Committee on Environment

Terms of Reference

The main role of the USSD Committee on the Environment is to promote strategies to accomplish USSD's mission to foster dam technology for socially, environmentally and financially sustainable water systems. Activities of the Committee include:

• Develop a list of topics of interest to environmental professionals associated with development and operation of dams and reservoirs. A key activity of the Committee in 2007 is to conduct a survey of USSD members and their respective organizations to identify topics of interest.
• Broaden USSD commitment to sustainable water resources systems by encouraging interest in: optimization of reservoir operations to enhance fisheries and wildlife, while maintaining economic productivity; water conservation to enhance utility of existing reservoirs; diversification of water supplies; use of hydropower as green power; and publication of papers on these topics at USSD annual meetings.
• Establish points of contact with key government agencies, professional organizations, and dam owners to determine areas of interest specifically related to environmental issues. Promote involvement of these entities in USSD.
• Structure USSD annual meeting to include an environmental panel discussion on topics of interest identified in Item 3, and promote attendance at the annual meeting by the key contacts identified in Item 3.
• Expand the transfer of information on environmental issues by conducting quarterly telephone conference calls of the Committee, and developing two articles per year on environmental topics for publication in the USSD newsletter.
• Support the recognition of students, professionals and projects that advance the environmental aspects of achieving sustainable water resources systems.
• Strengthen involvement in ICOLD by having representative(s) of the Committee participate in ICOLD’s Committee on the Environment, participate in reviews of ICOLD documents from the standpoint of environmental issues, and promote USSD membership’s awareness of ICOLD documents related to the environment.

Goals of the Committee on Environment in Support of USSD Strategic Plan

• Strengthen Technical Committees
1. Maintain core membership of at least 10
2. Survey committee members and respective organizations to develop a list of topics of interest to environmental professionals associated with development and operation of dams and reservoirs

• Broaden USSD Commitment for Sustained Development
1. Develop interest and membership in
1. Reservoir operations for fisheries and wildlife enhancement
2. Optimization of reservoir operations to enhance economic productivity of existing dams
3. Water conservation to enhance utility of existing reservoirs
4. Hydropower as green power
5. Diversification of water supply resources

2. Encourage publication of papers on these topics at annual meetings

• Partnership/Communication with others
1. Establish/exchange point of contacts with
1. Association of Environmental Professionals (California) and the National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP)
2. An association for reservoir operators
3. Environmental leads in regional, state and federal agencies engaged in the operation dams and reservoirs
4. Environmental regulatory agencies with interest in dams and reservoirs
5. Environmental staff of reservoir owners near site of annual USSD conference
6. The Nature Conservancy

2. Determine areas of interest and invite to annual meeting

• Structure Annual Meetings for greater participation
1. Include environmental panel discussion related to topics of interest
2. Invite points of contact

• Modernize Technology Transfer
1. Conduct quarterly telephone conference of Environmental Committee
2. Develop two USSD newsletter articles per year

• Research and Technology Development
1. Support recognition of students, professionals and projects demonstrating the advancement of environmental practices and technology
2. Special projects in support of the USSD and Environmental Committee missions*

• Strengthen ICOLD Involvement

1. Representative from USSD Environmental Committee participate in the ICOLD Environmental Committee meetings
2. Provide report on ICOLD Environmental Committee activities to USSD Environmental Committee members and USSD Board
3. Publish schedule of draft ICOLD environmental documents
4. Establish review subcommittee for ICOLD environmental documents and participate in reviews

*As an initial project, the Environment Committee will prepare a survey instrument to be used to obtain information from the membership on the topic "Engineering-Environmental Integration - Coping with Environmental Issues and Regulations." Associated activities will include:

Development of a survey questionnaire related to project-specific experiences with environmental issues encountered as well as the effects on project costs, schedule, and design, and the lessons learned.

Distribution of the questionnaire to the membership for response, which would hopefully result in responses from project sponsors, project managers/engineers, and regulators.

The results would then be recorded in a technical report/white paper sponsored by the Environmental Committee.

Perhaps a special presentation would evolve at a USSD annual meeting and the information could also be carried to ICOLD, as an example of a means to address the need for engineering-environmental interaction.

Further information may be obtained by contacting the Committee Chairperson: