Dam Safety Coordinator City of Columbus Columbus, OH
Abstract Description: O’Shaughnessy Dam is an 879-foot-long uncontrolled concrete gravity spillway with short earth embankments at each abutment. The dam was built in 1925 to provide additional water supply capacity to support the growth of the City of Columbus. Over the next 100 years, the dam and appurtenant structures has undergone multiple maintenance projects and capital improvements, including the addition of hydroelectric generation in the 1980s which introduced federal dam safety regulatory jurisdiction. This presentation will review the history of modifications to the dam including the addition of flashboards to increase storage, a floodwall and levee system, replacement of the bridge, the addition of hydroelectric generation, and development of a formal Owner’s Dam Safety Program. The presenters will also discuss how operational needs and regulatory requirements have fostered a culture of dam safety that extends beyond O’Shaughnessy to the other dams in the Division of Water’s portfolio.
Learning Objectives:
Learn about maintenance and capital projects over the history of a 100 year old dam.
Learn about the changes in regulation over the history of a 100 year old dam that had hydropower added to it 40 years ago.
Learn about the development of the owner's dam safety program over the history of a 100 year old dam.
