USSD honors individuals and organizations with the following awards and recognitions:
USSD honors an individual whose lifetime of dedication and achievement has contributed significantly to the dam engineering profession.
2019 Recipient
David Kleiner, Stantec
Previous Recipients
- 2018:
- Dr. Hank Falvey
- 2017:
- Ken Hansen
- 2016:
- Kim de Rubertis
- 2015:
- Joseph L. Ehasz
- 2014:
- Alan L. O'Neill
- 2013:
- John J. Cassidy
- 2012:
- Eric B. Kollgaard
- 2011:
- Glenn S. Tarbox
- 2010:
- Arthur H. Walz, Jr.
- 2009:
- William B. Bingham
- 2008:
- Ralph Peck
- 2007:
- Richard W. Kramer
- 2006:
- Thomas M. Leps
The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the significant contributions made to the dam community and to society through the construction, remediation, or removal of a dam or water resources structure. The award honors an individual or team of professionals who meet the challenges of the nation's aging infrastructure in an era of limited financial resources and increasing environmental awareness.
The deadline to submit nominations for the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award is FEBRUARY 28, 2020.
2019 Recipient
New Calaveras Dam
Owner: San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Design Consultant: AECOM
Construction Management Consultant: Black and Veatch
Contractor (Joint Venture): Dragados USA, Inc. / Flatiron West, Inc. / Sukut Construction, Inc.
Previous Recipients
- 2018:
- Chilhowee Dam North Embankment Remediation Project
- 2017:
- Buchanan Dam Emergency Gate Dewatering System
- 2016:
- Emergency and Carryover Storage Project
- 2015:
- Removal of Elwha and Glines Canyon Dams
- 2014:
- Snoqualmie Falls Hydroelectric Redevelopment Project
- 2013:
- Deep Creek Watershed Dam 5D Project
- 2012:
- Big Tujunga Dam Seismic Rehabilitation and Spillway Modification Project
- 2011:
- Ridges Basin Dam
- 2010:
- Taum Sauk Upper Reservoir Dam Restoration Project
- 2009:
- Lake Lenexa Dam and Spillway
- 2008:
- Lake Brazos Labyrinth Weir
- 2007:
- Pine Brook Dam
- 2006:
- Saluda Dam Remediation Project
- 2005:
- Guanella Dam and Reservoir Project
To celebrate the exceptional industry-wide contributions of Young Professionals, this award annually recognizes an individual age 35 or under who, through both their career and community involvement, exemplify USSD’s four mission goals: advocate, educate, collaborate and cultivate.
The deadline to submit nominations for the 2020 Exceptional YP of the Year Award is FEBRUARY 28, 2020.
2019.
Rachael Bisnett, Senior Associate, Stantec
Previous Recipients
- N/A:
- N/A
The outgoing USSD President selects this bi-annual award to recognize a member who has provided exceptional service to USSD.
2019 Recipient
Dr. Debora Miller
Previous Recipients
- 2017:
- Daniel L. Johnson
- 2015:
- Larry D. Stephens and Michael F. Rogers
- 2013:
- Ronald A. Corso
- 2011:
- John J. Cassidy
- 2009:
- Eric B. Kollgaard
- 2007:
- Constantine G. Tjoumas
This annual award recognizes the outstanding paper presented during each USSD Conference.
2019 Recipient
Lelio Mejia, Geosyntec Consultants, and Ethan Dawson, AECOM — Evaluation of Earthquake-Induced Cracking of Embankment Dams
Previous Recipients
- 2018:
- Robert Rinehart and Blake Armstrong, US Bureau of Reclamation
- 2017:
- Jack Montgomery with Sam Abbaszadeh, MWH now Stantec
- 2016:
- Douglas D. Boyer and William Allerton, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for Implementing a Risk-Informed Approach to Dam Safety in a Regulatory Environment
- 2015:
- Jay Stateler, Bureau of Reclamation
- 2014:
- Lelio Mejia, URS; Jiaer Wu, CHEC USA; and Michael Mooers, Santa Clara Valley Water District
- 2013:
- William R. Swanson, MWH Americas
- 2012:
- Michel Jubran, MWH
- 2011:
- E.F.R. Bollaert, AquaVision Engineering Ltd.
- 2010:
- Lewis E. Hunter and Ronn S. Rose, Corps of Engineers; Bruce R. Hilton and William McCormick, Kleinfelder, Inc.; and Todd Crampton, AMEC Geomatrix, Inc.
- 2009:
- Patrick J. Regan, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
- 2008:
- Gregg A. Scott and Barbara L. Mills-Bria, Bureau of Reclamation
- 2007:
- Alan F. Rauch, Jeffrey S. Dingrando and Thomas Pace, FMSM Engineers; and Robert Van Cleave II and Mark Harris, Corps of Engineers
- 2006:
- Guy S. Lund, URS Corporation
- 2005:
- Ross Boulanger and I. M. Idriss, University of California, Davis
This annual award recognizes the outstanding paper presented by a Young Professional during each USSD Conference.
2019 Recipient
Nicholas Paull, Ross W. Boulanger and Jason T. Dejong, University of California, Davis — Seismic Deformation of Different Size Embankments on a Spatially Variable Liquefable Deposit
Previous Recipients
- 2018:
- Ali Reza Firoozfar, HDR
- 2017:
- Vojislav Cvijanovic, California Department of Water Resources, with Mark Schultz and Blake Dolve, California Department of Water Resources
- 2016:
- Richard Keizer, GEI Consultants, Inc. for An Empirical Model for Estimating Internal Erosion Critical Gradients for Inclined Exit Face Conditions. The paper was co-authored by John D. Rice, Utah State University; and Robert A. Jaeger, GEI Consultants, Inc.
- 2015:
- Brian Hart, Bureau of Reclamation
- 2014:
- Jared Deible, RIZZO Associates
- 2013:
- Jack Montgomery, University of California, Davis
- 2012:
- Hillery Venturini, Bureau of Reclamation
- 2011:
- Everett L. Litton and Dennis Hogan, Black & Veatch Corporation
- 2010:
- R.J. Armstrong, California Department of Water Resources. The paper was co-authored by Ross Boulanger, University of California, Davis; and M.H. Beaty, Beaty Engineering.
This annual award recognizes the outstanding poster presentation during each USSD Conference.
2019 Recipient
Anurag Singhal, Kevin Gerst and Kenwarjit S. Dosanjh, HDR — Effects of Gate-Wall Interaction on Spillway Tainter Gates
Previous Recipients
- 2018:
- Travis Ford, HDR
- 2017:
- Chris J. Redell, USACE and Ali Asghari Tabrizi, Schnabel
- 2016:
- John Werner, James Rutherford, and Joe Groeneveld, Hatch Associates Consultants, Inc.; Kim Pate and Daniel Kirschbaum, Seattle City Light; Keith Moen, HDR; and Justin Arnold, Alden Laboratories Inc. for Boundary Dam Spillway No. 2 Modifications
- 2015:
- Meghann Wygonik, Corps of Engineers
- 2014:
- Michael McCaffrey, Parsons Brinkerhoff, Mark J. Gross, Alcoa Power Generating, Inc., Tony Plizga and Paul F. Shiers, both of Parsons Brinckerhoff
- 2013:
- Mason Ghafghazi, University of California, Davis
- 2012:
- John Ruhl, Black & Veatch Corporation
- 2011:
- B. Dasgupta, D. Basu, K. Das and R. Green, Southwest Research Institute
- 2010:
- E.F.R. Bollaert, AquaVision Engineering Ltd.
- 2009:
- Jay N. Stateler, Bureau of Reclamation; John Anevski and Doug Oellermann, Bureau of Indian Affairs; and Michael Brown, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
Dams are identified in the National Infrastructure Protection Plan as a Critical Infrastructure. Presidential Policy Directive 21 (PPD-21) notes, “Critical infrastructure owners and operators are uniquely positioned to manage risks to their individual operations and assets, and to determine effective strategies to make them more secure and resilient.” Individual efforts to manage risk are enhanced by a collaborative public-private partnership that operates as a unified national effort, as opposed to a hierarchical, command-and-control structure.
Organizations, specific projects, and individuals have taken the call to lead the dam industry in establishing public safety and security standards & guidelines, enhancing public safety and security and public safety controls, providing education and raising awareness, and staying situationally aware of changing and evolving threats and increased public safety risks. The physical, personnel, information, and cyber components of a public safety and security practice are challenging enough for traditional buildings and structures, but their application to dams presents a unique ability that requires professional artistry that shouldn’t go without recognition.
It is for this purpose that this recognition was established by the Committee on Public Safety, Security and Emergency Management for Dams.
DEADLINE TO SUBMIT NOMINATION FOR THE 2020 PUBLIC SAFETY, SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FOR DAMS RECOGNITION IS FEBRUARY 28, 2020.
To submit a nomination, please click on the Public Safety and Security for Dams Recognition link to the left.
2019 Recipient
Frank Calcagno, Gannett Fleming, Inc.
Previous Recipients
- 2018:
- Tony Bennett, Ontario Power Generation
- 2017:
- Al Hancock
- 2016:
- Loudoun Water