California Dam Safety

ABSTRACT ONLY - Following opening remarks from the ASDSO President, Mr. David Griffin, this session will welcome conference participants and provide a brief snapshot into “Strengthening California’s Water Resource Management.” Ms. Sharon Tapia, head of California’s Division of Safety of Dams, will moderate the session. California is preparing for a future of more extreme weather events, and significant near- and long-term actions are needed to make sure the state is ready. Speakers will touch on events of the 2023 Winter Storms that impacted California, including tools used to predict atmospheric rivers and strategies implemented to manage excess floodwaters. Efforts to modernize existing water infrastructure given the extreme conditions faced by California – floods, droughts, and wildfires, will be presented. This includes plans for new and expanded reservoir storage, as well as rehabilitating existing dams to regain lost storage capacity. To support these efforts, the need for continued strengthening of California’s dam safety program to support climate resilience and water supply reliability will also be discussed. Lastly, the Klamath River Renewal Project, the largest dam removal and river restoration project in U.S. history, will be highlighted. Through this opening general session, conference attendees will gain insight into how California is working to sustainably manage its finite water supply, while also working to restore, protect, and manage this resource across the State for generations of Californians to come.