Volume 1 Issue 2 October 2020
Dams and hydropower facilities in the United States bring local communities immense benefits—flood control, reliable power, water storage, jobs, and recreational benefits among them. But to ensure that their benefits are known, they must be successfully communicated to the public and to federal and local policymakers. That is the mission of the U.S. Society […]
FERC Proposes Significant Changes to Dam Safety Regulations in Wake of Michigan Dam Failures
By Chuck Sensiba and Melissa Horne On July 24, 2020, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) that proposes to overhaul the FERC dam safety regulations promulgated under section 10(c) of the Federal Power Act. The NOPR proposes revisions to part 12 of FERC’s regulations governing dam safety, including […]
The Course Offerings of Voith’s HydroSchool
Voith Hydro is a complete system supplier that produces turbines and generators for the world’s hydropower stations, from the smallest to the largest. Like many companies, Voith has developed numerous internal training programs to help train new hires and improve the skills of longtime employees. However, it has also opened similar courses up to its […]
Ensuring the Efficiency and Competitiveness of Reclamation’s Hydropower Fleet
The Bureau of Reclamation owns 78 hydroelectric power facilities that supply a capacity of over 15,500 megawatts (MW), of which it directly operates and maintains 53. This puts it second only to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in terms of its hydropower capacity. Max Spiker is a 32‑year Reclamation veteran who today serves as […]
An Insider’s Look at the Bureau of Reclamation’s Dam Safety Program
The Bureau of Reclamation is internationally recognized as a leader in dam safety. The 1978 Reclamation Safety of Dams Act established an independent dam safety program within Reclamation. This program covers routine dam inspections and evaluations as well as corrective work and repairs and has become the global standard in the dam safety field. In […]
Sharon Powers of the U.S. Society on Dams: Supporting the Dam and Levee Industry
During the first half of 2020, the hydropower industry has been subject to major regulatory changes that are likely to have far-reaching and significant consequences for licensees, regulators, and other stakeholders. These changes include two major rules altering longstanding regulations pertaining to the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA); proposed […]
