We recognize that each project is unique and various structures, analyses, and instrumentation will need to be evaluated for a FERC Part 12D Comprehensive Assessment.
As an example, our IC Team offers Mr. Damian Gomez, P.E. and Ms. Heather Newton, P.E., as either single or Co-Independent Consultants for Part 12D inspections and preparation of the CA-PIPR, CAR, and L2RA reports. Mr. Jerry Gomez, P.E., is available to serve as a Facilitator for PFMA Workshops and co-Facilitator with Mr. Mark Baker of DamCrest Consulting for the Level 2 Risk Assessments (L2RAs). Mr. Baker would be the primary Facilitator for the L2RAs.
In the example presented above, the two Independent Consultants would also serve as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) for the PFMA Workshops and L2RAs. Damian Gomez, P.E. would serve as an SME for hydrologic and hydraulic engineering. Heather Newton, P.E., would serve as an SME for structural/geotechnical engineering. Mark Baker, P.E. would also serve as an SME for the PFMA Workshop as a dam safety engineer.
For the L2RA, both Jerry Gomez, P.E., and Mark Baker, P.E., would serve as SMEs in their respective areas of expertise (civil/geotechnical/H&H for Mr. Gomez and general dam safety for Mr. Baker) for applicable potential failure modes, and would alternately Facilitate the L2RA where their expertise was less applicable. In this approach, the combined skillset, experience, and knowledge of our IC Team will be best applied to comprehensively perform a hydroelectric project’s Comprehensive Assessment, PFMA Workshop, and L2RA.
Brief bios and relevant risk analysis training for each of these individuals are provided below:
Mr. D. Gomez has over 17 years of experience in civil and water resources engineering focused primarily on dam and public safety, hydrology, and hydraulics. His expertise includes hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, GIS model development, preparation of flood inundation mapping, and stability analyses of dams. His experience includes performing engineering services for over 70 dams, many of which are under the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and he is a FERC-approved Independent Consultant for Part 12D dam safety inspections.
He has performed dam breach analyses for Inflow Design Flood (IDF) studies, Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) and PMF studies (including site-specific PMP/PMF studies), and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Part 12D dam safety inspections. His hydraulic modeling experience includes complex systems requiring 2-D and 3-D hydrodynamic Computation Fluid Dynamic (CFD) hydraulic models, with applications focusing on dam safety. His other areas of focus include stability analyses of dams and public safety, where he has led two large FEMA flood insurance studies, including one for the East Branch Delaware River.
Mr. D. Gomez is available to serve as an Independent Consultant and/or Subject Matter Expert for PFMA Workshops and Level 2 Risk Assessments (L2RAs).
Ms. Newton is a FERC-approved Independent Consultant and a licensed professional engineer with over 12 years of structural and geotechnical engineering experience associated with dam safety, dam stability, and repair/rehabilitation projects. She has analyzed the stability and structural integrity of a variety of water retaining structures; designed steel and concrete structures for new construction and remediation; participated in Potential Failure Modes Analysis (PFMA) sessions and risk assessment workshops; assisted with the development of Supporting Technical Information (STI) documents, Dam Safety Surveillance and Monitoring Reports (DSSMRs), and FERC Part 12D Reports; been responsible for the inspection and structural assessments of several penstocks; and supported dam pile analyses and dam safety audit and training programs.
Ms. Newton has also conducted close-up Tainter gate inspections and completed structural analyses of various types of gates. Her experience includes performing engineering and dam safety services for over 70 dams, many of which are under the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Ms. Newton is available to serve as an Independent Consultant and/or Subject Matter Expert for PFMA Workshops and L2RAs.
Mr. J. Gomez is Gomez and Sullivan’s Principal‐in‐Charge of dam safety. His professional career has focused on the design and analysis of dams, flood control, hydroelectric power, and water resources projects since 1975. His experience includes the hydrologic, hydraulic, geotechnical, and structural analyses/design of numerous significant dams, with several well over 200-feet high. He has been responsible for the design of nine new dams and has conducted the investigation or rehabilitative design of more than 50 existing dams.
Mr. J. Gomez has completed over 100 FERC Part 12D Safety Inspections and facilitated the Potential Failure Mode Analysis of more than 75 dams and has participated in the development of FERC’s Risk Informed Decision Making (RIDM) guidelines. He has also been the P.I.C. for FEMA flood insurance studies, has completed flood control and waterways/navigation studies for five COE districts and has been a member of Board of Consultants for the peer review of dam safety hydrologic and hydraulic studies and geotechnical programs.
Mr. J. Gomez is available to serve as an Independent Consultant, Facilitator for PFMA Workshops, co-Facilitator for Level 2 Risk Assessments, and/or as a Subject Matter Expert for PFMA Workshops and L2RAs.
Mr. Baker is the Principal of DamCrest Consulting and has over 37 years of dam safety experience, including 25 years of experience with risk-informed dam safety programs with the Bureau of Reclamation and 8 years as the Dam & Levee Safety Officer of the National Park Service. As an employee of USBR and NPS he had regular training in the USBR’s Best Practices in Dam and Levee Safety Risk Analysis. Mr. Baker has performed Semi-Quantitative Risk Analysis (SQRA) for flood risk and he has served as the Facilitator for Quantitative Risk Analyses and for Potential Failure Modes Analyses. He is the founder and co-leader of the ASDSO Dam Failures & Incidents Committee and was the founder and co-leader of the Washington D.C. Silver Jackets flood risk management group. Mr. Baker participated in peer reviews of the TVA and California dam safety programs; he has written and developed numerous papers, presentations, guidelines, policies, and short films about dam & levee safety; and Mr. Baker led the Spencer Dam Failure Independent Investigation team.
Mr. Baker is available to serve as a Facilitator for PFMA Workshops, Facilitator for Level 2 Risk Assessments, and/or as a Subject Matter Expert for PFMA Workshops and L2RAs.
Ms. Crandall is a licensed civil engineer with experience focused on dam safety projects. She has assisted project managers with hydrology/hydraulic analyses, dambreak/IDF analyses, and rehabilitative design of existing dams. She has performed alternatives analyses and stability calculations for new and existing structures, as well as prepared cost estimates and project drawings. Ms. Crandall has worked on projects in the planning, design, bidding, and construction stages and prepared and filed necessary permits and reports. She has served as an evaluator on EAP functional exercises, and has performed EAP updates and redistribution for numerous State and Federally-regulated dams.
Ms. Crandall has assisted with FERC Part 12D Dam Safety Inspections and PFMA review sessions, and has prepared (or assisted in the preparation of) the subsequent Part 12D reports, PFMA supplements, and Supporting Technical Information Document (STID) revisions. Preparation of these reports included review and evaluation of operations and maintenance procedures, hydrology and hydraulics, geology/seismicity, stability analyses, and instrumentation monitoring data with respect to impacts on dam safety. She has also served as Project Manager for Public Safety Plan (PSP) updates at multiple hydropower projects, and has prepared Dam Safety Surveillance and Monitoring Plans (DSSMPs) and annual Dam Safety Surveillance and Monitoring Reports (DSSMRs).
Ms. Crandall is available to serve as the notetaker for PFMA Workshops and L2RAs.
The following paragraphs highlight relevant experience of GSE staff who are available to support the IC Team, as appropriate, based on the structures and needs of a given project.
Mr. Frazier has provided management and environmental science services for geology and hydrogeology-related projects for over thirty years. His experience is wide-ranging and includes field geology and drilling services; hydraulic analysis and capacity/transmissivity testing of water bearing units; stratigraphic mapping and erosion assessments; assessment of foundations and instrumentation for dam safety, including rock scour/plucking analyses; geotechnical investigations for construction related projects; contaminant assessment and remediation design; and project management for multi-disciplined environmental science studies.
Ms. Posson is a Professional Engineer with 10 years of experience in geotechnical subsurface explorations and dam safety. Her expertise includes the development and oversight of subsurface soil and rock investigations, on-site soil and rock classifications, preparing boring logs and boring log templates, data analysis, preparing geotechnical memos and drilling contract documents, and performing dam inspections. Ms. Posson also has experience in performing slope stability and seepage analyses using GeoStudio software, estimating soil properties based upon subsurface investigations and laboratory test data, preparing bearing capacity and settlement calculations of shallow and deep foundations, and calculating axial capacities and lateral analyses of drilled shafts. Her experience also includes stability analyses of concrete gravity dams and development, review and assessment of lab testing of foundation bedrock to assess strength parameters for stability analyses.
Richard Scott is a civil engineer with specialization in the design, manufacture and installation of large-scale water control gates and valves. Retiring as Engineering Manager at Rodney Hunt Company in 2013, he has 30+ years of experience in all aspects of gate and valve design and manufacture, including product and installation design, quality assurance and field service. Since establishing RM Scott & Associates LLC in 2013, he has provided independent consulting services to project owners, consulting engineers, and manufacturers. Clients have included Denver Water Board, several large engineering firms, Analysis, Planning and Management Institute, Colorado River Water Conservancy District, Whipps, Fontaine, Ross Valve, Steel Fab and Rodney Hunt Inc.
Mr. Fostiak has over 45 years of experience in all facets of hydroelectric generation – design, construction, factory inspections/testing, commissioning, and operations/maintenance. He has served as lead electrical engineer and project manager on numerous hydroelectric projects throughout the world. His experience ranges from small, run-of-river hydroelectric plants to some of the largest in the world. Mr. Fostiak has designed controls for gates and outlet valves at dams for both onsite and remote (SCADA) operations, and he has evaluated the reliability and failure modes of existing spillway gate operators. He has developed electrical line drawings and technical specifications for FERC submittals for new operators and rehabilitation of existing components. Mr. Fostiak also has extensive experience with high voltage transmission and electrical distribution systems. Mr. Fostiak has published numerous articles and papers for the hydroelectric industry and is an active member of the IEEE Hydroelectric Power Subcommittee and is instrumental in the development of new standards for the hydroelectric industry.
Mr. Griffin is a senior structural engineer with over 30 years of experience in the structural analysis and design of civil engineering projects, including locks, dams, spillways, powerhouses, gate structures, bridges, railroad structures, and retaining walls. Mr. Griffin has also provided facility engineering services to paper mills, manufacturing plants, and defense contractors. His responsibilities have included the design and analysis of new structures, rehabilitation of existing structures, preparation of construction plans and specifications, review of shop drawings, and construction support services.
Mr. Miller is a water resources engineer with experience in water resources, stormwater management, civil engineering, and site development projects from the planning through construction stages. As a hydrologic and hydraulic specialist, his technical experience includes the development of flow duration curves, headwater/tailwater rating curves, hydrologic modeling of events up to the probable maximum flood, and hydraulic models including one-, two-, and three-dimensional analyses. Mr. Miller’s project experience spans from model development and peer review, inundation mapping, design drawing development, and report preparation, as well as client and public presentations. Regarding risk assessments of dams, Mr. Miller is currently developing a large dambreak model to be used in the hydrologic hazard assessment for a L2RA. Mr. Miller’s relevant training includes the following:
