Target Audience

The target audience for this training is engineers, scientists, and regulators interested in better understanding and preparing to participate in and/or facilitate dam and levee safety risk assessments.  

Learning Objectives:  

The training includes instruction to enable participants to:

• Create potential failure mode descriptions and event trees, and use them to develop risk estimates.
• Describe the hazards that affect dams and levees and apply them to risk analysis.
• Identify relevant case histories and foundational research studies.
• Apply principles of theory of probability and statistics to quantify, combine and portray risk estimates.
• Identify essential elements of life loss consequence estimates.
• Build the case for risk estimates.
• Explain governance and risk guidelines.
• Become familiar with other disciplines and their input to risk estimates.

36 PDHs

Format:

We have reached the minimum registration number to confirm this course. 

All Sessions, Virtual and In Person, are required for course completion 

Virtual- October 27 - 29, 2026

In Person- November 3 - 5, 2026

CSU Spur Denver, CO - 4777 National Western Dr, Denver, CO 80216

Hotels in the area are around 5 to 25 minutes away. Due to the industrial nature of the area, we recommend driving or using Uber to reach the location. Parking details are available using this link. 

Description:

Internal Erosion Workshop (DLS-208) establishes the essential skills for assessing internal erosion potential failure modes in support of dam and levee risk assessments. It provides pertinent background related to physics and mechanics of internal erosion mechanisms, summarizes important case histories, and identifies best practices for estimating probabilities of failure during a risk analysis. Physics-based analytical models of the RMC Internal Erosion Suite of toolboxes are central to assessing internal erosion potential failure modes, and an in-depth understanding of their application is essential to informing judgment for sound and consistent RIDM.

Many federal and some state agencies have adopted risk-informed decision making (RIDM) as part of their dam and levee safety guidelines. Successful implementation of RIDM requires properly training engineers and scientists in risk analysis of potential failure modes. Evaluation of internal erosion is complicated, and some theories and tools evolved significantly in recent years since their introduction. DLS-208 is required training to lead (as a facilitator) or participate (as a subject matter expert) in  USACE, FERC, and TVA risk assessments. DLS-208 establishes the essential skills for assessing internal erosion potential failure modes in support of dam and levee risk assessments. It provides pertinent background related to physics and mechanics of internal erosion mechanisms, summarizes important case histories, and identifies best practices for estimating probabilities of failure during a risk analysis. Physics-based analytical models of the RMC Internal Erosion Suite of toolboxes are central to assessing internal erosion potential failure modes. Being able to use these available tools helps Subject Matter Experts estimate specific nodal probability estimates for risk analysis.

The training is presented in 18 modules consisting of a combination of presentations (approximately 50 percent) and hands-on demonstrations of selected toolboxes and exercises using the toolboxes (approximately 50 percent).

Audience:

DLS-208 is designed for geotechnical engineers and engineering geologists, with 5 to 15 years of experience, who are involved in semi-quantitative and quantitative risk assessment of internal erosion potential failure modes, either as facilitators or subject matter experts, according to RMC-TR-2021-01. It is also beneficial to staff performing supporting technical analysis for risk assessments. Potential attendees include FERC licensees; private, municipal, and state dam owners; state and federal dam safety engineers, dam owners, levee sponsors, and regulators; and consultants experienced in dam and/or levee safety evaluations.

22PDHs

Location:

Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center

800 Spring St NW, Atlanta, GA 30308

3 days in person, lunch included

 Hotel Booking Link - http://bookings.ihotelier.com/bookings.jsp?groupID=5129255&hotelID=75983  

 Non-smoking King/Queen bedding accommodations have been blocked for this group. Please note that all guestrooms are non-smoking.

For any other requests or inquiries, please enter this information within the appropriate request boxes during the reservations process or call the hotel directly by calling (800) 706-2899 or (404) 838-2100.

Booking Deadline: 09/08/2026

DLS-113  Fundamentals of Facilitating a Semi-Quantitative Risk Analysis

The Dam and Levee Safety industry is in the process of adopting Risk-Informed Decision Making (RIDM) as a framework for identifying and managing risks associated with dams and levees.  A core component of RIDM is risk analysis workshops. In these workshops, a team of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), aided by a Facilitator conduct a PFMA/SQRA.  This course is intended for SMEs with risk analysis experience who wish to learn the role and responsibilities of a risk analysis facilitator.  By the end of the training, participants will have a basic understanding of how to: 

• Develop skills as a facilitator
• Understand the role of the facilitator and the appropriate behaviors needed to be successful
• Organize and lead a PFMA/SQRA
• Assess the needs of the project and owner and scale the PFMA/SQRA appropriately
• Ensure that the proper level of preparation is conducted prior to the workshop
• Lead the PFMA/SQRA workshop including facilitation skills
• Encourage focused, constructive, and respectful discussion
• Encourage engagement from all SMEs
• Identify and advise SMEs if the proceedings are being impacted by cognitive errors (e.g., recency bias, anchoring)
• Lead close-out activities including summarizing and portraying risk
• Ensure that proper documentation and review is conducted
• Discuss challenges and potential solutions 

In addition, examples, exercises, and breakout sessions will be provided where attendees will have an opportunity to practice taught skills.

This training course is not intended to cover development of PFMs and the elicitation of risk estimates.  The student should already have this experience from participation in past workshops.  Rather, this course is intended to prepare facilitators for their unique role as an independent leader of the workshop, to minimize bias, and ensure that proper communication and integration of facts and opinions are documented.

Intended Audience

This is a basic training course for becoming a facilitator.  However, it requires a significant amount of experience in dam safety risk assessments to act as a facilitator.  This training along with real SQRA experience can ultimately lead to becoming an effective and qualified risk facilitator.

Prerequisite minimum experience suggested to benefit from this course:
• Have a professional engineering or engineering geologist registration.
• Have 10 or more years in dam design and evaluation experience and could qualify as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) or Independent Consultant for FERC Part 12 or similar review. 
• Acted as an SME for at least 2 dam safety SQRAs or QRAs.
• Primary author for at least 1 SQRA or QRA report.
• Completed at least the SQRA training course DLS-103 (Leveraging PFMA to Perform SQRA ) 

Format - 18 PDHs

1/2 Day Virtual Session 8/17/2026 
2 Day In-Person Session 8/25-26/2026 at the CSU Spur Hydro Building

CSU Spur Denver, CO - 4777 National Western Dr, Denver, CO 80216

Hotels in the area are around 5 to 25 minutes away. Due to the area being more industrial, we recommend driving or taking an Uber to the location. Parking details are available using this link. 

Copyright © 2026 U. S. Society on Dams Printed in the United States of America ISBN 979-8-9870559-4-6 

FOREWORD 

The importance of monitoring programs for dam safety is widely accepted.  There are many historical cases of dam failures where early warning signs of failure might have been detected if a well-designed, well-executed dam safety monitoring program had been in place.  A monitoring program can provide information that is needed for a good understanding of the on-going performance of a dam.  Monitoring programs, including instrumentation and visual inspection, provide dam owners with knowledge of whether a dam is performing as expected and the ability to detect changes in performance.  This knowledge and ability is critical because the dam owner is directly responsible for the consequences of a dam failure.  Therefore, a well-designed, well-executed dam safety monitoring program must be a key part of every dam owner’s risk management program. 

This paper is part of a series of white papers prepared by the United States Society on Dams (USSD) Monitoring of Dams and Their Foundations Committee (the Committee) to address important topics with respect to the development and successful implementation of dam safety monitoring programs.  White papers in this series include: 

• Why Include Instrumentation in Dam Monitoring Programs?
• Routine Instrumented and Visual Monitoring of Dams Based on Potential Failure Modes Analysis
• Development of a Dam Safety Instrumentation Program
• O&M of an Instrumentation Program
• Instrumentation Data Collection, Management and Analysis
• Dam Safety Monitoring Training for Dam Operating Personnel 

While each of the above white papers addresses its topic in a “stand-alone” manner, there are interrelationships between these papers.  Readers of this paper may find it beneficial to refer to one or more of the other white papers for a broader understanding and perspective with respect to dam safety monitoring programs.  Up to this point in time, the series of white papers has primarily addressed programmatic aspects of dam safety monitoring rather than technological advances.  These papers that are programmatic in nature should provide dam owners, large and small, with basic information to evaluate or implement an adequate dam safety monitoring program.  These programs become more and more critical as our nation’s dams (and other infrastructure) reach and extend beyond their design lives. 

This particular white paper moves away from the pattern of discussing more general, programmatic dam safety monitoring topics to address a specific technical matter.  Proposals for the use of fully-grouted piezometer installations, rather than traditional piezometer installations (e.g., VW transducers or Casagrande standpipes installed in boreholes using sandpacks and bentonite chip seals), have resulted in technical discussions where people and organizations have reached a variety of conclusions.  The intent of this white paper is to shed light concerning when the use of fully-grouted 2 piezometer installations may and may not be appropriate and provide current “state-ofthe-practice” guidance for this installation approach.     

This white paper resulted from the work of a Sub-Committee of the USSD Monitoring of Dams and Their Foundations Committee.  Principal contributors to the effort were:

Pierre Choquet, DrEng., PEng., RST Instruments, Lead Author
John Hynes, PE, Stantec
Scott Martens, MEng., PEng., Teck Resources
Rudy Saavedra, PE, Durham Geo Slope Indicator
Jay N. Stateler, PE, retired from U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Georgette Hlepas, PhD, PE, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Gerald Robblee, PE, GE, Schnabel Engineering
Michael Davis, PE, PEng., Stantec/TransAlta
Doug Wahl, PE, Geo-Pentech
Gordon Anderlini, PEng., BC Hydro
John Murphy, PE, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center 

The Sub-Committee members would like to thank Jay N. Stateler for initiating this project and for preparing the first detailed draft that has remained the framework of the final version of the white paper. 

A Publication Review Committee (PRC) was formed by the USSD to review this paper composed of:

Tim Truong, PE, PMP, Yuba Water Agency, USSD Board Member and PRC lead 
Members of the TC220 on Field Monitoring in Geomechanics of the(International Society on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE),with special thanks to Leen De Vos, PhD, Civil Engineer, Flemish Government
Gord McKenna, PhD, Peng, PGeol, McKenna Geotechnical
Brad Long, PE, HDR
Matthew Walker, PE, Barr Engineering
Bradley Forbes, PhD, Peng, BGC Engineering   

The work of all these individuals, as well as the other members of the USSD Monitoring Dams and Their Foundations Committee that provided input regarding this white paper, is acknowledged and appreciated.  

Nonlinear weirs are attractive to practitioners as in some cases they provide a hydro-economical solution for new and rehabilitation projects. To academia, they remain a topic of interest due to a combination of the complex flow patterns they generate and the wide range of relevant geometries and application scenarios in rivers, dams, and other water resources applications with research topics including discharge efficiency, aeration, energy dissipation, local scour, driftwood and ice, and flow instabilities. Following three editions held in Europe and Asia (Liège, Belgium in 2011; Paris, France in 2013 and Qui Nhon, Vietnam in 2017), the 4th international workshop on Labyrinth and PKW moves to the United States, where several labyrinth and PKW prototypes coexist. As for the three previous editions, the workshop aims at bringing together people with varied background (engineers, researchers,...) to present and summarize the latest knowledge and developments on these non conventional hydraulic structures. Special emphasis will be put on planned and existing projects, data from real structures operation but also latest research developments.

Papers:

R&D – Floating Objects and Sedimentation

Labyrinth and PKW spillways in the USA Paxson G., Crookston – USA/Belgium

Behavior of floating trees at coexisting Piano Key Weir and gated spillway Yang J., Helgesson – Sweden

Effect of driftwood on the hydraulic performance of A-type PKWs in-stream or at reservoirs Venetz P., Pfister – Switzerland

Impact of sedimentation on the discharge capacity of labyrinth weirs Belzner F., Gebhardt – Germany

R&D – Hydraulics

Remote sensing of the 3D water surface downstream of labyrinth weirs Langohr P., Bung – Germany

Interfacial velocity characteristics downstream of a PKW vs. linear weir Belay B.S., Oertel – Germany

Model-Prototype upscaling of discharge capacity of Piano Key Weir Yang J., Nilsen – Sweden

Physical model investigations on nappe instabilities at labyrinth weirs Gebhardt M., Belzner – Germany

R&D – Design and Application

Studies of non-rectilinear weirs – From labyrinth to PKW Ouamane A., Lempérière – Algeria

Enhancing the hydraulic efficiency of PKWs – Recent research Yang J., Li – Sweden

Innovative association of Fusegate® and PKW Lempérière F., Chapuis – France

Innovative use of PKWs or labyrinth weirs for long dams in plains Ho Ta Khanh M. – Vietnam

R&D – Numerical Modeling

Sensitivity analysis of PKWs using CFD and empirical methods Oukaili F., Bercovitz – France

Experimental and numerical investigation of A-type rectangular side PKW Hussain S., Ahmad – India

Key width ratio influence on PKW discharge via OpenFOAM simulations Lüddecke L., Oertel – Germany

Investigation on flow field near A-Type PKW Quamar S., Ahmad – India

Project Applications

Projects – Lessons Learned

Lessons from Prado Dam labyrinth spillway design Diaz Y., Philips M., Allen J.D., Crookston B. – USA

Research and application of PKWs in Vietnam (2025) Ho Ta Khanh M., Dau Xuan T. – Vietnam

Case study: Burton Pond Dam – “Honey, I Shrunk the PKW” Bisio D. – USA

PKWs with orifice sluice Dau Xuan T. – Vietnam

Projects – Design

Arced labyrinth spillway for Dog River Dam Kirksey B., Tuladhar R., Hudock G. – USA

Springton Spillway: Arced labyrinth weir research and application Thompson S., Tullis B., Crookston B., Marchisello M. – USA

La Laye Dam design approach Roy M., Derrien S., Schaguene J.D., Dautois G. – France

3D modeling for Lower Crow Dam rehabilitation Bartels J., Bernedo Sanchez C. – USA

Projects – Construction

PKWs around the world Erpicum S., Jamali T., Crookston B. – Belgium

Nachtigal dam: 4917 m long labyrinth spillway Magnan D., Blancher B., Chapuis A., Guillemot T., Erpicum – France

High-altitude labyrinth weir design & construction Miller N., Provencher M. – USA

Stainless steel PKW at Oule Dam spillway Fournié Y., Tralli H., Alende J.D., Erpicum S. – France

In this webinar, Katie from KF Consulting Services will share proven strategies to help engineers write with confidence and precision. Drawing on decades of experience in engineering, project management, and technical writing, Katie will guide participants through the fundamentals of effective technical communication—whether preparing proposals, developing procedures, or finalizing project reports.

Transient populations can have a significant influence on risks posed by a dam, especially in locations with frequent water recreation downstream of the project. A key operating objective of many dams is to provide safe conditions for recreation within the vicinity of the dam. Dam Safety professionals must consider recreational populations when assessing emergency management plans and downstream consequences. These transient populations can be difficult to capture with conventional consequences modeling techniques which represent transient populations within a structure point dataset. Modeling methods often involve aggregating average annual population data and defining a set of points with fixed locations in the hazard area, potentially biasing risk estimates depending on the location of the point in relation to the terrain and hydraulics. These points do not capture uncertainty related to the transient population’s freedom of movement in the hazard area and do not allow for spatial variability or the representation of varying recreation populations near and within the river channel. Alternative methodologies are presented here which involve random spatial sampling of transient population points within the hazard area, capturing the influence of population density and spatial variability. A population sampling grid is used to redistribute transient populations spatially within a study area hundreds of times, simulating the possibility of a range of population distributions and hazard exposures within a recreation area. Additional methods are also presented to randomly assign population at risk within a study area as well as the modeling of transient populations with the evacuation model in LifeSim. The development of methodologies to better assess impacts to transient populations during breach events will advance risk assessment theory and practice and lead to better decision-making for risk estimators and emergency management agencies.

The 2023 Turkey earthquakes impacted a large region with seismic hazards such as strong ground shaking, surface fault rupture, liquefaction, lateral spreading, rockfall, slides, etc.  GEER-EERI mobilized a joint team in concert with Turkish colleagues to collect perishable data so that lessons could be learned from these earthquakes.  In this talk Robb Moss will give an overview of our GEER efforts, bring the lessons learned back to the US, and will give specific attention to the many earthdams that exhibited different levels of performance.

The effects of subsurface heterogeneity on liquefaction phenomena during earthquakes are discussed using case histories and nonlinear dynamic analyses with different subsurface modeling approaches. The importance of geologic and anthropogenic controls and the effects of stratigraphic heterogeneity, lithological heterogeneity, and inherent soil variability at the project site scale are discussed. The results of these studies reinforce lessons regarding the importance of subsurface characterization and its representation in analyses for evaluating liquefaction-induced ground deformations and their impacts on civil infrastructure.

Seismic performance assessments for earth slopes and dams are based on evaluating the permanent displacements induced by earthquake shaking and more recently probabilistic approaches have been proposed to incorporate uncertainties into the analysis.  This presentation will describe newly developed predictive models for earthquake-induced slope displacements based on finite element simulations.  The models are developed using both classical regression techniques and artificial neural networks (ANN), and models for both the median displacement and its variability are provided.  A missing part of most seismic performance assessments for slopes and dams is the translation of a displacement level into a damage state.  This presentation will also outline a seismic fragility framework for earth dams and slopes that is modeled after the approaches used for other types of infrastructure, such as bridges.  The framework uses an engineering demand model to predict the permanent displacement as a function of ground motion intensity, and a seismic capacity model to predict the probability of a damage state given the permanent settlement.