Do you know someone making an impact on the profession? Do you know of a project that advances the state-of-the-art in the field of dam safety? If so, now is the time to nominate them for a 2017 ASDSO Award!

The 2017 call for nominations period is open for the following awards – National Dam Rehabilitation Project, Regional Awards of Merit, Terry L. Hampton Medal, and the Danny McCook Medal of the Year. 

Nominations and all supporting documents are due by June 2, 2017. Winners will be announced in late July and are invited as honored guests to attend Dam Safety 2017, September 10-14, 2017 in San Antonio, TX.  

Learn More 

Safety at Dams Update

As the water recreation season begins, members of the Public Safety Around Dams Committee are working overtime to spread the “safety at dams” message. Click 'Read More' to learn more about their efforts to inform the public on the dangers of low-head dams.  

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Please Spread the Word!

“Over, Under, Gone – The Killer in Our Rivers” is freely available for public showings.
The committee encourages readers to show the documentary at venues in your community, including schools, youth organizations, town meetings, and more.

Start planning now for National Dam Safety Awareness Day!  

National Dam Safety Awareness Day was created to encourage and promote individual and community responsibility and best practices for dam safety, and what steps people can take to either prevent future catastrophic dam failures or lessen the impact if a failure was to occur.

Look for updates from ASDSO in the coming months and make sure to tell us your plans.

On February 28, ASDSO submitted testimony to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee for its hearing on the nation’s flood control infrastructure. The hearing was entitled, Flood Control Infrastructure: Safety Questions Raised by Current Events and was held on March 1, just days after the incident began at Oroville Dam in California.

Committee Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY), in his opening remarks said this;

"Recent natural weather events in the last month in California and in other western States are highlighting the need to focus our attention on our levees and our dams and other structures that prevent catastrophic flooding in both rural and urban communities. Earlier this month, more than 180,000 people were evacuated in California because storms caused serious damage to the Oroville Dam, the tallest dam in the United States. The potential threat of dam failure is a serious concern, a concern to State officials and to people living downstream of Oroville. Any future severe weather event could make the situation even more critical, and it is raising questions about the readiness of our flood prevention infrastructure. Dams and levees across the Country need to be modernized and maintained if we are to prevent future disasters. So I believe any infrastructure bill that this Committee develops should consider the need to maintain and modernize these structures."

ASDSO used the opportunity to push for full funding for the newly adopted National Dam Rehabilitation Program, which will become part of the National Dam Safety Program administered by FEMA. Without funding by Congress, it is unlikely that this program will be a high priority within FEMA.

Click Here for Archived Hearing

Click Here to Read to ASDSO's Testimony

The American Society of Civil Engineers has released its 2017 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. As part of the report, ASCE considers the condition of dams in America and the funding that is both needed and currently received for rehabilitation. Dams received a grade of D, the same grade issued in the last report in 2013

Over the six months prior to the release of the report card, ASDSO actively contributed by supplying statistics, quotes and facts about the current state of America’s Dams. ASDSO worked closely with ASCE to ensure that the public was receiving accurate information and that the need for increased funding for the rehabilitation of high-hazard dams was made clear after the launch. 

Following the release, ASDSO reps John France and Mark Ogden participated in ASCE's Legislative Fly-In to Washington, DC. ASCE and ASDSO utilized the fly-in as a chance to bring attention to the need for funding and regulation of our nation's dams to legislators.

Read the Report Card Here

Read our Release Here

On a related note, Alabama’s ASCE Section was named ASCE’s 2017 Outstanding Section Civil Engineer Advocate Team of the Year. ASCE lauded the Alabama Section for utilizing the “incomplete” grade for dams on the 2015 Alabama Infrastructure Report Card to stress the fact that Alabama is the only state that does not have a state dam safety program and to build a coalition to attempt to advance legislation on the issue.

Read More

April 7 - Last day to register for the Southeast Regional Conference Field Trip to Center Hill Dam.  

April 11 - Webinar: Introduction to Nature-Like Fishways for Dams

April 17-18 -  ASDSO Executive Committee meeting

April 18-21 -  ASDSO Southeast Regional Conference in Nashville, TN

April 19-20 - Dam Security and Protection Technical Seminar, Columbia, SC

April 25-26 – Classroom Course: Interactive Preparedness- Emergency Action Planning for Dams and Levees

Register today for the 2017 Southeast Regional Conference, to be held on April 18-20 at The Music City Center in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The agenda features sessions on timely topics that will further your dam and levee safety-related continuing education, including:

• dam inspection,
• owner issues,
• breach modeling,
• public safety around dams,
• current trends in design,
• extreme storms,
• regulation of coal fly ash pond dams,

In addition, a field trip to the Center Hill Dam Safety Construction project will take place on Friday, April 21. Due to USACE security regulations, pre-registration is required. See details.

Early-bird rates end on Tuesday, April 4, so register now and save! Exhibit spaces are sold out, however, a limited number of sponsorship opportunities are still available. Contact Ross Brown for more information.

Leslie Durham, long-time ASDSO rep for Alabama, recently retired and Brian Atkins, Division Chief of the Office of Water Resources, will now be the Alabama state representative. Welcome to Brian! You can contact him at [email protected].

Ben Green recently became the new Chief Dam Safety Engineer and ASDSO state representative for Vermont (Steve Bushman had retired at the end of 2016). Welcome to Ben! You can contact him at [email protected].

Dave Twing, long-time ASDSO rep for Delaware, will be retiring at the end of March. Thanks to Dave for his service to ASDSO and dam safety. Janice Shute will be the new ASDSO state representative for Delaware. Janice is a State Dam Safety Engineer with the DE Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. Welcome to Janice. You can contact her at [email protected].

Our Sympathies to the Family of Delbert Downing

Delbert Downing, one of ASDSO's founding members, passed away in January 2017. Mr. Downing was on the ASDSO's Organizing Committee and ASDSO's First Board of Directors. He represented the state of New Hampshire. Our sympathies go to his family and we will continue to work towards his vision of ensuring safety of dams in America. You can read his obituary here.

Mr. Downing can be seen in the picture below (left) presenting an award to ASDSO's first president, Joe Ellam. 

Are you a dam and levee safety professional under 40? If so now is the time to become a part of the new ASDSO Young Professionals interest group!

We are looking for professionals under 40 who are interested in issues impacting dam and levee safety. Click below to receive the latest news and special event information pertaining to young dam and levee safety professionals!

Sign Up

Don't forget ASDSO posts resumes of students & recent graduates seeking internships, co-ops, or entry-level positions. Post your resume here! Also, check out the internships and employment opportunities that are already available. Just one of the many benefits of being a ASDSO member!

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ASDSO has created a membership directory for easy access to contact information for staff, board members and state representatives. It also includes some valuable membership information and instructions on using an online directory.

You can download the PDF here

Scientific American on climate change and demolishing dams

Climate Change Complicates the Whole Dam Debate

The Smithsonian on the threat of aging dams in America

Failure at One of These 15,000 American Dams Would Be Fatal

WYFI No Limits radio spot on low head dams

No Limits - Over, Under, Gone.

Dam Security and Protection Technical Seminar

The Dams Sector-Specific Agency (SSA) its  Dam Security and Protection Technical Seminar on April 19-20, 2017 in Columbia, SC.  Click here for the event fact sheet.

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USSD 2017 Annual Conference and Exhibition

U.S. Society on Dams is holding it's 2017 annual conference from April 3rd-April 8th in Anaheim, California. This year's theme is 'It's a Small World: Managing Our Water Resources'. To learn more and register, click here.

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ICOLD'S 85th Annual Meeting 

The International Commission on Large Dams is holding it's annual conference July 3rd-July 7th in Prague, Czech Republic. For more information on the event and to register, click here. 

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Short Course on Grouting Fundamentals and Current Practice

The University of Texas at Austin School of Engineering its holding the 2017 course on grouting fundamentals May 15th-May 19th in Austin, Texas. The course is relevant to owners, regulators, consultants and contractors with interest in the application of pressure grouting. For more information and to register, click here.

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Grouting 2017: Grouting, Deep Mixing, and Diaphragm Walls Conference

Grouting 2017 will be held July 9-12, 2017 at the Sheraton Waikiki in Honolulu, Hawaii. The conference will focus on new technologies and current practice related to Grouting, Deep Mixing and Diaphragm Walls. Learn more!

State responses to information requests on “Lake Drain Requirements and Variances” and on "Release of Information to the Public and Media" are now posted on the ASDSO Surveys page in the Members Section of the ASDSO website.