Safety of Existing Dams: Evaluation and Improvement

Written by civil engineers, dam safety officials, dam owners, geologists, hydraulic engineers, and risk analysts, this handbook is the first cooperative attempt to provide practical solutions to dam problems within the financial constraints faced by dam owners. It provides hands-on information for identifying and remedying common defects in concrete and masonry dams, embankment dams, reservoirs, and related structures. It also includes procedures for monitoring dams and collecting and analyzing data. Case histories demonstrate economical solutions to specific problems. Table of Contents <ul>
<li>Front Matter</li>
<li>INTRODUCTION</li>
<li>THE SAFETY OF DAMS</li>
<li>RISK-BASED DECISION ANALYSIS</li>
<li>HYDROLOGIC AND HYDRAULIC CONSIDERATIONS</li>
<li>GEOLOGIC AND SEISMOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS</li>
<li>CONCRETE AND MASONRY DAMS</li>
<li>EMBANKMENT DAMS</li>
<li>APPURTENANT STRUCTURES</li>
<li>RESERVOIR PROBLEMS</li>
<li>INSTRUMENTATION</li>
<li>RECOMMENDED GLOSSARY</li>
<li>APPENDIXES</li>
<li>APPENDIX A: BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS</li>
<li>APPENDIX B: BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS</li>
<li>INDEX</li>
</ul>

Engineering & Transportation

Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences

Water Science and Technology Board

Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems

Committee on the Safety of Existing Dams

National, Research Council

Engineering

National Academies Press

Safety of Dams: Flood and Earthquake Criteria

From earth tectonics and meteorology to risk, responsibility, and the role of government, this comprehensive and detailed book reviews current practices in designing dams to withstand extreme hydrologic and seismic events. Recommendations for action and for further research to improve dam safety evaluations are presented. Table of Contents <ul>
<li>Front Matter</li>
<li>Executive Summary</li>
<li>Introduction</li>
<li>Extreme Floods and Earthquakes -- The Nature of the Problem</li>
<li>Summary of Present Practices on Dam Safety Standards</li>
<li>History of Development</li>
<li>Design Flood Estimates: Methods and Critique</li>
<li>Design Earthquake Estimates: Methods and Critique</li>
<li>Considration of Risk in Dam Safety Evaluations</li>
<li>Risk and the Calculus of Legal Liability in Dam Failures</li>
<li>Proposed Hydrologic Criteria</li>
<li>Proposed Earthquake Criteria</li>
<li>Continuing Development of Hydrologic and Earthquake Engineering Technologies</li>
<li>Appendix A: Design Criteria in Use for Dams Relative to Hazards of Extreme Floods</li>
<li>Appendix B: Design Criteria in Use for Dams Relative to Earthquake Hazards</li>
<li>Appendix C: Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) Estimates</li>
<li>Appendix D: Concepts of Probability in Hydrology</li>
<li>Appendix E: Risk Analysis Approach to Dam Safety Evaluations</li>
<li>Appendix F: Glossary</li>
<li>Appendix G: References and Bibliography</li>
<li>Appendix H: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members</li>
<li>Index</li>
</ul>

Politics & Social Sciences

Committee on Safety Criteria for Dams

Social Sciences

Hazardous Waste Site Management addresses current methods used in the regulatory process with respect to water quality cleanup levels. Information and perspectives on the adequacy of these methods are provided by representatives from water utilities, industry, and environmental groups. Setting environmental standards, establishing and meeting ground-water protection goals, and specific approaches to setting goals are also fully examined.

Hazardous Waste Site Management: Water Quality Issues (Colloquium, No 3)

Science & Math

Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications

Earth Sciences

Surface Coal Mining Effects on Ground Water Recharge

Committee on Ground Water Recharge in Surface-Mined Areas

Hydrology--the science of water--is central to our understanding of the global environment and its many problems. Opportunities in the Hydrologic Sciences explains how the science of water historically has played second fiddle to its applications and how we now must turn to the hydrologic sciences to solve some of the emerging problems. This first book of its kind presents a blueprint for establishing hydrologic science among the geosciences. Informative and well-illustrated chapters explore what we know about the forces that drive the global water system, highlighting promising research topics in hydrology's major subfields. The book offers specific recommendations for improving hydrologic education, from kindergarten through graduate school. In addition, a chapter on the basics of the science is interesting for the scientist and understandable to the lay reader. This readable volume is enhanced by a series of brief biographical sketches of past leaders in the field and fascinating vignettes on important applied problems, from the relevance of hydrology to radioactive waste disposal to the study of ancient water flows on Mars. The volume concludes with a report on current research funding and an outline of strategies for scientists and professional societies to advance the field. Opportunities in the Hydrologic Sciences is indispensable to policymakers in science and education, research managers in geoscience programs, researchers, educators, graduate students, and future hydrologists. Table of Contents <ul>
<li>Front Matter</li>
<li>SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS</li>
<li>WATER AND LIFE</li>
<li>THE HYDROLOGIC SCIENCES</li>
<li>SOME CRITICAL AND EMERGING AREAS</li>
<li>SCIENTIFIC ISSUES OF DATA COLLECTION, DISTRIBUTION, AND ANALYSIS</li>
<li>EDUCATION IN THE HYDROLOGIC SCIENCES</li>
<li>SCIENTIFIC PRIORITIES</li>
<li>RESOURCES AND STRATEGIES</li>
<li>APPENDIXES</li>
<li>APPENDIX A: Funding for Research in the Hydrologic Sciences</li>
<li>APPENDIX B: Profiles of the Hydrologic Community, 1960 and 1988</li>
<li>APPENDIX C: Contributors to the Report, Opportunities in the Hydrologic Sciences</li>
<li>APPENDIX D: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members</li>
<li>INDEX</li>
</ul>

Opportunities in the Hydrologic Sciences

Division on Earth and Life Studies

Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources

Committee on Opportunities in the Hydrologic Sciences

This book contains 11 papers that review the extant information about the Colorado River from an ecosystem perspective and serve as the basis for discussion of the use of ecosystem/earth science information for river management and dam operations. It also contains a synopsis of the committee's findings and recommendations to the Bureau of Reclamation as the agency seeks to change its direction to the management of natural resources. Table of ContentsFront MatterCommittee Synopsis/Findings and RecommendationsThe Law and Politics of the Operation of Glen Canyon DamThe Role of Science in Natural Resource Management: The Case fr the Colorado RiverHydrology of Glen Canyon and the Grand CanyonSediment Transport in the Colorado River BasinLimnology of Lake Powell and the Chemistry of the Colorado RiverAlgal and Invertebrate Biota in the Colorado River: Comparison of Pre- and Post-Dam ConditionsNative Fishes of the Grand Canyon Region: An Obituary?Historic Changes in Vegetation Along the Colorado River in the Grand CanyonReservoir OperationsA Brief History of the Glen Canyon Environmental StudiesGlen Canyon Environmental Studies Research Program: Past, Present, and FutureClosing RemarksAppendix A: Symposium ProgramAppendix B: Biographical Sketches of Committee MembersAppendix C: Symposium InviteesAppendix D: Glen Canyon Environmental Studies Technical Reports

Colorado River Ecology and Dam Management: Proceedings of a Symposium May 24-25, 1990 Santa Fe, New Mexico

Committee to Review the Glen Canyon Environmental Studies

Biological Sciences

How can high-growth areas such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America sustain agricultural production for current and future generations? Toward Sustainability explores research priorities to support sustainable agriculture. The book identifies six areas that could offer great rewards: addressing institutional constraints on resource conservation, enhancing soil biological processes, managing soil properties, improving water resource management, matching crops to environments, and effectively incorporating social and cultural dimensions into research. Also highlighted is the importance of developing collaborative, integrated research strategies and flexible mechanisms to periodically evaluate and reassess research priorities.

Toward Sustainability: Soil and Water Research Priorities for Developing Countries

Business & Money

Board on Science and Technology for International Development

Office of International Affairs

Committee on International Soil and Water Research and Development

Economics

Hydrologic science, an important, interdisciplinary science dealing with the occurrence, distribution, and properties of water on Earth, is key to understanding and resolving many contemporary, large-scale environmental issues. The Water Science and Technology Board used the opportunity of its 1997 Abel Wolman Distinguished Lecture to assess the vitality of the hydrologic sciences by the hydrologic community. The format included focus by lecturer Thomas Dunne on the intellectual vitality of the hydrologic sciences, followed by a symposium featuring several invited papers and discussions. Hydrologic Sciences is a compilation of the Wolman Lecture and the papers, preceded by a summarizing overview. The volume stresses a number of needs for furtherance of hydrologic science, including development of a coherent body of transferable theory and an intellectual center for the science, communication across multiple geo- and environmental science disciplines, appropriate measurements and observations, and provision of central guidance for the field. Table of Contents <ul>
<li>Front Matter</li>
<li>Overview</li>
<li>1 Wolman Lecture: Hydrologic Science...in Landscapes...on a Planet...in the Future</li>
<li>2 Aquatic Ecosystems: Defined by Hydrology. Holistic Approaches Required for Understanding, Utilizing, and Protecting Freshwater Resources</li>
<li>3 Hydrologic Measurements and Observations: An Assessment of Needs</li>
<li>4 Ground Water Dating and Isotope Chemistry</li>
<li>5 Streamflow Prediction: Capabilities, Opportunities, and Challenges</li>
<li>Appendix: Biographical Sketches of Abel Wolman Distinguished Lecturer and Symposium on Hydrologic Sciences</li>
</ul>

Hydrologic Sciences: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead (Environmental Science)

Proceedings of the 1997 Abel Wolman Distinguished Lecture and Symposium on the Hydrologic Sciences

Research Needs in Subsurface Science provides an overview of the subsurface contamination problems across the DOE complex and shows by examples from the six largest DOE sites (Hanford Site, Idaho Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, Nevada Test Site, Oak Ridge Reservation, Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, and Savannah River Site) how advances in scientific and engineering knowledge can improve the effectiveness of the cleanup effort. This report analyzes the current Environmental Management (EM) Science Program portfolio of subsurface research projects to assess the extent to which the program is focused on DOE's contamination problems. This analysis employs an organizing scheme that provides a direct linkage between basic research in the EM Science Program and applied technology development in DOE's Subsurface Contaminants Focus Area. Research Needs in Subsurface Science also reviews related research programs in other DOE offices and other federal agencies (see Chapter 4) to determine the extent to which they are focused on DOE's subsurface contamination problems. On the basis of these analyses, this report singles out the highly significant subsurface contamination knowledge gaps and research needs that the EM Science Program must address if the DOE cleanup program is to succeed. Table of Contents <ul>
<li>Front Matter</li>
<li>Summary</li>
<li>1 Introduction and Task</li>
<li>2 Subsurface Contamination in the DOE Complex</li>
<li>3 Assessment of the EM Science Program Portfolio</li>
<li>4 Research Programs on Other Agencies of Government</li>
<li>5 Knowledge Gaps and Research Needs</li>
<li>6 Recommendations for a Long-Term Research Program</li>
<li>References</li>
<li>Appendix A Description of the Environmental Management Science Program</li>
<li>Appendix B List of Presentations</li>
<li>Appendix C Biographical Sketches of Committee Members</li>
<li>Appendix D Additional Resources</li>
<li>Appendix E Interim Report</li>
<li>Appendix F Acronym List</li>
<li>Color Plates</li>
</ul>

Research Needs in Subsurface Science

Board on Radioactive Waste Management

U.S. Department of Energy's Environmental Management Science Program

Nature & Ecology

Ecological Indicators for the Nation

Environmental indicators, such as global temperatures and pollutant concentrations, attract scientists' attention and often make the headlines. Equally important to policymaking are indicators of the ecological processes and conditions that yield food, fiber, building materials and ecological "services" such as water purification and recreation. This book identifies ecological indicators that can support U.S. policymaking and also be adapted to decisions at the regional and local levels. The committee describes indicators of land cover and productivity, species diversity, and other key ecological processes--explaining why each indicator is useful, what models support the indicator, what the measured values will mean, how the relevant data are gathered, how data collection might be improved, and what effects emerging technologies are likely to have on the measurements. The committee reviews how it arrived at its recommendations and explores how the indicators can contribute to policymaking. Also included are interesting details on paleoecology, satellite imagery, species diversity, and other aspects of ecological assessment. Federal, state, and local decisionmakers, as well as environmental scientists and practitioners, will be especially interested in this new book. Table of Contents <ul>
<li>Front Matter</li>
<li>Executive Summary</li>
<li>1 Introduction</li>
<li>2 The Empirical and Conceptual Foundations of Indicators</li>
<li>3 A Framework for Indicator Selection</li>
<li>4 Indicators for National Ecological Assessments</li>
<li>5 Local and Regional Indicators</li>
<li>6 References</li>
<li>Appendix A: Variability, Complexity, and the Design of Sampling Procedures</li>
<li>Appendix B: Markov Matrices of Landscape Change</li>
<li>Appendix C: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff</li>
<li>Index</li>
</ul>

Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology

Committee to Evaluate Indicators for Monitoring Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments

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