Gannett Fleming, Inc. Selected as Independent Consultant for Middle Fork Dam Project

Strategic Insights -

Gannett Fleming, Inc., a leading dam safety engineering firm, has been selected as the Independent Consultant (IC) team for the Middle Fork Dam Project. The team, led by Randy Bowersox, PE, and Matthew Parker, PE, will perform a Part 12D Periodic Inspection (PI) and prepare the Periodic Inspection Report (PIR) for the project.

The Middle Fork Dam Project is a critical infrastructure project that requires expertise in dam safety engineering, geology, geotechnical engineering, hydrology and hydraulics, seismicity, and gates/outlets. Gannett Fleming, Inc. has extensive experience in providing IC services for FERC-regulated projects, including Part 12D Inspections, potential failure mode analyses (PFMA), and Level 1-4 Risk Analyses (L1RA-L4RA).

Key Takeaways:

  • Gannett Fleming, Inc. has provided dam safety engineering services in California since the early 2000s and has worked on FERC-regulated projects for over two decades.
  • The firm has experience supporting IC services for various clients across California, including Nevada Irrigation District (NID), Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), Placer County Water Agency (PCWA), NCPA, Turlock Irrigation District (TID), and California Department of Water Resources (CA DWR).
  • Gannett Fleming, Inc. has a deep bench of qualified personnel, with over 200+ ICs, SMEs, and facilitators with expertise in dam safety inspections, instrumentation monitoring, risk analysis, and Level 1-4 Risk Analyses.
  • The firm has a program to intentionally develop junior staff to attain SME and IC status, ensuring a growing pool of IC Team candidates.
  • Gannett Fleming, Inc. has experience with risk-informed decision making (RIDM) and has leveraged strong working relationships within FERC's San Francisco Regional Office and FERC's RIDM Branch.
  • The IC team, led by Matthew Parker, PE, has extensive experience in dam safety inspections, instrumentation monitoring, risk analysis, leading FERC Part 12D inspections and workshops, emergency action plans (EAPs), and post-seismic event assessments.

Statistics:

  • 3,000+ dam safety engineers
  • 160+ years of dam safety engineering experience
  • 200+ PIs and CAs completed in California, including inspections at Ralston Afterbay Dam for PCWA, Spaulding Dam for a confidential utility client, Don Pedro Dam for TID, and the Oroville-Thermalito Complex for CA DWR.
  • 205+ Supporting Technical Information Documents/ Consultant's Safety Inspection Reports
  • 300+ Comprehensive Assessments (Under Updated Engineering Guidelines)
  • 8+ Potential Failure Mode Analyses
  • 195+ GFT's FERC Part 12D Experience

Sources:

  • Gannett Fleming, Inc. proposal document
  • Calaveras Public Utility District document submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
  • Engineering News-Record (ENR) 2024 Top Design Firms List for Dams and Reservoirs
  • Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Engineering Guidelines