Northeast Regional Conference: Agenda


Northeast Regional Conference: Agenda

The Northeast Regional Conference will be held in Portland, Maine. All times listed below are Eastern time. 

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MONDAY • TUESDAY • WEDNESDAY • THURSDAY


MONDAY, MAY 22, 2023

12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Exhibitor Move In

12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Registration Open

12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Speaker Preview Room Open

1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Northeast Caucus Meeting

3:30 PM – 6:00 PM
FEMA Listening Session Recap • Learn More

TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2023

7:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Speaker Preview Room Open 

7:00 AM – 6:30 PM
Exhibit Hall Open

7:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Registration Open

7:00 AM – 8:30 AM
Continental Breakfast in the Exhibit Hall

8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Opening General Session
Welcome

Repairs to aging dams
Morris J Root P.E., Root Engineering

Unifying Past and Present: Lessons Learned and Future Outlooks from a Career in Dam Rehabilitation
Andrew R. Blystra, P.E. CPESC, and James Press, P.E., Aterra Solutions

10:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Break in the Exhibit Hall

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Concurrent Session 1

Rehabilitation of Woodward Pond Dam Upgrading a 112-year Old Dam to Modern Standards While Maintaining Historic Aesthetics
Paul Schweiger, Amanda Hess, and Chad Hoover, Gannett Fleming, Inc.; and Brent Rusnock, City of Keene

Remedy for Impaired Watershed  Involves Rain on Grid Hydraulic Model
Lissa Robinson, P.E., Marc Chmura, EIT, and Dan Pelletier, EI, GEI Consultants, Inc.

CFD modeling strategies for the analysis of the Garrison Dam spillway and flood control tunnel structures
John Wendelbo, MEng MSc, and Brian Fox MSc, P.E., Flow Science

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Concurrent Session 2

MacGyver Returns? A Collaborative Effort for Innovative Gate Construction at Murphy Dam
Phil Brogan, P.E., NH Department of Environmental Services 

Advances in Chemical Grouting Technology to address Large Volume Water Leakage in Concrete Dams, Powerhouses, Tunnels, etc., that Minimize Costs and Offer Guaranteed Solutions.
Tom Planert, P.E., Substrate Testing, Inc.

TBA

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Lunch On Your Own

1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Concurrent Session 3

Hydrostatic Pressure Testing of Principal Spillway Outlet Barrels - A New Construction Requirement in Vermont
Ben Green, P.E., Russell McGinnis, and Andrew Sampsell, State of Vermont

FEMA's CTA Program - A State Perspective
William S. Ashby, P.E.R., MD Department of the Environment - Dam Safety Division

N.J. Excessive Rainfall Notification Smartphone App
Clint Oman and Russell Ray, NJ Department of Environmental Protection - Bureau of Dam Safety

1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Concurrent Session 4

A systematic approach to system update
Don Lucas, P.M.P., LaBella Associates

The Role of Levee Inspection Data in Risk Screenings
Kimberly Lukas, P.E., CPESC, HDR, Inc.

Freeboard Increase to Comply with 44 CFR 65.10
Matthew W. Muzzy, P.E., and Brian D. Pierce, Sevee & Maher Engineers, Inc.

3:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Break in the Exhibit Hall

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Concurrent Session 5

Risk Informed Remediation Alternatives Analysis of a Masonry Gravity Dam
Nicholas Dempsey, P.E., Lee Mauney, P.E., Loring Crowley, P.E., and Bill Fiedler, P.E., HDR Engineering, Inc.

How a 2-dam Breach Model Leads to Spillway Design, Floodplain Revisions, Stream Daylighting, and Risk Informed Urban Re-development
Kevin J Ruswick, Schnabel Engineering; and Neil O'Connor, P.E., City of Albany, NY Water Department

Development of a Consistent Framework Risk Prioritization for 36 Unsafe, High Hazard Dams in Massachusetts
Amanda Barnett, E.I., Alex Gray, and Lissa Robinson, P.E., GEI Consultants; and David Ouellette, P.E., and William Salomaa, MA Department of Conservation & Recreation, Office of Dam Safety

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Concurrent Session 6

1.5 Million Feet of Timber - The History of the Timber Crib Dam and Hydroelectric Facility at Sewalls Falls
Corey Clark, P.E., NH Department of Environmental Services - Dam Bureau

Scenic - The history of the Winnipesaukee basin and the challenges of managing recreational assets in the shadow of industrial legacy.
Jonathan Findon-Henry, P.E., NH Department of Environmental Services

Bringing Life Back to a Massachusetts State Park, Starting with its Dams
Thomas Strike, P.E., and Timothy Blair, P.E., Weston & Sampson Engineers, Inc.

5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Reception in the Exhibit Hall

WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2023

7:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Speaker Preview Room Open 

7:30 AM – 3:30 PM
Exhibit Hall Open

7:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Registration Open

7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
Continental Breakfast in the Exhibit Hall

8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Concurrent Session 7

Dam Safety Reviews for License Applications of FERC-Regulated Hydropower Projects
Yilak Desta, P.E., Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Who's in Charge Around Here? A Unique Case in Transferring Regulatory Jurisdiction
John Dzialo, P.E., Gomez and Sullivan Engineers D.P.C.

Application of State and Regional Probable Maximum Precipitation studies for FERC regulated Projects
Devan Mahadevan, Ph.D., P.E., and Matthew Lehrer, P.E., Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Concurrent Session 8

Rawson Hill Dam:  Rcc Affordability of Small Projects, and Sustainability for the Future
Aaron Collins, Schnabel Engineering; and Joshua Gilman, P.E., Portland Cement Association

Second Time's the Charm - ACB Overtopping Protection Systems
Anthony Calzaretta, P.E., Christopher Adams, P.E., and Jessica Bergmann, P.E., GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc.

Waterbury Dam, Vermont, Spillway Bedrock Hydraulic Erodibility
Daniel A. Vellone, M.S., P.G., CPG, Tracy H. Dorgan, P.G., Erik W. Matthews, M.S., P.E., and Olivia P. Beaulieu, M.S., P.G., US Army Corps of Engineers

10:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Break in the Exhibit Hall

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Concurrent Session 9

Who Doesn't Own What?: Dam Rehabs When the Owner Doesn't Own the Property
James R Guistina, P.E., Bergmann Associates

Case Study: Massachusetts's Pilot Program to Address Abandoned Dams
Doug Gove, P.E., AECOM; and William Salomaa, MA Department of Conservation & Recreation

A Watershed Approach to Dam Safety - A Case Study of Dams in the Powhatan Creek Watershed in James City County, Virginia 
Christy Hill, P.E., and Scott Blossom, P.E., Blossom Consulting and Engineering, Inc.

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Concurrent Session 10

Canal Dike Seepage Remediation
Ben Cote, P.E., and Jared Deible, P.E., HDR; and Rich Murray, Sarah Larose, and Josh Wells, Holyoke Gas & Electric Department

A Mooseload of Piezometers: Investigation and Remediation of Seepage at Upper Dam
Gillian Williams, P.E., and Lee Wooten, P.E., GEI Consultants, Inc.; Chris Karam, P.E., Brookfield Renewable; and Steve Rabasca, P.E., Soil Metrics LLC

Geosynthetic Reinforcements in Dams and Levees
Steffen Krei, Dipl.Ing.(FH), Water & Soil Solutions

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Lunch

12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Dam Failures & Incidents Committee Meeting

1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Concurrent Session 11

Combining Dam Facility Functions - the Best Feature is No Feature Rehabilitation of Rawson Hill Dam
Paul Schweiger, Amanda Hess, and Scott Brough, Gannett Fleming, Inc.; and Deron Davis, USDA - NRCS

Easton and Hemlock Reservoir Design Consideration
Phat Phung, Aquarion Water Company; and Daniel Valentine, P.E., Tighe & Bond

This Goose Ain't Cooked Yet - Using New Technologies to Monitor and Rehabilitate Goose Pond Dam
Nathan Clymer, P.E., Gannett Fleming; and Corey J. Clark, P.E., NH Department of Environmental Services, Water Division, Dam Bureau

1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Concurrent Session 12

How Do You Even Do That Underwater? How to Utilize Mixed Underwater Services to Safely and Efficiently Collect Data Underwater at Dams
Marianna Fleming, EIT, ADCI, Matthew Daniels, P.E., ADCI, and Gabriel Paster, EIT, ADCI, Marine Solutions, Inc.

Condition Assessments of Dams Using Nondestructive Test Methods (NDT)
William Horne, P.E., NDT Corporation

The Role of Automated Monitoring Systems: how to avoid being data-rich and information-poor
Jeffrey Barrett, M.Sc.E., P.Eng., and Tony Simmonds, Geokon

3:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Break in the Exhibit Hall

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Concurrent Session 13

Efficient Dam Safety Portfolio Delivery Through Construction Manager at Risk Delivery Model
Chad Davis and Jared Deible, HDR

Sweet Vibrations - Use of Sonic Drilling Method to Install Post-Tensioned Anchors
Jason Poppe, P.E., and Christopher Adams, P.E., GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc.

Run-Of-River Dam Construction: A Team Approach to Navigating Changing Waters
James R Guistina, P.E., Bergmann Associates; and Caroline Wheadon, PMP, LaBella Associates

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Concurrent Session 14

Dam Decommissioning: Planning Ahead for What's Left Behind, a Tale of Two Reservoirs
Eric C. Neast, P.E., Gannett Fleming, Inc.

Dam Removal and Sediment Management in the Northeast
Geoffrey M. Goll, P.E., Paul Woodworth, CERP, and Jacob Dittes, P.E., Princeton Hydro, LLC

Impact of Dams on Harmful Algal Blooms and Lake Life Cycle Progression
Claire Brady, Bergmann / Colliers Engineering and Design

THURSDAY, MAY 25, 2023

8:00 AM – 8:30 AM 
Field Trip Check In

8:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Field Trip: Skelton Hydroelectric Project on the Saco River 
*Additional Registration is Required.