Focus on What Matters: Tips and Tools for Dam Safety Decision Making

About

Please join the NHA Hydraulic Power Committee on Thursday, June 23 at 1:00 PM ET for a webinar on Dam Safety featuring a variety of topics such as: Semi-quantative risk analysis, decommissioning, and more!

The Hydraulic Power Committee

The Hydraulic Power Committee (HPC) provides a confidential and private setting for the hydropower industry to exchange critical information related to the technical and environmental aspects of operating hydroelectric projects.

• HPC Forums – The HPC provides ongoing opportunities for benchmarking and the exchange of information within the hydropower industry.
  • Discussion Board:  A web-based, real-time, collaboration tool that allows HPC members to securely discuss operations & maintenance, dam safety, and other issues.
  • Virtual & In-person Events
• Operational Excellence (OpEx) – The OpEx program is an NHA member-only voluntary event reporting system that receives, distributes, archives, and catalogs operating experiences and resulting best practices and lessons learned.  OpEx launched a new website in 2014 – www.hydroexcellence.org – and is the only event reporting program and database available to the hydropower industry.
• FERC Liaison – The HPC serves as a conduit for industry input and advocacy on proposals and activities originating at FERC’s Division of Dam Safety and Inspections (D2SI) and Division of Hydropower Administration and Compliance (DHAC).  Recent interactions include:
  • Drafting Comments:  Owners Dam Safety Program (ODSP), Emergency Action Plans (EAP), and Chief Dam Safety Engineer (CDSE) annual statements.
  • Issue Calls:  Minor License Deviations & Violations, Shoreline Management Plans (SMP).
• Other – The HPC also serves as a liaison with other industry interests including USSD, ASDSO, EUCG, EPRI, and ASCE, among others

Join the Call

This event is a benefit for NHA members only. To add this call to your calendar, you will need to log in to the NHA Portal and access the Hydraulic Power Committee Page.

Contact Kimberly Costner if you need assistance.

Agenda

Welcome  
Ellen Faulkner, Senior Project Manager, Ayres Associates, HPC Dam Safety Sub Committee Chair

Semi-quantitative risk analysis (SQRA) to support FERC Comprehensive Assessments (CA) 
The presentation will include a summary of how SQRA fits into FERC’s broad RIDM framework and how SQRA results can be used to support dam safety decisions.  Key aspects of the SQRA process will be discussed, including some lessons learned on process efficiencies and expected outcomes.

Speaker: Daniel W. Osmun, Senior Professional Associate, HDR

Decommissioning – Ways to Streamline the Process  
There are many different ways to approach decommissioning of a FERC-licensed hydropower project.  Julia will provide an overview of FERC’s framework for decommissioning, challenges many licensees encounter when pursuing decommissioning, and ways to streamline the process.

Speaker: Julia Wood, Partner, Rock Creek Energy Group

Using 3D Models to Document a Visual History of Dams and Support Future Investigations 
Experience a digital 3D Model of New Bullards Bar Dam and its foundation, with emphasis on the value of 3D Modeling for visualization and communications. From visually walking through the construction history of the dam through showing the spatial relationships of instrumentation data, 3D Models have proven to be valuable tools during Part 12 inspections, potential failure mode analysis (PFMA) workshops,  and both quantitative and semi-quantitative risk assessments.

Speakers:
Tim Troung, Chief Dam Safety Engineer, Yuba Water Agency
Fred Snider, Associate, Schnabel Engineering

Open Mic  
Seth Green, Engineer – Dam Safety, SCG Hydro Services, Southern Company, HPC Dam Safety Sub-Committee Vice Chair

About the Speakers

Julia Wood, Rock Creek Energy Group 
Julia Wood is a founding partner of Rock Creek Energy Group, an energy law firm in Washington, DC.  She has practiced federal energy regulatory law for nearly 20 years, working with owners and operators of hydropower projects on a wide variety FERC licensing and compliance issues, including decommissioning.

Daniel W. Osmun, HDR
Dam, Levee and Civil Works Sr. Business Class Leader, Risk-Informed Decision Making, Senior Professional Associate

Mr. Osmun has 33 years experience in geotechnical and embankment dam engineering including 25 years in private sector consulting and 8 years at the Bureau of Reclamation. He has served as a facilitator for dozens of quantitative and semi-quantitative team risk analyses, an instructor for various dam safety risk related topics, and has been a member of several expert review panels. He current serves as HDR’s practice leader for dam safety risk informed decision making.

Tim Troung, Chief Dam Safety Engineer 
Mr. Tim Truong graduated from Purdue University and was commissioned was a Civil Engineering Officer in the United States Air Force where he conducted 2 tours as part of Operation Enduring Freedom / Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Mr. Truong has more than 16 years of experience working on a wide variety of construction projects in the United States, Iraq, Japan and Qatar. He has been with the Yuba Water Agency for the last 6 years and is currently their Chief Dam Safety Engineer.

Fred Snider, Associate, Schnabel Engineering 
Fred Snider is a Professional Geologist with over 45 years of experience working on major infrastructure projects both in the US and overseas. He joined the dam engineering group at Schnabel Engineering 17 years ago, and works exclusively on dam safety-related projects. He currently leads our Digital 3D Modeling team and is based in our office in Greensboro, North Carolina. His 3D Modeling projects range from developing models of existing dams using design and as-built construction drawings,  new dam designs,  and illustrating proposed updates and modifications such as spillway improvements and abutment stabilizations.