ICOLD 2031 Bid Promo

United States Society on Dams (USSD) Bid to Host the 2031 ICOLD Conference & Congress

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Join Us in the Heart of the American West

The USSD is proud to submit its bid to host the 2031 International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) Conference and Congress in Salt Lake City, Utah—a global gathering point for leaders in dam engineering, hydropower, tailings dam practice, levee resilience, infrastructure risk management, and collaborative problem‑solving.

Set against the backdrop of the Wasatch Mountains and the Great Salt Lake, Salt Lake City offers an inspiring setting for the international community to come together and advance the safety, resilience, and stewardship of critical dam infrastructure.

Congress Theme

Dams in a Changing World: Resilience, Risk Management, and Environmental Stewardship

Aligns with ICOLD’s global mission

Safe, resilient, and responsible dam and infrastructure practice worldwide.

Meeting the Moment. Shaping What’s Next.

Linking today’s most pressing challenges to the future of the industry.

Resilience + Stewardship

Reinforces the importance of environmental stewardship and responsible infrastructure management in a changing world.

Programmatic Areas of Focus

The full lifecycle - from design and construction to operations, monitoring, and rehabilitation.

A Congress Built on Collaboration

The United States invites the international ICOLD community to collaborate, share lessons learned, and advance a trusted path forward—strengthening safety, improving risk management practices, supporting reliable energy systems, and reinforcing responsible stewardship across critical infrastructure in a rapidly changing world.

Why Salt Lake City?

Centrally located with excellent international and domestic air access
Proven host of large‑scale international conferences
Proximity to iconic dams, hydropower, mining, and flood-risk-management infrastructure
Strong regional and national leadership in dam safety, hydropower operations, levee resilience, and emergency management

Why the United States?

Longstanding commitment to ICOLD principles, technical excellence, and international collaboration
Global leadership in dam safety, hydropower, tailings dam governance, levee systems, regulation, and applied research
Extensive experience managing complex, high-consequence infrastructure across public and private sectors
Diverse expertise spanning engineering, energy systems, risk management, environmental stewardship, and community engagement

What to Expect in 2031

World-class technical sessions and workshops across dams, hydropower, tailings, and levee systems
Leadership plenaries on safety, resilience, risk management, and energy reliability
Technical tours showcasing U.S. infrastructure, operations, and risk-management practices
Youth and knowledge-sharing programs developing the next generation of industry leaders
Cross-sector engagement engineers, operators, regulators, owners and communities