Introduction to Inspecting Dam For Owners and Operators: Download

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This seminar provides an introduction to inspecting and evaluating dams. The target audience is dam owners and personnel responsible for the operation and maintenance of dams. The principles, concepts and procedures taught are applicable to any dam owner or organization conducting dam inspections and evaluating their compliance with current design and maintenance standards. Participants will be familiarized with a variety of dam types and their appurtenances, instructed in the function of typical dam features, and become aware of common dam failure modes and the conditions that can lead to these failure modes. The importance of performing dam inspections will be discussed along with what to look for in order to be able to identify potential deficiencies before they become a problem. Acceptable standards for the condition and operation and maintenance of dams will be presented and their significance will be reinforced with examples from recent dam failures.

Paul G. Schweiger, P.E.

Vice President and Manager, Dams and Hydraulics Section

Gannett Fleming, Inc.

Paul has been with Gannett Fleming for 35 years. During that time, he has provided engineering consulting services for more than 500 dams throughout the United States and Canada. Paul is an approved Federal Energy Regulatory Commission facilitator and Independent Consultant for conducting potential failure modes analysis exercises, Emergency Action Plan exercises, and Part 12 dam assessments. He regularly serves as an expert hydrology and hydraulics engineer on Independent External Peer Review panels for United States Army Corps of Engineers dam and flood control projects and has served on the National Dam Safety Review Board as the Private Sector Representative. Paul is a frequent instructor of Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) engineering seminars. He served on the Board of Consultants for the Oroville Spillway Emergency Recovery Project and is currently serving on several boards of consultants for dam projects throughout the United States.