Prioritizing Effective Dam Safety Regulation and Public Awareness through Collaboration and Partnership

Participants in this workshop will take part in prioritizing actions that will contribute toward advancing dam safety in the U.S. Specifically, the participants will prioritize areas that will address barriers to effective dam safety.

Background on the Topic
The Uncommon Dialogue Working Group 2, “Advance Dam Safety in the U.S.,” supported by American Rivers, the National Hydropower Association, and the Department of Energy, focuses on identifying and addressing barriers to effective dam safety in the U.S.

In 2024, the Working Group produced a concept paper that identified eight areas to increase dam safety in the U.S. In 2025, the Working Group is charged with developing a work plan that prioritizes issue areas in the concept paper and identifies actions that complement work underway for the highest priority areas.

The eight issue areas identified include:
- Evaluating the Hazard Associated with Unregulated Dams
- Advancing Emergency Action Plans
- Improving and Establishing Consistent Hazard Classification Systems
- Advancing Risk-Informed Decision Making
- Developing State Advocacy Coalitions
- Building Public Education and Awareness of Dams and the Risks they Present
- Developing Staffing and Workforce
- Strengthening Federal Support for Non-Federal Dam Safety Programs and Direct to Dam Owners

In this workshop, participants will have an opportunity to shape the Uncommon Dialogue’s collaborative effort by providing an industry perspective on the Working Group 2 deliverables.

Specifically, participants will hear an overview of Working Group 2, the concept paper, and the action plan and its priorities, as well as partake in a facilitated and interactive discussion to share their input on what's missing in the action plan and how actions or issues could be prioritized and/or addressed.

Participants also will have the opportunity to provide input on other priority topics related to dam safety for the hydro industry, the current conditions of federal programs related to dam safety, the status of research and legislation related to low head dams, and the status of and challenges related to states assuming jurisdiction over dams and decommissioning dams.

Presenters

Thomas Fitzgerald

Faculty

Principal at Schnabel Engineering

Brian Graber

Faculty

Senior Director, River Restoration Program at American Rivers

Kelsey Rugani

Faculty

Vice President at Kearns & West

Morgan Nachman

Faculty

Director at Kearns & West