Latest News
Notice of Elections of New Members to the ICE Reservoirs Committee
Applications are requested for forthcoming vacancies on the Reservoirs Committee. From the October 2019 meeting the Committee will be appointing 1 Supervising Engineer and 2 All Reservoirs Panel Engineers to the Committee.
2019 BDS PRIZE - Young Persons Paper Competition - Now OpenThe BDS Prize Competition for young engineers is open to BDS members under 35 years of age on the date of the competition. The submitted paper (2,500 words) will be on a topic of dam engineering relating to the author's experience in reservoir research, design, construction, operation, maintenance or supervision. Participants must be able to demonstrate that they have undertaken a significant role, relative to their level of experience, in the project or topic. There must be only one author per paper. Further details on the flyer available here.
The next competition will take place on 18th November 2019 at the Institution of Civil Engineers where the following prizes will be contested. |
BDS Photography Competition – Requirements Update.The 2019 BDS photography competition will now be subjected to automatic picture/ file size validation checks as part of the submission process. The files will be checked to ensure the picture width is greater than 3000pixels and the file size is no larger than 6MB. We are advertising this procedure now so that you have a chance to check and adjust your camera settings, thus ensuring any photographs you take in the intervening period will be compliant for submission in the 2019 photography competition. Happy snapping!! |
EA Reservoir Safety Biennial Report: January 2017 to December 2018The EA have published their Biennial reservoir safety report for the period 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2018 which sets out actions the Environment Agency has taken in its role as the reservoir regulator.
The report is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reservoir-safety-biennial-report |
SEPA Guidance Documents For Completion Of Engineer Reports And Written Statements.SEPA, in consultation with members of the Scottish reservoirs industry, have recently produced two guidance documents regarding the completion of Schedule 12 - Inspection Reports and Schedule 15 – Supervising Engineer Written Statements. |
Incident Reporting At Scottish ReservoirsAlthough the reporting of incidents at reservoirs is still undertaken on a voluntary basis in Scotland, as the relevant section of the Reservoirs (Scotland) Act is yet to be commenced, it was recognised that it would be good practice to encourage reservoir managers to report any incidents occurring at their reservoir. |
2018 BDS Conference Proceedings – Discussions NotesThe 2018 BDS conference proceedings webpage has been updated to include the discussion notes for the six technical presentation sessions. |
BDS Mentoring SchemeThis BDS initiative is aimed at helping BDS Members of any age or discipline to achieve their goals within the dams and reservoirs profession. |
ICOLD 2019 - 11th ICOLD European Club SymposiumAbstracts for the Symposium can be submitted online until 15 January 2019. Additionally, a two-day International Seminar on ‘Flood Management, spillway design and public safety’ will be held before the Symposium. Details on the program, abstract submission and International Seminar are given on the website. |
ICOLD Workshop on Numerical Analysis of DamsThe ICOLD Technical Committee on “Computational Aspects of Analysis and Design of Dams” announces the organisation of the 15th Benchmark Workshop on Numerical Analysis of Dams that will be held in Milan on 9 to 11 September 2019. |
EA Interpretation On Timing Of Inspections Under The Reservoirs Act 1975 (England)The Environment Agency, as enforcement authority for England, has produced their interpretation of the required timing of service reservoir inspections and the 1st inspection after a section 8 inspection under the Reservoirs Act 1975 in England. |
The Reservoir Safety Advisory Group (RSAG) Has A New NameThe Reservoir Safety Advisory Group (RSAG) has a new name to better describe what the Group do – they are now called the Research Advisory Group for Reservoir Safety (RAGRS). |
Hydropower-Europe ProjectICOLD was successful in winning funds for this project with the aims to: (1) engage all relevant stakeholders; (2) address the challenges and prioritize needs (3) write and disseminate the research agenda and the technology road map up to 2050. |
Notice of Elections of New Members to the ICE Reservoirs CommitteeApplications are requested for a forthcoming vacancy on the Reservoirs Committee. From the October 2018 meeting the Committee will be appointing three Supervising Engineers to the Committee. |
New Environmental Permitting Guidance for Reservoir Operators Produced by the Environment AgencyThe Environment Agency, which regulates discharges from reservoir scour valves in England, has produced new environmental permitting guidance for reservoir operators. |
Reservoirs (Scotland) Act 2011 - New Guidance on Discontinuance and AbandonmentThe Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), who regulate reservoirs in Scotland under the Reservoirs (Scotland) Act 2011, has produced some new guidance on Discontinuance and Abandonment. |
ICOLD European Club Dam Legislation reportThe Working Group on Dam Legislation has re-issued this report following an update by the Netherlands. |
A Guide to Breach PredictionUnder the supervision of breach experts, Dr Mark Morris and Dr Mohamed Hassan, at HR Wallingford, a summer student from Surrey University undertook an independent review of the current state-of-breach models available across the world, and produced a ‘Dummies Guide’ type report on the different techniques that can be used to model a breach |
How Does the Reservoirs Committee Operate?The panel system of reservoir engineers was set up in its current form by the Reservoirs Act 1975. That Act required the Secretary of State to set up panels of appropriately qualified civil engineers to inspect and supervise reservoirs, appointed after consultation with the President of the Institution of Civil Engineers, or a committee set up for that purpose |