Latest News
ICE Event
Complex reservoir remediation projects in North Wales: contractor’s perspective
On the 17th April a webinar organised by the ICE will be given on the complex construction challenges faced by Contractors. This presentation will cover four different reservoir projects undertaken in Wales. More information on the event can be found here.
Dolgarrog centenary commemorations – a call for helpThis November marks the centenary of the flooding of Dolgarrog in North Wales caused by the failure of two reservoir dams. Sixteen people died that night: six children and ten adults. This event was a significant prompt for the introduction of legislation to demand minimum standards needed to protect people from dam failure. This is a call for BDS members to help support a variety of planned commemoration events. If you would like to help, please get in touch with bds@ice.org.uk. |
Improving Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) and Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) estimation for reservoir safetyThe Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Research and Development Programme published a report for FRS19222 Improving Probable Maximum Precipitation and Probable Maximum Flood for Reservoir Safety on GOV.UK here.
The research reviewed the methods used to estimate probable maximum rainfall and flows for reservoir safety. The report describes the first phase of a project that aims to assess the suitability of methods for estimating PMP and PMF. Accompanying the report, is a spreadsheet tool that applies the current PMP and PMF methods, including calculating snowmelt. |
ICOLD28th ICOLD Congress and 93rd Annual Meeting - Chengdu, China, 15th to 23rd May 2025The 28th ICOLD Congress and 93rd is fast approaching. This promises to be a very interesting event, particularly bearing in mind some of the impressive dams that have and are currently being constructed in China. For all those attending could they let the BDS know, that way we can reach out and make sure everyone is invited to any BDS gatherings whilst we are there. BDS Young Professional Bursaries for this years ICOLD Congress and MeetingThe BDS would like to encourage as many of its members to attend this event as possible. Full details of the event can be found on the event website: The 28th ICOLD Congress and 93rd Annual Meeting To facilitate the attendance of BDS Young Professionals at this event the BDS is delighted to be able to once again offer five bursaries of £1,000 each (subject to the terms and conditions). A separate email has been sent to all YP members and applications are to be received by 14th March 2025. If you have not received the email and are interested in applying, please contact BDS here. Bulletin UpdatesThe bulletins approved in New Delhi (Bulletin 199 to Bulletin 206) have been put in ‘preprint’ version on the website (in the Publication section). To download these bulletins, please go to the publication page of the ICOLD website here https://www.icold-cigb.org/GB/publications/bulletins.asp ICOLD Newsletter
Please follow this link to the latest ICOLD newsletter, this document contains lots of useful information including an introduction to the ICOLD Congress in China. |
Skelmorlie centenary commemorations – BDS supports a memorial18th April is the centenary of the flooding of Skemorlie in Scotland due to the failure of a reservoir. It resulted in the deaths of five people within the village. The BDS has been supporting the local committee with preparations for the commemorations. We have sponsored a memorial to the event which will be displayed in the community. We would like to offer our thanks to Martin Deane of Mott MacDonald who presented to the community in March on reservoir disasters, legislation, and current work on reservoirs. We would also like to thank Stephen Lockett of Mott MacDonald for offering to represent the BDS at the event on 18th April. |
BDS AnnouncementsAGM & Evening MeetingThe next AGM and Evening Meeting will be held on 28th April in person at One Great George Street. It will also be streamed online, as well as the regional hubs. More information on the event can be found here. Next Supervising Engineers Forum – Call for PresentationsThe next Supervising Engineers Forum will be held at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham on Thursday 18th September 2025. We are now calling for presentations, with a closing date for submissions of Friday 16th May 2025. Additional information including the topics to be covered can be found here. Site VisitsThe site visit to observe the works being undertaken at Toddbrook Reservoir took place on the 26th March 2025. Thanks to all those that attended. Hopefully you found it both informative and interesting. |
BDS Young ProfessionalsCPD EventThe dates of up-and-coming YP CPD events can now be found on the BDS website here. The next event shall be on the 24th April 2025. The topic will be ‘Hydraulics 101’. |
31st European Working Group on Internal Erosion and 6th on Overtopping and ErosionThe 31st EWG on IE and the 6th EWG on OOE will be taking place at the University of Brno between 23rd and 28th June 2025. More information can be found here. |
Earthworks 2025The Earthworks Conference 2025 is being held at the University of Birmingham between the 16th and 17th September 2025. More information can be found here |
The ‘International Handbook on Emergency Management for Flood Defences’Internal collaboration between Rijkswaterstaat in the Netherlands, the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the Environment Agency, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) in Japan, and others has resulted in a new manual called the International Handbook on Emergency Management for Flood Defences, which has some useful information that is also applicable to dams. A link to the handbook can be found here. |
EA Reservoir safety post-incident annual reportsThe EA has released the Post Incident reporting for reservoirs 2023. The report can be found here. |
Upcoming EventsAt One Great George Street on the 18th November Julian Welbank (SE), Dominic Molyneux (ARPE), Chris Scott (ARPE) will be presenting discussion papers on: The Changing Role of the Supervising Engineer; The Construction Engineer and Panel of Specialists; and Quality and Safety of Reservoirs. More information can be found here. |
Earthworks 2025The Earthworks Conference 2025 is being held at the University of Birmingham between the 16th and 17th September 2025. Abstract submission is now open, with a variety of themes available for discussion, more information can be found here. |
Hydro 2024Hydro 2024 is being held in Graz, Austria between the 18th and 20th November 2024. With a growing number of pumped hydro schemes being developed and gaining headlines in the UK, this could be of interest to those involved or wishing to learn more. Further details can be found here. |
Association of Sate Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO)The ASDSO has a series of webinars that can be either streamed and watched live or can be watched on demand. These webinars cover a variety of different dam engineering topics and can be very useful. One of their recent webinars was on ‘Tools for Designing and Assessing Spillways’. More information can be found here. |
Reservoir Safety Reform Programme - Update on the dissemination event for the Hazard Classification development projectAn online dissemination event is being planned for early 2025 as part of Defra and the Environment Agency's Reservoir Safety Reform Programme. This follows on from Darren Shaw’s presentation and paper at the BDS conference about the project development. The session will give more insight into the proposals for a new hazard classification and safety management system for England and Wales. The date and time of the event will be confirmed in due course. |
28th ICOLD Congress and 93rd Annual Meeting - Chengdu, China, 15th to 23rd May 2025Chengdu 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 are currently being constructed in China. More details can be found here. |
British Dam Society - 22nd Biennial Conference - SOLD OUTThank you to those who have registered for the BDS conference. We can confirm that we have about 300 delegates signed up to the event, inclusive of 17 exhibitors. Thank you to our confirmed Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze sponsors for committing to support the event.
Main delegate tickets SOLD OUT prior to the closure of ticket sales. |
British Dam Society 2024 Conference - LAST CHANCE TO REGISTERThe British Dam Society 22nd Biennial Conference will be held at the University of Keele (Chancellors Building) from Wednesday 11th until Saturday 14th September 2024. Registration for this event will close on Sunday 28th July 2024 (midnight). Currently more than 260 delegates and 16 exhibitors are confirmed to be attending. As of writing, there are fewer than 30 tickets remaining.
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British Dam Society 2024 Conference - FINAL WEEK OF REGISTRATIONThe British Dam Society 22nd Biennial Conference will be held at the University of Keele (Chancellors Building) from Wednesday 11th until Saturday 14th September 2024. Registration for this event is now open and will close on Sunday 28th July 2024 (midnight). Register now to secure your spot. Currently more than 180 delegates and 15 exhibitors are confirmed to be attending.
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British Dam Society 2024 Conference – 2 Weeks left to registerThe British Dam Society 22nd Biennial Conference will be held at the University of Keele (Chancellors Building) from Wednesday 11th until Saturday 14th September 2024. Registration for this event is now open and will close on Sunday 28th July 2024 (midnight).
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Forthcoming BDS EventsService 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, 2024The 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. |
30th European Working Group (EWG) on Internal Erosion & 5th EWG on Overflow and Overtopping ErosionThe 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. |
ICOLD 2026 Annual Meeting – Change in host CountyGiven 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. |
7th European Working Group (EWG) on Dams and EarthquakesThe 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. |
BDS Conference 2024 - Registration Now OpenThe British Dam Society 22nd Biennial Conference will be held at the University of Keele (Chancellors Building) from Wednesday 11th until Saturday 14th September 2024. Registration for this event is now open and will close on Sunday 28th July 2024 (midnight).
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Dam Day – Reservoirs for EuropeThe ICOLD European Club (EurCOLD) has announced that the inaugural European Dam Day will be held on 29th May 2024. The aims of the day include raising public awareness about dams, promoting careers in the industry to students and young professionals, and encouraging networking between those in the profession. Events organised by national committees will be held across Europe. The BDS will be supporting the event with a social media campaign over that week. We encourage the membership to engage with the posts and spread the information across their networks. |
EurCOLD NewsletterThe annual ICOLD European Club newsletter has just been published. It includes summaries of activities undertaken last year, including the 91st ICOLD meeting in Gothenburg, news from different national committees and activities ahead in 2024. More information can be found under the following link. |
Independent Reservoir ReviewThe Environment Agency has published new guidance for inspecting engineers relating to the inspection of high risk reservoirs, which can be accessed here. This update reflects the recommendations made in the Independent Reservoir Safety Review. The Environment Agency has worked with the ICE Panel Engineers Committee and consulted the wider engineering community. |
ICOLD Innovation Awards 2025The International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) confers the International ICOLD Innovation Awards for innovative scientific and technical contributions, in the field of dams and reservoirs with special focus on their role in sustainable water resources management under consideration of environmental constraints. More information and details on how to apply can be found here. |
BRITISH DAM SOCIETY 22nd BIENNIAL CONFERENCEAt the 2024 conference the BDS wishes to reflect on how in recent years the industry has refocused to better understanding the risks associated with our dams and reservoirs and also try to understand the impacts climate change will have on the industry in future. Papers are invited to cover examples of and developments in the following topics:
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Landscape-led Design Principles and Guidance for New Reservoirs and Associated InfrastructureThe National Framework for Water Resources published by the Environment Agency in 2020, and the more recent regional water resource plans and water company Water Resource Management Plans consulted on in 2023 include the development of new water resources including over 10 new reservoirs over the next 25 years. |
International Symposium on Dams and EarthquakesThe 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. |
The BDS Prize Competition ResultsThe results of the BDS prize competition were announced on the 20th November 2023. Thank you to our finalists Daniel Morris- Stantec, Thomas Rigby – United Utilities, Emily Hale – Mott Macdonald, Veronika Martin- Arup, Matt Craig – Mott Macdonald, who presented their papers with great confidence and answered many questions from the audience on the night.
Thank you to all those who entered; the BDS has been impressed by the high standard of entries this year. |
New Ciria Guidance DocumentCIRIA has released a new guidance document entitled ‘Siphons in dams – design, installation, operation, management and testing (C813)’ a link to more information can be found here. |
CIWEM Webinar - Global engineering response to the Kakhovka Dam breach failure in UkraineCIWEM are hosting an online webinar about the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam on 3rd October 2023. Information about the event can be accessed here. This lunchtime webinar is produced in collaboration with the CIWEM Rivers & Coastal group, the CIWEM Welsh Branch, and Arcadis. The panellists will discuss the global engineering response to the 2023 breach of the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine. |
Post-incident reporting for ReservoirsThe Environment Agency has published its annual post-incident report on reservoir safety incidents in England. Six incidents are included in the report, which can be found here. |
The 9th International Symposium on Roller Compacted Concrete Dams and Cemented Material DamsThe 9th International Symposium on Roller Compacted Concrete Dams and Cemented Material Dams will be held from 4th to 8th December 2023, in Guangzhou City, China. It is co-organized by the JCOLD, SPANCOLD, CFBR and CHINCOLD. Symposium information can be found by visiting the event website. |
Forthcoming BDS EventsTechnical Meetings
Site Visits |
Reservoir Safety Reform Programme Information PageThe Environment Agency are currently developing the Reservoir Safety Reform Programme in response to the recommendations set out in the Independent Reservoir Safety Review Report by Professor Balmforth. A dedicated website has been launched that provides updates on programme progress, to find out more about this, a link to the website can be found here. |
Supervising Engineers Forum 2023 - Registration Closes TodayToday is the final day of registration for the Supervising Engineers' Forum, which will take place on the 7th September 2023. |
Supervising Engineers' Forum 2023 – Registration Deadline TodayThe 2023 Supervising Engineers' Forum will be held on Thursday 7th September 2023. Registration for the event is open. Further details including how to register can be found here. |
Supervising Engineers Forum 2023 - Registration Now OpenRegistration for the Supervising Engineers’ Forum is now open. We are pleased to inform you that the forum will be an in-person event at the National Conference Centre Birmingham on Thursday 7th September 2023. Registration to this event can be completed on the SE Forum page of the BDS website.
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Forthcoming ICE EventsThe ICE will host an online presentation about the Teton dam failure on 23rd May 2023 at 6pm. More information about this event is available at https://www.ice.org.uk/events/latest-events/teton-dam-failure-1976. |
2023 BDS Photography CompetitionThe 2023 Photography Competition is now open. Entries will close on the 25th August 2023. The prizes will be awarded at the SE Forum on the 7th September 2023. Information about the competition can be found here. BDS members will be able to access the competition upload portal via the Members Area on the website. |
Reservoir Safety Reform Programme Update (England)An update on progress with the Reform Programme was published by Defra and the Environmental Agency on 6th April. The update can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/defra-and-the-environment-agency-reservoir-safety-reform-programme-update |
New Guidance Notes Issued by the Environment Agency’s National Reservoir Safety Team - EnglandThe Environment Agency’s National Reservoir Safety Team (NRST) has issued guidance notes to engineers and undertakers of registered high risk, large raised reservoirs in England. The NRST will be reviewing non-compliances of Section 11 and 10(5A) of the Reservoirs Act 1975 (‘the Act’) against its enforcement and prosecution policy, after seeking further information from the undertaker. Enforcement responses may range from advice and guidance, formal warning or prosecution. These offences will be recorded in the Reservoir Safety Compliance report, which will be published annually from 2024. |
Fixed Monetary Penalties for Reservoir Managers – ScotlandThe Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) have added more offences that can result in Fixed Monetary Penalties (FMP’s) of between £300 and £1,000 to reservoir managers who fail to meet their statutory duties. |
BDS BibliographyThe BDS bibliography of British Dams has recently been updated by Paul Tedd to include relevant papers published in the proceedings of the 2022 BDS Conference, and in recent issues of Dams and Reservoirs. The latest version can be found here. |
ICOLD 2024 – New Delhi, India – Call for AbstractsThe 92nd Annual Meeting of ICOLD & Symposium Dams for People, Water, Environment and Development is to be held from September 29th to October 3rd, 2024 in New Delhi. The call for abstracts has now been released with a deadline of 31st December 2023. Full details are available on the event website: https://www.icold2024.org/#/home |
ICOLD 2023 – Gothenberg, SwedenRegistration is still open for the 91st ICOLD Annual Meeting to be held in Gothenberg, Sweden from 11th to 15th June 2023. The BDS would like to encourage as many of its members to attend this event as possible given its European location. A full programme of events and details for registration are on the event website. Early Bird registration rates are available until 27th March 2023. |
ICOLD Technical Committee D – Concrete DamsExperience of RCC dam design or construction? The BDS is looking for succession for the current long-standing member of the committee. Please contact David Neeve (david.neeve@arup.com) or Andrew Thompson (andrew.thompson2@uuplc.co.uk) to express your interest. |
28th Annual European Working Group on Internal Erosion – Abstracts publishedThe University of Sheffield hosted the 28th annual European Working Group on Internal Erosion from 18th to 21st July 2022. The abstracts from the meeting have now been published and are available to download here. |
Choice of Technical Questions for the 28th ICOLD Congress (2025)ICOLD have requested proposals for questions for the 2025 Congress in Chengdu, China. Please forward any suggestions to David Neeve (david.neeve@arup.com) by Friday 10th February 2023. The BDS Committee will compile and submit up to eight questions to the ICOLD organising committee. Further details and a list of previous questions are available on the ICOLD website here. |
Nominations for BDS Young Professionals (YP) Steering GroupThe BDS Young Professionals (YP) Group comprises all the under-35 members of the British Dam Society (BDS). It exists to facilitate professional development opportunities for young professionals, technicians and students working in the industry. |
BDS Prize Competition (Young Professionals’ Papers) – Entries now openThe BDS Prize Competition for young professionals is open to BDS members under 35 years of age. The next competition will take place on 20th November 2023 at the Institution of Civil Engineers. |
Nominations for BDS Committee MembersInvitations to stand for election onto the BDS Committee as an elected member for 2023 to 2026 are currently open. There are currently two posts available on the BDS Committee to commence immediately after the AGM in April 2023. |
Supervising Engineers' Forum 2023 – Call for PresentationsThe 2023 Supervising Engineers' Forum now has a confirmed date of Thursday 7th September 2023. We would like to invite the submission of synopses outlining the content for presentation by Friday 7th July 2023. We anticipate that registration for the forum will open in early July. Further details on the forum and the anticipated topic areas are available here. |
Announcement of BDS Chair and Vice Chair for 2023-25We are delighted to announce the new BDS Chair and Vice Chair appointments. Following our AGM on 24th April 2023, Rachel Davies of Binnies will become Chair. Dr Darren Shaw of Arup will take on the role of Vice Chair. The appointments will last for two years. We wish them every success. |
Supervising Engineers Forum 2023 – Save the DateThe 2023 Supervising Engineer Forum now has a confirmed date of Thursday 7th September 2023. The forum will return to The National Conference Centre in Birmingham (adjacent to the National Motorcycle Museum, Solihull). Further details regarding the event including a call for papers and registration links will be issued in due course. |
NRW Charging Scheme ConsultationThe charging scheme in Wales has been in place since 2017 and is currently open to public consultation on some of the changes proposed to the registration and notification fees. Whilst this predominantly affects undertakers in Wales, BDS members may also wish to contribute: Consultation on our regulatory fees and charges for 2023/2024. |
Online Survey about Flood Hydrology MethodsThe Environment Agency is conducting research to better understand how open methods could be adopted for operational flood hydrology. This includes both flood estimation for design / planning and flood forecasting. The project covers flooding from rivers, surface water, groundwater and reservoirs. The project is seeking to identify the benefits, risks and requirements for moving towards approaches that use open methods. |
21st Biennial ConferenceLast week saw 280 attendees and 12 exhibitors at our 21st Biennial conference held in Nottingham. It had been four years since the last conference in Swansea and it was fantastic to see the reservoir safety community back together again. Over the three and a half days there were 24 technical presentations, 4 site visits, 16 workshops and a packed evening social programme including the new exhibitor reception, YP Quiz and a fantastic the Geoffrey Binnie lecture by Tim Hill. |
Forthcoming BDS Evening EventsThe next evening event on the forthcoming CIRIA guide covering ‘Design, installation, operation, management and testing of siphons in dams’ will be held on Monday 3rd October 2022. This event will be held at the ICE Building at One Great George Street as well as streamed live. |
BDS Photography Competition 2022The 2022 British Dam Society Photography competition is now open. This is your chance to have your photograph published in the Dams and Reservoirs Journal, BDS Yearbook and featured on the BDS website. There are also cash prizes to be won, with a 1st prize of £200, 2nd prize of £100 and 3rd prize of £50. The competition is open to members of the BDS, ICE, Engineering Students and all staff of Corporate BDS members. Photographers are entitled to submit two photographs. |
ICOLD 2023 – Gothenburg – Abstract DeadlineThe 91st ICOLD Annual Meeting will be held in Gothenburg, Sweden between 11th and 15th June 2023. Abstracts for the meeting should be submitted to ICOLD by 16th October 2022. Details of the event, topics and abstract requirements can be found on the ICOLD-CIGB 2023 website |
BDS Photography Competition 2022 - Now OpenThe 2022 British Dam Society Photography competition is now open. This is your chance to have your photograph published in the Dams and Reservoirs Journal, BDS Yearbook and featured on the BDS website. There are also cash prizes to be won, with a 1st prize of £200, 2nd prize of £100 and 3rd prize of £50. |
BDS Conference - Registration now closedRegistration for the British Dam Society conference has now closed. 280 delegates and 12 exhibitors have registered for the event at the University of Nottingham between 14th and 17th September 2022. If you have any queries regarding this event please contact BDSconference@britishdams.org. We look forward to seeing you there. |
EA Publish new Spillway Guidance DocumentsThe reservoir research and associated guidance documents relating to the Toddbrook Incident Review (Balmforth - Part A) 2019 report will be published on Monday 27 June. This will mean that all Part A recommendations are now complete. |
National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) StrategyThe Environment Agency has published its Roadmap for the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) Strategy for England. A copy can be found here. |
ICOLD European Club Symposium 2023The next meeting of the European Club of ICOLD will be from 5th to 8th September 2023 in Interlaken, Switzerland. Full details are available on the event website (https://www.ecsymposium2023.ch/en). The deadline for submission of abstracts to the organising committee is 30th September 2022. |
ICOLD Annual Meeting 2023The next ICOLD annual meeting will be held in Gothenburg, Sweden between 11th and 15th June 2023. Full details are available on the event website (https://icold-cigb2023.se/). The deadline for submission of abstracts to the organising committee is 16th October 2023. |
European Working Group on Internal ErosionThe 28th Annual Meeting of the European Working Group on Internal Erosion (EWG‐IE) will be held at the University of Sheffield from 18th to 21st July 2022. Following the EWG-IE-27 in Vancouver in June 2019, the Sheffield meeting will provide a forum for sharing novel ideas and recent advances on topics related to internal erosion through water-retaining structures, such as embankment dams, levees and dikes, and in their foundations. Researchers, scientists and engineers, from the private and public sector, in Europe and elsewhere, are welcome. |