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| Harleman Lecture -
2003 'The Role of Reservoirs in Sustainable Water Resources Development in the United States' William, B. Bingham, P.E. Vice President, Corporate Practice Leader Gannett Fleming, Inc.
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Speaker Biography
Mr. William Bingham received his B.S.C.E. degree from Lafayette College in 1966. He has worked for Gannett Fleming, Inc. for 35 years and currently holds the position of Vice President and Corporate Leader for Earth Science and Hydraulics. Mr. Bingham has the overall responsibility for developing, coordinating, and overseeing services for governmental water resource agencies nationwide, as well as identifying and developing new technologies. He also serves as the firm's national representative for the dams and flood control practice. Mr. Bingham specializes in the areas of dam and flood control engineering with involvement as Project Principal, Project Manager, Project Engineer, or Quality Team Leader on more than 15 flood control projects, 35 new dam projects, 80 dam rehabilitation projects, 120 annual dam safety inspections, 30 Phase I dam safety inspections, and numerous dam feasibility investigations and reports. He is experienced in studies, designs, cost estimates, specifications, and public meetings on diverse assignments such as new dam and dam rehabilitation designs; basinwide flood control studies; water supply alternative studies; flood control investigation and reports; existing flood control project rehabilitation design; field surveys; water needs assessments; and flood damage assessments.
Mr. Bingham is an active member of several professional societies. He received the "President's Award" in 1994 and the "Award of Merit" in 1991 from the Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO), was selected by "Engineering News Record" as one of the top 25 newsmakers in the construction industry for 1996, he was named Engineer of the Year in Pennsylvania in 2000 by the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers and appointed to the National Dam Safety Review Board by FEMA. He serves as Chair of the ASDSO's Peer Review Program which has performed peer reviews of 26 state dam safety programs and dam safety programs of the Corps of Engineers, the Department of the Interior, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, BC Hydro, and Ontario Power Generation. He is President of the United States Society on Dams (the U.S. member of the International Commission on Large Dams) for 2001-2003. Mr. Bingham has authored more than 20 technical papers and articles.
Mr. Bingham is licensed as a Professional Engineer in Pennsylvania as well as 3 other states.
Abstract
Dams and reservoirs have played a major role in the development of sustainable water resources for mankind for more than 5000 years. This lecture will examine the role of dams and reservoirs as we seek to meet the ever increasing demands for more water for our growing population and at the same time preserve the environment for future generations. The lecture will discuss the historical development of dams and reservoirs to lay a foundation for understanding our nation’s current water resources needs and two projects: the Olivenhain Dam, a 320 feet high roller-compacted concrete gravity dam, is located in a dry canyon in San Diego County, California and Hunting Run Dam, a 90 feet high dam in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. The talk will examine the current state of our nation’s water resources programs, how they compare with other parts of the world, and how we must find new approaches to meeting our needs.