Taking Action on Low-Head Dams: A National Inventory

摘要

A low-head dam is defined as a hydraulic structure designed and operated to pass water continuously over its crest for its full width. There are thousands of these dams in the United States, and hundreds of drowning deaths have been documented downstream from the dam crest when the downstream water creates a submerged hydraulic jump. The dangers ,of these conditions are becoming somewhat better known, but action is required to either rehabilitate low-head dams where these conditions can occur or remove them completely. A very helpful first step will be to create a national inventory of low-head dams similar to the National Inventory of Dams. Such a database can be much simpler and assembled using a coordinated effort between students and professionals. Discussion is needed to identify a permanent home for the inventory. An existing database of fatalities and an inventory from Colorado will be used to illustrate what information might be sought for each low-head dam. Examples of how efforts can be coordinated between University students, sections and branches of the American Society of Civil Engineers, State Silver Jackets groups will be shared. Finally, potential technologies such as social networking and phone apps will be described that could be important elements of the effort.