August SEI/Branch Luncheon: California Dam Safety Program

The Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD) was created in 1929 following one of California’s worst catastrophes – the failure of the 2-year old Saint Francis Dam. DSOD now provides regulatory oversight of more than 1,250 dams in the state of California and ensures dam safety by review and approval of dam designs, independent analyses, overseeing construction, and periodic field inspections. This presentation will provide a broad overview of the creation of DSOD, the responsibilities of DSOD, and recent changes to the Division followed by a case study of a dam project.