What is BDS?

28th ICOLD Congress and 93rd Annual Meeting - Chengdu, China, 15th to 23rd May 2025

Chengdu in China will be hosting the 28th ICOLD Congress and 93rd Annual Meeting in May 2025. This promises to be a very interesting event, particularly bearing in mind some of the impressive dams that have and our currently being constructed in China. More details can be found in the initial bulletin that has been released, under the following link.  Please note that the deadline for submission of abstracts is 31st August 2024.

Forthcoming BDS Events

Service Reservoirs (Thames Water)

The next technical meeting, which is entitled “The Service Reservoir – More than just a concrete box” will be presented by Jon Green and Bryn Philpott of Thames Water on the 8th of July 2024. The meeting will take place online, and at our various hubs across the country, more information can be found on the Events page. Please note that One Great George Street is currently closed for refurbishment so there will not be any in-person meeting.  

BDS Conference, 2024

The next biennial conference will be held at Keele University from Wednesday 11th to Saturday 14th September 2024. Registration for the event is now open. Information on the conference and how to register as a delegate, exhibitor and/or sponsor can be found here.

ICOLD 2026 Annual Meeting – Change in host County

Given the current tense international situation, the 2026 annual meeting in Iran has been postponed. A lot of delegates will be unable to travel to Iran and several embassies are not allowing their nationals to travel to Iran or are advising against it.  

In this context, the Mexican Committee has graciously agreed to bring forward to 2026 the Annual Meeting originally scheduled for 2027. 

30th European Working Group (EWG) on Internal Erosion & 5th EWG on Overflow and Overtopping Erosion

The next EWG on Internal Erosion and Overflow and Overtopping Erosion will be held in Bologna, Italy between the 9th and 13th September 2024. Unfortunately, the date of these meetings clashes with the next BDS conference. However, should you wish to attend warmer climes both meetings will be organized by the Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna. The deadline for abstracts is 30th June 2024. More information is available here.

7th European Working Group (EWG) on Dams and Earthquakes

The 7th meeting of the European working group shall be in Athens between the 12th and 13th September 2024. For more information, please refer to the following link.