USACE-DFI Working Group on Seepage Control-Video

Video Transcription

Video Summary

Dave Paul traced the growth of U.S. dam safety programs after the 1976 Teton Dam failure, which prompted the 1979 National Dam Safety Act. The National Inventory of Dams lists about 90,500 dams, while federal agencies manage roughly 30,000. Seepage risks identified in Army Corps dams drove major cutoff-wall projects and closer collaboration with the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI). Paul highlighted projects including Navajo and Mud Mountain dams, Wolf Creek, Hoover Dike, and others, noting technical challenges and the importance of reducing risk without causing harm.<br /><br />Mary Ellen described DFI’s partnership with the Corps and other agencies, including three workshops focused on technology transfer, quality assurance, acceptance criteria, contracting, and specifications. The collaboration has also produced memoranda of understanding and topic-based guidance flyers intended to inform future specifications. Both speakers emphasized continued cooperation among agencies, engineers, and contractors to improve dam and levee safety.

Keywords

dam safety

National Dam Safety Act

seepage risk

cutoff walls

Deep Foundations Institute

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers