Most dam failures are not the result of extreme loading conditions.  Rather, dams typically fail due to unforeseen or unrecognized conditions that result in piping failures, overtopping at less than the design inflow, foundation failures, errors in operation, or other “non-standard” failure modes.

Managing the risk of owning and operating dams requires the best available knowledge on both potential failure modes and the associated consequences.  It is imperative that dam owners, dam regulators and consulting engineers are familiar with the typically analyzed failure modes as well as those that occur for non-standard reasons.  The retirement of experienced dam engineers and the world-wide trend towards less dam construction leaves today’s dam safety professionals with fewer opportunities to gain the experience necessary to adequately assess the risks posed by dams and to protect the public from the consequences of a dam failure. 

The lessons of the past must not be forgotten, it is imperative that the combined knowledge of the dam safety community be shared in order to minimize the risk to those who live downstream of dams or otherwise benefit from them. The goal of this workshop is to share case studies of dam failures and incidents in order to; 1) educate each other, 2) provide knowledge necessary to manage the risks associated with dams; 3) identify areas where additional research may improve our knowledge of potential failure modes and identify ways to prevent or mitigate their development; 4) identify ways to assure that the knowledge of the past is available for the future; 5) develop a plan to ensure the continuation of global communication, coordination and collaboration.  

This workshop is intended to be the first in a series to promote and facilitate  communication and coordination surrounding dam safety topics. Information developed will be captured in a data base and built upon following future events for the benefit of the dam safety industry worldwide.

We invite those in the dam safety community to come to Los Angeles, CA, on March 24-25, 2009 to share their knowledge of past dam safety incidents and failures. 

Suggested topic areas could include;

• Dam failures or incidents related to earthfill embankment dams
• Dam failures or incidents related to rockfill dams
• Dam failures or incidents related to concrete gravity dams
• Dam failures or incidents related to masonry dams
• Dam failures or incidents related to arch dams
• Dam failures or incidents related to crib dams
• Dam failures or incidents related to earthquakes
• Dam failures or incidents related to floods less than the Inflow Design Flood
• Dam failures or incidents related to spillway reliability
• Dam failures or incidents related to gate reliability (spillway or low level outlet)
• Dam failures or incidents related to control systems
• Organizational contributions to dam failures or incidents

Join us in Los Angeles, CA to learn more from your fellow dam safety professionals and to share your experiences.