| May 2026 - BDS Newsletter |
05th May 2026 |
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In this issue:
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Our next evening technical meeting will be held on Monday 29th June 2026 and will be presented by United Utilities, the recent winners of the 2025 British Geotechnical Association’s Fleming Award. Further details on the event and how to register to attend in person, online, or at one of our regional hubs will be available soon on both the BDS and ICE Events pages. |
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The 23rd Biennial Conference will be held at Keele University between the 9th and 12th of September. We will welcome up to 300 delegates, offering excellent opportunities for organisations to showcase their services and products.
Sponsorship packages are currently being developed, including options such as delegate bags, the formal dinner, Young Professionals’ event, and technical sessions. Exhibitors will benefit from dedicated space and a networking-focused Exhibitor’s Evening.
We would like those who are interested to get in touch so we will have a better understanding of demand and can make arrangements at the venue and in the programme. Follow this link for more information and details of how to register your interest. |
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We’d love your help with a short, anonymous Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) survey for British Dam Society members. As this is the first time we’re collecting this information, your response will help us establish a baseline and understand how the Society is progressing over time. The survey takes around 2 minutes, and all responses are confidential and reported only in aggregated form. Please click the link to take part—every response really does count.
British Dam Society EDI Survey – Fill in form |
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We hope that you received the BDS Yearbook 2025 just before Christmas. If not, you can find it (and all previous Yearbooks) here.
We are already starting to think about content for the 2026 Yearbook and so we would appreciate your feedback, such as:
- What do you like about the Yearbook?
- What don’t you like?
- What else you would like to see in the Yearbook?
- Can you offer any articles or other content?
Please send your thoughts and offers to editor@britishdams.org. |
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Stay up to date with the latest news, technical developments, and collaborative initiatives in EURCOLD Newsletter No. 3 (2025), available via this link. |
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Dams and Reservoirs Day 2026 is an annual initiative established by EURCOLD (the European Club of the International Commission on Large Dams) and held each May.
The third celebration will be held on 24th May 2026, with active participation from EURCOLD member countries. The theme for this year is “Securing Water Resilience for Europe.”
For more information on this year’s initiative, please refer to this link. The BDS will be support events with a number of articles on reservoirs in the UK being released in the week running up to 24th May. |
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Deltares, Rijkswaterstaat, and TU Delft invite participants to the EWG-IE and EWG-OOE meetings in Delft, Netherlands, from 22 to 26 June 2026.
The meetings will focus on sharing the latest knowledge on internal erosion and overtopping of hydraulic structures and are aimed at professionals involved in dam design, safety, and research.
For more information refer to this flyer. |
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The 13th EurCOLD Symposium will take place in Bydgoszcz (Poland), from 21st to 25th September 2026.The Symposium will address a wide range of current challenges faced by dams across Europe. Registration is now open. Further details are available on the symposium website [https://www.ecs2026.pl/].
The Symposium will also celebrate the 100th anniversary of the French Committee, featuring a special session curated by CFBR. |
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ICOLD 2026, which will take place in Mexico from 21–29 May 2026. Researchers, practitioners, and industry experts involved in all areas of dam engineering, including water dams and tailings dams, are invited to register.
This event offers an excellent opportunity to contribute to the international exchange of knowledge and innovation in dam engineering, tailings, and water resources management. For full details, please visit the conference website link.
The BDS is compiling a list of UK attendees so we can communicate during the event. If you have registered, please let darren.shaw@arup.com know the best email address and phone number to use to contact you before and during the conference. |
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The International Commission on Large Dams Technical Committee Y (TC Y) has initiated the development of a new series of bulletins addressing climate change, with a focus on both adaptation and mitigation strategies for dams and reservoir systems.
The objective is to deliver practical, application-oriented guidance that directly reflects the challenges and priorities of the ICOLD community. To achieve this, your input is critical.
It would be appreciated if you could take a few minutes to share the key challenges you are currently facing in relation to climate risk, dams, and reservoir systems. Your feedback will directly inform the prioritisation of topics and the development of the forthcoming bulletins.
Take the survey |
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The latest newsletter from the International Commission on Large Dams is now available, featuring 44 pages of updates from across the global dams community.
This edition covers key developments in dam safety, sustainability, and major international initiatives.
Access ICOLD Newsletter 25 via this link. |
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