Agenda

Webinar instructions will be emailed before the date of the webinar.

Please log into the webinar 15 – 30 minutes before the start time.

HalfMoon Education Live Webinar in conjunction with Midwest Hydro Users Group

Thursday, February 29, 2024
9:00 am – 4:30 pm CST

 

Dam Purposes and Function
Presented by: R. Alsberg

  • Purposes of dams
  • Numbers of dams, age and service life
  • Ownership and regulation
  • Codes, standards and regulations

Dam Design
Presented by: W. Hansen

  • Types of dams
  • Dam components
  • Embankments, spillway, outlet structures, gates, penstocks, powerhouses
  • Design of dams
  • Hydraulics, geotechnical, structural, environmental considerations
  • Hydroelectric generation (turbines and pump storage)

Site Design and Permitting  
Presented by: E. Faulkner &  L. Brotkowski

  • Site hydrology
  • Planning and designing for floods
  • Hazard classifications
  • Emergency action plans
  • Licensing and permitting

Construction Considerations
Presented by: R. Alsberg

  • Adding generation to existing dam
  • Adding spillway capacity to meet new standards

Maintenance and Repair
Presented by: R. Grondin

  • Operating procedures
  • Scheduled maintenance procedures
  • Repair and replacement (repairs, maintenance, and replacement)
  • Dam removal

Careers in the Dam Area
Presented by: B. Mendlin & M. Binsfeld

  • Engineering (electrical, mechanical, and civil)
  • Hydrology
  • Trades
  • Environmental

   

Webinar Instructions

All attendees must log-on through their own email – attendees may not watch together if they wish to earn continuing education credit. HalfMoon Education Inc. must be able to prove attendance if either the attendee or HalfMoon Education Inc. is audited.

Certificates of completion can be downloaded in PDF form upon passing a short quiz. A link to the quiz will be sent to each qualifying attendee immediately after the webinar. The certificate can be downloaded from the Results page of the quiz upon scoring 80% or higher.

Webinars are presented via GoToWebinar, an easy-to-use application that can be run on most systems and tablets. Instructions and login information will be provided in an email sent close to the date of the webinar. It is highly recommended that you download, install and test the application before the webinar begins by clicking on the link in the email.

GoToWebinar App requirements:
Windows 7 – 10 or Mac OSX Mavericks (10.9) – macOS Catalina (10.15)

Web Browser:
The two most recent version of the following browsers:
Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge
Internet Explorer v11 (or later) with Flash enabled.

Internet connection: Minimum of 1Mbps       Hardware: 2GB RAM or more

For more information, visit the Support section at www.gotowebinar.com

Credits

Engineers
6.5 PDHs

Architects
6.5 HSW CE Hours

AIA - American Institute of Architects
6.5 HSW LUs

Landscape Architects
6.5 HSW CE Hours

LACES - Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System
6.5 PDHS

ICC - International Code Council
.65 CEUs (Building)

Floodplain Managers
6.5 ASFPM CECs

 

Continuing Education Credit Information

This webinar is open to the public and is designed to qualify for 6.5 PDHs for professional engineers, 6.5 HSW continuing education hours for licensed architects, and 6.5 HSW continuing education hours for landscape architects in all states that allow this learning method. Please refer to specific state rules to determine eligibility.

HalfMoon Education is an approved continuing education sponsor for engineers in Florida (Provider License No: CEA362), Indiana (License No. CE21700059), Maryland, New Jersey (Approval No. 24GP00000700) and North Carolina (S-0130). HalfMoon Education is deemed an approved continuing education sponsor for New York engineers and architects via its registration with the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System (Regulations of the Commissioner §68.14(i)(2) and §69.6(i)(2)). Other states do not preapprove continuing education providers or courses.

The American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System has approved HalfMoon Education as a sponsor of continuing education (Sponsor No. J885). This course has been submitted for AIA CES approval and is currently pending. Only full participation is reportable to the AIA CES.

The Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System has approved this course for 6.5 HSW PDHs. Only full participation is reportable to the LA CES.

The International Code Council has approved this event for .65 CEUs in the Specialty area of Building (Preferred Provider No. 1232).

The Association of State Floodplain Managers has approved this course for 6.5 CECs for floodplain managers.

The American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System has approved this course for 6.5 HSW LUs (Sponsor No. J885). Only full participation is reportable to the AIA/CES. 

The Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System has approved this course for 6.5 HSW PDHs. Only full participation is reportable to the LA CES. 

On-Demand Credits

The preceding credit information only applies to the live presentation. This course in an on-demand format may not be eligible for the same credits as the live presentation; please consult your licensing board(s) to ensure that a structured, asynchronous learning format is appropriate. The following pre-approvals may be available for the on-demand format upon request:

6.5 HSW LUs (AIA)
6.5 HSW PDHs (LA CES)
6.5 ASFPM CECs

Speakers

Rory Alsberg

J.F. Brennan Company, Inc.

Mr. Alsberg began his hydroelectric career in operations management of projects over 20 years ago. Since then, he has been involved with all aspects of dams, including operations, construction, and repairs, regulatory compliance, and development. His experience from both the owner and service provider perspectives is both unique and valuable.

Lesley Brotkowski

Kleinschmidt Group

Ms. Brotkowski is a senior licensing coordinator with over 20 years of
professional natural resource experience. She specializes in FERC hydroelectric licensing and compliance projects. She has worked on hydroelectric projects across the United States and has extensive experience managing FERC hydropower relicensing, decommissioning, and compliance projects in the Midwest. Ms. Brotkowski’s expertise also includes new development of pumped storage projects, wetland delineations, wetland and waterway permitting, ecological assessments,
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance, natural resource restoration and management projects, and endangered species consultation and surveys. She is a certified endangered resource (ER) reviewer in Wisconsin. Ms. Brotkowski works with a diverse clientele including utility companies, commercial and residential
developers, state and federal governments, municipalities, private landowners, and conservation organizations. Ms. Brotkowski has an M.S. degree in Conservation Biology and Ecology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a B.S. degree in Biology, magna cum laude, from Carroll College in Wisconsin. She recently served as president on the Midwest Hydro User Group (MHUG) Board of Directors and is chair for the MHUG Regulatory & Legislative Committee.

Ellen Faulkner, P.E.

Ayres Associates

Ms. Faulkner, P.E., is a registered professional engineer at Ayres, a multidisciplinary consulting engineering company with offices nationwide. She has more than 30 years of experience in developing and executing studies in watershed hydrology and river hydraulics, with a particular focus on floods and dam safety. Ms. Faulkner has performed hydrologic design studies for dams and hydro projects nationwide and has developed and performed technical analyses in support of hydropower license applications, including instream flow studies and analyses of alternative hydropower operation rules. She has also developed and presented training seminars in watershed and dam break modeling for the Association of State Dam Safety Officials. Some of her areas of expertise are instream flow studies, floodplain analysis, dam safety analysis, and hydro project analysis.

Ryan Grondin, P.E.

WEC Energy Group

Mr. Grondin, P.E. is a graduate of Michigan Technological University with a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. He maintains a professional engineering license in Michigan. Mr. Grondin is the Chief Engineer of Hydro for WEC Energy Group. Mr. Grondin also serves as the chief dam safety engineer under WEC’s Owner’s Dam Safety Program. Mr. Grondin oversees the engineering department, which has primary responsibility for dam safety and capital investments on all WEC projects. WEC, consists of We Energies, Wisconsin Public Service and Wisconsin River Power Company. Together WEC operates 30 hydros on the Menominee, Peshtigo, Fox and Wisconsin River watersheds in Michigan and Wisconsin. WEC holds the most FERC licenses in the FERC Chicago Region. Their projects range from 6 years to 121 years old with an average age of 90 years. They maintain 80 generating units that range from 0.1 MW to 11 MW capacity that generate approximately 960,000 MWHrs a year. In his role at WEC, Mr. Grondin works closely with many members of MHUG including contractors, consultants, the FERC and NHA.

Whitney Hansen, P.E.

Barr Engineering Co.

Ms. Hansen, P.E. has over 17 years of experience working on dam and hydroelectric projects. She specializes in dam-safety and field inspections, condition assessments of existing facilities, and civil and structural engineering design for hydraulic structures. Over the course of her career, Ms. Hansen has worked on more than 50 dams and hydroelectric projects for over 11 clients. She is a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved independent consultant.

AIA Info

AIA Provider Statement:

HalfMoon Education Inc. is a registered provider of AIA-approved continuing education under Provider Number J885. All registered AIA/CES Providers must comply with the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs. Any questions or concerns about this provider of learning program may be sent to AIA/CES (cesupport@aia.org or (800) AIA 3837, Option 3).

This learning program is registered with AIA/CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product.

AIA continuing education credit has been reviewed and approved by AIA/CES. Learners must complete the entire learning program to receive continuing education credit. AIA continuing education Learning Units earned upon completion of this course will be reported to AIA/CES for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for both AIA members and non-AIA members are available upon request.

Course Title: Dam Design, Construction, and Maintenance

Delivery Method: Live Online

Course Description:  This 6.5-hour course focuses on the purpose, function, design, siting, permitting, construction, operation, maintenance, repair and removal of dams. The course will also discuss dam types, modifications, planning and licensing.

Learning Objectives:

Learning Objective 1:
Learners will be able to identify the purposes of dams, discuss how they age and their service life, and explore applicable codes, standards and regulations.

Learning Objective 2:
Learners will be able to analyze the hydraulic, geotechnical and structural design of various types of dams and identify their components (embankments, spillways, outlets, gates, penstocks, and powerhouses).

Learning Objective 3:
Learners will be able to explore the strategies by which power generation and spillway capacity can be added to existing dams.

Learning Objective 4:
Learners will be able to discuss dam operating procedures, maintenance schedules, repairs, replacements and determine when dam removal may be necessary.

LUs: 6.5                                                                                              LU Type: LU|HSWs.

Prerequisites: None

Advance Preparation: None

Program Level: Intermediate

Course Expiration Date: 01/23/2027

Complaint Resolution Policy:

Complaints regarding this course can be emailed to fchapman@halfmoonseminars.org or by calling (715) 835-5900. A HalfMoon Education representative will respond within 72 hours to resolve the complaint, which will include, but not limited to, access to another CE activity at no or reduced cost or a full or partial refund. Each instance will be resolved on a case-by-case situation.