Dam safety experts to meet in Providence, R.I.

LEXINGTON, KY. — More than 1,000 dam safety professionals from across the country will meet at the Association of State Dam Safety Officials’ (ASDSO) national conference, Dam Safety 2013, Sept. 8-12, in Providence, R.I. During the conference, attendees will learn about the latest advancements in dam safety and have an opportunity to network with the industry’s top experts.

The conference agenda features more than 35 technical sessions that focus on practical approaches to the daily issues facing dam safety professionals in both the public and private sectors. This year’s featured tracks include:

• Levee Policy and the State of Levee Safety in the United States
• National Dam Security Forum: “Improving Dam Security and Preparedness, Enhancing Community Resilience”
• Dam Failures and Incidents
• Case Studies in Dam Rehabilitation

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Cay Johnston will present this year’s keynote address titled “Wishful Budgeting – Denial and Dangerous Dams.” He will discuss the budget issues facing our country’s aging dam infrastructure.

In addition, one of the conference’s general sessions features a discussion of the 50th anniversary of the Spaulding Pond Dam Failure in Norwich, Conn. This session will include an account of the event by Tom Moody, Jr., a survivor of the flood and author of “A Swift and Deadly Maelstrom: The Great Norwich Flood of 1963,” as well as presentations on the flood investigation and the resulting changes to the Connecticut Dam Safety Program.

The conference features a special session on hazard classification review for existing dams, as well as ASDSO’s one-day Dam Safety Workshop for Owners and Operators. This workshop offers information on state dam safety laws and regulations; extreme storm events and potential dam failure conditions; owner responsibilities, liabilities and security issues; dam operations, maintenance and inspections; developing and implementing emergency action plans; and procedures for retaining a professional engineer to inspect, investigate and evaluate dams.

For more information or to register for the conference, please visit ASDSO’s website at www.damsafety.org/conferences/?p=db47b764-cd84-4a17-a014-a96c6cebab34.