Economics of Sustainable Reservoir Sediment Management

Dr. Rollin H. Hotchkiss
Dr. George Annandale, P.E.
By Dr. Rollin H. Hotchkiss, P.E., and Dr. George Annandale, P.E.
The application of traditional economic analysis methods to dam and reservoir construction can lead to inter-generational inequities. This is because reservoir sedimentation can eventually lead to large dam decommissioning costs and because of the scarcity of suitable dam and reservoir sites. This webinar will illustrate the limitations of current economic analyses and how they can be modified to ensure sustainable reservoir sediment management practices. Innovative financial instruments and economic evaluations will be explained.
Dr. Rollin H. Hotchkiss is a professor and Chair of the Civil and Environmental Engineering department at Brigham Young University. He is a core member of the International Sediment Initiative sponsored by UNESCO, a member of the National Reservoir Sedimentation and Sustainability Team, chair of the ASCE-EWRI Task Committee on Reservoir Sediment Management and chair of the Environmental Advisory Board of the Chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Dr. Hotchkiss has authored or co-authored more than 150 technical papers and was the 2017 recipient of the American Society of Civil Engineers Hydraulic Structures Medal.
Dr. Annandale is a civil engineer with more than 40 years of experience in water resources engineering. He is the author of over 100 articles and several popular books on reservoir sedimentation. One of his greatest concerns is that we will not be able to reliably supply fresh water in the future because of a global net loss of storage in water supply reservoirs caused by reservoir sedimentation. 
This event is part of a series of webinars on reservoir sedimentation, sponsored in part by the CIRES Education & Outreach group and the CIRES Western Water Assessment group, focused on reservoir sedimentation and sustainability. Organizers are part of the Subcommittee on Sedimentation’s National Reservoir Sedimentation and Sustainability Team, presenting sustainable solutions to reservoir sediment management.
The full list of upcoming and recorded webinars as well as professional development hour certificates can be found at this link: Announcing the Reservoir Sedimentation Management Webinar Series.