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.
BDS 14th Supervising Engineers' Forum - Call For PresentationsThe BDS 14th Supervising Engineers' Forum will be held at the National Conference Centre (formerly known as the National Motorcycle Museum) in Solihull, near Birmingham, West Midlands, B92 0EJ on Thursday 12th September 2019. The Forum will comprise four sessions including an Open Forum discussion. The presentation topics are as follows, with a particular emphasis on the direct impact on, or experiences of, Supervising Engineers: 1) Application of Legislation and use of Recent Guides, 2) Assessment, Monitoring, Maintenance and Repairs, 3) Incidents and lessons learned, 4) The Panel Application Process, first time and re-appointments. Synopses for presentations are requested relating to one of the above mentioned themes. Alternatively, the final presentation may be submitted, if this is available. |
A New Flood Hydrology Road Map for the UKThe Environment Agency are seeking views on the future direction of flood hydrology research and would like your views on the draft material. Further details available here.
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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. |
ICOLD Technical Reports For ReviewSeveral draft bulletins are currently being reviewed prior to finalisation and approval at this year’s ICOLD Annual Meeting. |
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 registration is now open!Registration for ICOLD 2019 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada is now open. |
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. |
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. |
Tailings Dam - Technology UpdateA paper “Tailings Dam Design - Technology Update” has been submitted by the ICOLD Technical Committee for Tailings Dams & Waste Lagoons. |
ICOLD Circular Letter, Request for Technical Questions ProposalsICOLD has requested proposals for technical questions for the 27th Congress in 2021. Proposed topics should meet the present concerns. Further details can be found here. Please send any proposed questions to HonTechSec@britishdams.org by 21 December 2018. |
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!! |
BDS Conference 2020 - We Need Your HelpWe are looking for volunteers interested in assisting with the organisation of the next conference, Additionally, We are looking for proposals for a suitable venue. |
BDS Dissertation Prize 2018In 2018 the British Dam Society will run its inaugural dissertation prize competition. This competition aims to capture, publicize and recognize some of the excellent ongoing research into dams by undergraduate and taught post-graduate students based in the UK.
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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. |
ICID request for nominations to join Working GroupsThe International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) has advised that they are setting up two new approved Working Groups and proposing three others. |
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. |
Water Power & Dam Construction - A Work Place for Women - Article by BDS ChairThe current BDS Chair, Tracey Williamson, was interviewed by Water Power & Dam Construction and talks about being the first female BDS Chair and the importance of promoting women in Dam Engineering |
Research on Flood HydrologyThe Environment Agency has advised that they are going to develop a ‘Flood Hydrology Road Map’ to set out a future vision for flood hydrology and a plan to deliver it across both forecasting and long-term flood risk, which will cover reservoir flood hydrology. |
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 |