2009 Annual Meeting and Conference
A record number of dam engineering professionals and exhibitors attended the USSD 29th Annual Meeting and Conference, held recently in Nashville, Tennessee. Dan J. Hertel, Barnard Construction Company, was elected President. Douglas D. Boyer, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and Michael F. Rogers, MWH, will serve as Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer, respectively. Newly-elected Board Members include Ross Boulanger, University of California, Davis, and Karen A. Knight, Bureau of Reclamation.
Outgoing President Kenneth A. Steele presented several awards and scholarships during the closing banquet on April 22.
William B. Bingham received the Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his 40 years of contributions to the dam engineering profession. His entire career has been with Gannett Fleming, Inc.; he has managed the firm’s dam engineering activities for the past 26 years and is currently a Vice President and National Practice Leader for Dams and Hydraulics. Bingham has been instrumental in the development and advancement of roller compacted concrete technologies for new and existing dams. He has played a major role in more than 15 flood control projects; 70 dam rehabilitation and 30 new dam design projects; 120 annual dam safety inspections and numerous dam feasibility investigations, water supply alternative studies and water needs assessments. Bingham served as President of USSD from 2001-2003, was appointed to the National Dam Safety Review Board and has served on the Executive Committee of the National Performance of Dams Program. He has authored more than 30 technical papers and articles.
The President's Award was presented to Eric B. Kollgaard, who was recognized for five decades of experience in large water resources projects. From his early work on Brownlee and Oxbow Hydroelectric Projects in Idaho in 1955, to his recent contributions to the San Vicente Dam Raise Project in San Diego, Kollgaard has worked on more than 400 dam projects in nearly every state and on four continents. Since retiring from Morrison-Knudsen Corporation as Chief Engineer in 1993, he has been actively engaged in a private consulting practice. He co-authored Dam Engineering in the U.S., which was prepared for the 16th Congress of the International Commission on Large Dams, held in San Francisco in 1988.
Lake Lenexa Dam and Spillway was named recipient of the Award of Excellence in the Constructed Project. For years, the city of Lenexa, Kansas has experienced development pressures and a deterioration of water quality by urban runoff. Rejecting the common mindset that stormwater is a fundamental problem, the Lake Lenexa approach considered stormwater as an asset on which to capitalize, resulting in multiple benefits: flood control, improved water quality, natural stream preservation, stormwater management and recreation/education opportunities. Lake Lenexa covers nearly 35 acres within 240 acres of parkland and is adjacent to established residential subdivisions. The dam and spillway facility features three wetlands, trails, docks and boat ramp, picnic areas, boardwalks and access to water’s edge for fishing. The USSD Award recognized the owner, City of Lenexa, Kansas; the design engineering and construction manager, Black & Veatch Corporation; the architect, Joel Marquardt; and the general contractor, Max Rieke & Brothers, Inc.
The Outstanding Paper Award was presented to Patrick R. Regan, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, for his paper, An Evaluation of Dam Failure vs Age of Dams. The paper, one of more than 100 presented during the Conference, was selected based on the technical content and quality of the paper, as well as the oral presentation.
The Outstanding Poster Presentation, a new award instituted this year, was given to Jay N. Stateler, Bureau of Reclamation and several co-authors, for their presentation, Consequence Ratings: A Streamlined Method for Developing Loss of Life Estimates.
Three scholarships were announced during the Conference. Rachael V. Bisnett, a graduate student at Purdue University, received a $10,000 scholarship to support her research, Use of Loess as an Embankment Dam Core Material. Antony Berthelote, University of Montana, and David Hoekema, Boise State University, received $1,000 scholarships.
Four hundred engineers, managers and scientists involved in the design, construction, operation and safety of dams gathered in Nashville for the Conference and associated Workshops. Presentations focused on the theme Managing Our Water Retention Systems. The Conference Host was the Corps of Engineers, Nashville District, and Conference participants took field tours to Center Hill Dam and Wolf Creek Dam.
The 2010 USSD Annual Meeting and Conference will be held in Sacramento, California, April 12-16. A Call for Papers will be issued soon.
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