Dam and Levee Ownership – Risky Business

We are excited to announce Elizabeth Landowski, P.E., and Stacy Vorster, P.E., from Gannett Fleming will be presenting on “Dam and Levee Ownership – Risky Business”. This event was virtual and open to all in the area that are interested in learning about critical infrastructure risk analyses.

View the recording for this presentation by clicking here.

About the Presentation:

With the ever-increasing age of dams and levees throughout the country, owners must prioritize their limited resources for regular maintenance and rehabilitation of these critical infrastructures. Often, owners are required by regulations and laws to perform risk analyses of their facilities; however, this can be a beneficial process to those not regulated, too. As the industry now has several years of experience performing risk assessments across the United States, the process has become streamlined and accessible to all dam and levee owners, not just those required by law.

Utilizing risk-informed decision-making to evaluate the safety of dams and levees provides a systematic process for identifying and understanding the risks of dams, levees, and related facilities and enables owners to prioritize dam safety management actions in efficient and meaningful ways. During this webcast, we will introduce (or reacquaint) participants to the risk-informed decision-making practice as it relates to dams and levees. We will review the history of dam and levee risk analysis and describe the various types of risk analyses owners can perform based on their individual concerns, priorities, and regulatory requirements. The data needs, risk analysis workshop process, and next steps following risk analyses will be discussed.

Following this webcast, attendees will be able to:

• Learn the key benefits of performing risk analyses related to dams and levees, whether regulated or not.
• Differentiate between the different levels of risk analyses and have a better understanding of which type is the best suited to the owner based specific concerns, priorities, and/or regulatory requirements.
• Understand the risk analysis workshop process.
• Have awareness of the resources needed to successfully execute a risk workshop.

About the Presenters:

Liz Landowski, PE is a principal geotechnical engineer with Gannett Fleming in Jacksonville, Florida. She earned her B.S. and M.S. in civil engineering, with an emphasis in geotechnical and construction engineering from the University of Central Florida. She earned her M.S. in risk management from the Notre Dame of Maryland University. Prior to joining Gannett Fleming, Liz worked for the US Army Corps of Engineers where she worked on the design, construction, and maintenance of dams and levees throughout Florida and Puerto Rico. Liz continued those roles when she joined Gannett Fleming and added project management and risk management to the mix. Currently, Liz works closely with hydropower dam owners to ensure compliance with the license requirements, which includes performing dam inspections and risk analyses on their dam facilities. In 2023, Liz became a FERC-approved risk facilitator.

Stacy Vorster, PE is a Senior Project Engineer and Project Manager with Gannett Fleming in Roseville, California. She earned her B.S. and M.S. in civil engineering from the University of the Pacific and has nearly 15 years of experience in the engineering field. Stacy’s focus is in dam safety, including risk analyses, potential failure modes analyses (PFMA), and independent consultant safety inspections. She has also managed projects and provided engineering support for seepage mitigation retrofit, hydraulic and erodibility analyses of spillway channels, spillway condition assessments, structural assessment of concrete gravity dams and spillway piers, and design and installation of instrumentation for dam and penstock monitoring. She is also a FERC-approved Owner’s Dam Safety Program (ODSP) auditor. When not working, Stacy enjoys playing beach volleyball, backcountry skiing, and coaching youth sports. She is married with two children and a lovable bernedoodle.