What is BDS?

The British Dam Society (BDS) is an Associated Society of the Institution of Civil Engineers. It consists of individual and corporate members. It is open to anyone wanting to share experience or knowledge of all aspects of dams and reservoirs.

BDS News

23rd Biennial Conference

Thank you to all those who joined us at the BDS 23rd Biennial Conference at Keele University from 9th to 12th September 2026. It was a fantastic event and it was great to see so many in the industry openly sharing their knowledge and experiences.

The full pdf of the proceedings is available through the conference app in ‘Useful Information’ and can also be downloaded from the conference pages on our website.

BDS Site Visits – Save the Dates

Further BDS site visits are being planned over the coming weeks. Further details and flyers will be available on the Events page of our website soon. Please note the following provisional dates:

Havant Thicket Reservoir, Portsmouth – 1st October, 10am
River Roding FDS, Essex (Visit 2) – 19th October, 12:30pm

Next Evening Event: Update on New Reservoirs from Water Companies

BDS is hosting an evening event on 16th November 2026, from 6pm to 7:30pm, at the Godfrey Mitchell Theatre, ICE, One Great George Street, London. The session will provide an update from water companies on proposed new reservoir developments and associated industry progress. Follow this link for more information.

Call for Papers – Dams and Reservoirs Journal

Dams and Reservoirs is your professional, peer-reviewed journal, and we are actively seeking submissions for upcoming issues.

We are sure you have an interesting project to share with fellow BDS members, perhaps a new development, an innovative technology, or lessons learned that could benefit others?

We look forward to hearing from you. Please contact the Editor, Andrew Pepper, at editor@britishdams.org or atpec@peppernet.org for more information and guidance on submissions.

ICOLD 2027 – Abstract Submission Now Open

Abstract submission is now open for the 95th ICOLD Annual Meeting, to be held in Daejeon, South Korea, from 21st to 28th May 2027.

Prospective authors are invited to submit abstracts addressing the symposium theme, “Dam Safety and Resilience in the Era of Climate Change,” including topics related to dam safety, climate adaptation, water resources and sustainable infrastructure.

The abstract submission deadline is 30th September 2026.

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