Dam Safety

Many dams around the world were designed and built over 50 years ago. As these structures age, the level of safety becomes more difficult to evaluate, particularly where original design and construction details are not known. In addition, foundation and dam degradation occurs for various reasons and many continue to worsen. Moreover, safety and design standards have changed over the years and many of these aging structures must be upgraded to meet current standards. Research is required for the development and evaluation of new diagnostic monitoring tools and techniques in order to assess the stability and safety of existing dams. New repair materials and techniques can reduce the cost of required dam safety improvements.
The Dam Safety Interest Group (DSIG) is composed of dam owners who jointly sponsor research & development projects designed to help assess and improve the safety of dams. Today, the DSIG is represented internationally by participants from Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

Topics and Issues:

• Investigation
• Instrumentation and Monitoring
• Analysis
• Performance Assessments
• Risk Assessment and Management