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Education and training

Last updated on June 3, 2024

One of the key pillars in the B.C. provincial Dam Safety Program is Education and Awareness. The program focuses on running workshops throughout the province on an annual basis. The program also develops and publishes various resources and documentation for dam owners, operators, and the general public.

Workshops

The B.C. Dam Safety Program organizes and facilitates various training sessions independently and through partnering organizations. These workshops are consistently updated to match best practices in dam safety and education. The provincial program currently runs two workshops.

Inspection and maintenance

The Inspection and Maintenance workshop provides a general overview regarding safety topics in the world of dam safety. Participants who complete this workshop will have a better understanding of what deficiencies may be present in dams, how to spot them, and how they occur or relate to one another.

Dam management

The Dam management workshop covers all aspects of management and guidance for the safe operation of dams in B.C. These aspects are based on the dam owners obligation to remain in compliance with Dam Safety Regulation (B.C. Reg. 40/2016). Participants will gain a better understanding of provincial expectations and requirements of dam owners, and learn about key documentation associated with the regulations.

Upcoming training sessions

The Provincial Dam Safety Program will be holding a series of dam safety webinars and in-person training workshops in 2024. 

Webinars

Registration is open for the upcoming virtual BC Water and Waste Association (BCWWA) webinars:

Please find below the links to past webinar recordings. More information about these webinars are found on the Interior Dams website.

2024 webinars

Virtual Dam Inspection

2023 webinars

Webinar 1: Dam Safety Regulation and Consequence Classification

2022 webinars

Webinar 1: Dam Inspection and Vegetation/Animal Management Techniques

Webinar 2: Dam Performance Monitoring, Instrumentation, and Data Analysis

2021 webinars

Webinar 1: Surveillance and Inspection

Webinar 2: Operations, Maintenance and Repair

Webinar 3: Emergency Planning & Response

Workshops

Workshops are run annually through organizational partnerships including the BCWWA, Water Supply Association (WSA), and Ministry of Agriculture. Workshops held by BCWWA and WSA may be eligible for Environmental Operators Certification Program (EOCP) credits, and have a cost associated with the course. Times and locations of these sessions vary annually depending on request and regional coverage. Individuals can request a training session in their area by contacting the program. A minimum of 8 participants may be required to hold a training session.

For more information and details on upcoming training sessions, Contact the B.C. Dam Safety Program.

The Dam Safety Program has developed an online self-directed course. It is open to all individuals involved in dam safety. If you are interested in taking the course, visit the content below.

Dam Safety Self-Directed Learning

The program regularly develops and updates dam safety documentation. The most recent document is the Dam Safety Pocketbook Guide (3504 KB).

It provides a quick overview on common problems that dam owners/operators may encounter while performing site surveillance and inspections. The pocketbook acts as both a tool for surveillance, and as an educational document for reviewing dam safety problems.

For a full list of documents related to dam safety in British Columbia, visit our Technical Resources page

Learn about the Testalinden dam failure that happened in 2010 and how its effects influenced the way dams are regulated today:

Review historical information about other failures: