2023 ASCE-VT / ASCE-NH Joint Meeting Summary
The 2023 ASCE-VT / ASCE-NH Joint Meeting was held on Thursday , November 16 th , at the Coolidge Hotel in White River Junction , VT . There were approximately 70 attendees at the event that enjoyed another excellent networking opportunity for Members of the Sections to gather , receive PDHs , and engage in an interesting topic .
The Presentation portion of the meeting was led by Ben Green , P . E ., who is the Senior Chief / Dam Safety Engineer with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation Dam Safety Program . Ben was able to provide an inside look into the July 2023 flood event and its impact on dams throughout the state , as well as overall dam safety . Attendees were treated to a play-by-play account of the Safety Program ’ s response during the historic flood event , while highlighting the performance of the Winooski River Flood Control Dams – including the Wrightsville Dam , which made national news for nearly activating the auxiliary spillway . As an aside / opinion of the author of this summary , this was the equivalent of waking up on Super Bowl Sunday and realizing you had to play quarterback for one of the teams with zero notice .
Other highlights during the Presentation included sharing results from the rapid inspection program of nearly 400 dams throughout the State of Vermont , a review of several dam failures / near misses , and the proverbial ‘ lessons learned ’ that Ben and the Dam Safety Program Team can apply in the future . Thank you to Ben Green for his time and effort to make the Presentation portion of the evening exceptional ; and thank you to ASCE-VT for coordinating an excellent Joint Meeting !
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