March 20, 2018

ASCE Oregon Section Meeting 

Detroit Dam, USACE

Reservoir Operations in the Willamette Under Climate Change

Dams are critical, interdependent elements of society's water infrastructure. As that infrastructure ages and environmental values and laws change, the management and operations of dams and reservoirs are also changing. These changes pose new challenges in, and highlights interactions between, the engineering, ecology, law, and socio-economics of dams. This seminar will present findings of analyses to examine the responses of reservoir performance in the Willamette River basin to climate change, increasing maintenance, and re-operation for early refill. Results will summarize analysis comparing sensitivity of individual basins (North and South Santiam), as well as the responses of the broader Willamette.

Schedule

6:00 PM - Networking
6:30 PM - Dinner
7:15 PM - Announcements
7:30 PM - Presentation

Desiree Tullos, PhD, PE, D.WRE 

Desiree Tullos, PhD, PE, D.WRE is a Professor in the Biological and Ecological Engineering Department at Oregon State University. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s in Civil Engineering and her PhD in Biological Engineering. Her research team investigates the interactions between river engineering and the physical and biological processes of rivers. Projects focus on questions that range from the particle to basin scale, with the emphasis on the sustainable management of water resources. In addition, she currently serves on the Independent Scientific Review Panel for Bonneville Power Administration’s Northwest Power and Conservation Council and the board of directors for the Natural Heritage Institute. She has also served on two National Research Council committees, including one on Sustainable Water and Environmental Management in the California Bay-Delta. Her teaching emphasizes design-based learning in her primary classes: River Engineering, Ecohydraulic Engineering, and Ecological Engineering – Systems Analysis.