On December 9th and 10th, 2025 Jeremy Kinder and Elaine Swanson attended a multi-day Dam Operator Training hosted by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in Idaho Falls, Idaho. This comprehensive training brought together operators, engineers, hydrologists, emergency managers, and dam safety experts from across the Columbia-Pacific Northwest Region to collaborate on shared challenges, safety procedures, and infrastructure resilience.
The goal of participating in this training was simple: to ensure the Baker Valley Irrigation District continues to operate with a high level of safety, awareness, and preparedness. As climate patterns shift and infrastructure ages, it becomes increasingly important that we stay current with inspection protocols, emergency response procedures, and engineering insights to protect the integrity of the dams and reservoirs that serve Baker County agriculture.
The training, hosted by regional experts like Ryan Bliss, Chad Wallace, and Amanda Dolezal, focused on topics such as:
- Teton Dam failure case study and lessons learned
- Proper documentation (SOPs, logbooks, and safety instructions)
- Instrumentation monitoring for embankment and spillway inspections
- Hydrology and reservoir operations
- Mechanical gate testing and ice loading risks
- Invasive species at hydropower sites (e.g., golden mussels and quagga)
- Emergency Action Plans (EAP) and FEMA incident reporting
- Critical pressure diagramming and material fatigue
- Insights on riprap, seepage, sinkholes, and guard gates
We also discussed the importance of conducting visual inspections at both low and high reservoir levels, understanding seepage patterns, identifying bulges or uneven settlement on dam faces, and interpreting surface cracks.
The sessions helped connect textbook engineering to the real-world conditions we deal with at Phillips Reservoir, Mason Dam, and other critical structures in our area. For instance, Jeremy Dalling’s input on fracture modeling was especially useful as we continue building better forecasting tools for local water allocation.
Elaine also gathered contacts and insights from professionals like:
- Kira Christensen (USBR, Boise)
- Tyler Murray (Hermiston Irrigation District)
- Bryan Wood (Little Wood Dam, ID)
Their field stories, shared tools, and response strategies brought immense value to what we do here at home. We left the training with an awareness and confidence in our inspection routines and a better understanding of risk assessment. Our district is planning to apply for several grants that will allow us to take proactive steps to improve monitoring, reporting, and emergency preparedness — ensuring that the infrastructure you depend on is safe, resilient, and ready for the future. If you’re a water user, ag producer, or resident in our region, know that we are working hard behind the scenes to deliver water safely, sustainably, and reliably — even as the challenges grow.
-Elaine-