Dam Safety Society is the professional organization that believes safety-critical information must be free and accessible to all. Free training. Free resources. Free community. $100/year membership supports the mission - not access.
The dam safety industry has a gatekeeping problem. Professional organizations charge hundreds or thousands of dollars for memberships, lock technical guidelines behind paywalls, and price conferences out of reach for the engineers and dam owners who need them most.
Dam Safety Society exists to fix this. We believe that every dam owner, engineer, regulator, and community member deserves free access to the knowledge that keeps dams safe and communities protected.
Our $100/year membership supports operations, virtual conferences, and community development. But everything we produce is free to the public - every training course, every technical resource, every conference recording. No exceptions.
Individual membership: $250-$500+/yr
Conference registration: $800-$1,500+
Technical publications: Members only
Training webinars: $50-$200 each
Dam failure lessons: Paywalled
Membership: $100/yr
Virtual conferences: Free
Technical publications: Free to all
Training courses: Free to all
Everything: No paywall
Your $100/year membership funds operations, infrastructure, and community programs. It does not unlock content - all content is already free to everyone.
One tier. One price. No corporate premiums. No student discounts needed because it's already affordable for everyone.
Running a professional society has real costs - hosting virtual conferences, maintaining educational platforms, developing technical resources, and supporting the community infrastructure that makes this all possible.
Your $100/year covers these operational costs and signals your commitment to open dam safety. But we will never use it as a key to lock content away from people who need it.
Virtual-first conferences with discipline-specific breakout sessions, keynotes, and panel discussions. No travel costs. No registration fees. Recordings available to all.
Industry leaders share insights on the biggest challenges and innovations in dam safety. Live Q&A with speakers. Open to everyone.
Live + RecordedDeep-dive sessions organized by technical discipline. Collaborate with peers in your specialty area. Interactive discussions and knowledge exchange.
Member ParticipationPeer-reviewed technical papers and case studies presented by practicing engineers. Submit your own work for presentation.
Open SubmissionsHands-on virtual workshops covering practical dam safety skills - from HEC-RAS modeling to instrumentation design to risk assessment methodologies.
Free to AllSessions specifically designed for dam owners and operators. Practical guidance on inspections, maintenance, emergency planning, and regulatory compliance.
Non-TechnicalDedicated sessions for early-career engineers and students. Mentorship matching, career guidance, and a supportive community to launch your dam safety career.
Students WelcomeSelf-paced courses, live webinars, and technical seminars - all free to every engineer, dam owner, regulator, and student. No account required. No paywall. Ever.
Comprehensive introduction to dam types, failure modes, inspection techniques, and safety principles. Perfect for new engineers and dam owners.
Free Self-Paced CourseLearn systematic dam inspection techniques, visual assessment protocols, and how to identify signs of distress in embankment and concrete dams.
Free Self-Paced CourseUnderstanding seepage through earth dams, filter design, instrumentation for seepage monitoring, and identifying internal erosion indicators.
Free Self-Paced CourseDeveloping, maintaining, and exercising Emergency Action Plans. Notification procedures, inundation mapping, and coordination with emergency management.
Free Self-Paced CourseIntroduction to risk-informed dam safety, probability of failure estimation, consequence assessment, and risk reduction strategies for dam portfolios.
Free Self-Paced CoursePiezometers, inclinometers, settlement monuments, seepage weirs, and modern IoT sensors. Selection, installation, data interpretation, and alarm thresholds.
Free Self-Paced CoursePractical HEC-RAS training for dam breach analysis, inundation mapping, and flood routing. From model setup to results interpretation.
Free Self-Paced CourseSlope stability fundamentals for embankment dams, including steady-state seepage, rapid drawdown, seismic loading, and GeoStudio workflows.
Free Self-Paced CourseTechnical guidelines, failure databases, state program directories, and career opportunities - everything a dam safety professional needs, free and accessible.
Peer-reviewed guidelines and white papers covering every aspect of dam safety engineering. Developed by practicing professionals, free to download.
Comprehensive database of dam incidents and failures with case studies, root cause analyses, and lessons learned. Searchable by failure mode, dam type, and location.
Interactive map of all 50 state dam safety programs with contacts, regulations, and resources. Find your state regulator and understand your obligations.
Plain-language guides for dam owners covering inspections, maintenance, emergency planning, regulatory compliance, and hiring qualified engineers.
Dam safety job postings from federal agencies, state programs, consultancies, and utilities. Free to post and free to browse. Build the next generation.
Wiki-style knowledge base covering dam safety concepts, calculations, standards references, and practical tools. Community-maintained and continuously growing.
Open-participation technical committees that develop guidelines, share knowledge, and advance the practice. Members can join any committee and contribute immediately.
Flood routing, spillway adequacy, PMF estimation, and climate adaptation
Join Committee →Seismic hazard analysis, liquefaction assessment, and earthquake-resistant design
Join Committee →Sensors, data acquisition, IoT systems, remote monitoring, and performance interpretation
Join Committee →Risk-informed decision making, PFMA, consequence analysis, and tolerable risk guidelines
Join Committee →EAP development, exercises, inundation mapping, and emergency response coordination
Join Committee →Mine tailings storage, global standards, dewatering, and closure engineering
Join Committee →Geological characterization, grouting, seepage control, and foundation treatment
Join Committee →Dam modification, spillway upgrades, remediation techniques, and QA/QC
Join Committee →Federal and state dam safety programs, regulatory best practices, and model legislation
Join Committee →Environmental impact, fish passage, dam removal, and sustainable water management
Join Committee →Levee design, assessment, flood risk management, and USACE levee safety program
Join Committee →Public safety around dams, signage, communication, and community outreach
Join Committee →Machine learning, remote sensing, digital twins, and technology-driven dam safety innovation
Join Committee →Mentorship, career development, networking, and engaging the next generation of dam safety engineers
Join Committee →America's dams are aging. The average dam in the US is over 60 years old, and the backlog of needed repairs exceeds $165 billion. Dam Safety Society advocates for the funding, policy, and technology adoption needed to address this crisis.
Our advocacy priorities:
Your voice matters. Contact your elected officials and advocate for dam safety funding. We provide talking points, fact sheets, and coordination for legislative outreach.
Contact Advocacy TeamEvery dam failure teaches critical lessons. Understanding what went wrong is essential to preventing future disasters. These cases are why we believe safety knowledge must be free.
The main spillway of the tallest dam in the US suffered a massive erosion failure, followed by erosion of the emergency spillway. Nearly 190,000 people were evacuated downstream. The incident exposed decades of deferred maintenance and inadequate risk assessment.
Spillway Erosion • Emergency Spillway FailureTwo dams failed in succession during heavy rainfall, flooding the cities of Midland and Sanford. Over 10,000 residents were evacuated. The failures highlighted the dangers of aging privately-owned dams and regulatory gaps in dam safety oversight.
Overtopping • Cascading FailureA tailings dam at a mining operation collapsed without warning, releasing 12 million cubic meters of mining waste. 270 people were killed. The disaster led to worldwide reassessment of tailings dam safety standards and monitoring practices.
Static Liquefaction • Tailings DamWhether you're a seasoned dam safety professional, a dam owner, a student, or someone who lives downstream - you belong here. Join Dam Safety Society and help us build a future where critical safety knowledge is free and open.
Questions? Reach out directly:
Jordan@DamSafety.IO