Extreme floods are regularly making news headlines and again recently in Nigeria or India. As the main professional organization on dams, ICOLD is of course very concerned about the implications of floods for dams security. The last technical bulletin just published by ICOLD is precisely dealing with the safe passage of extreme floods.

The following subjects are addressed in this Bulletin:

--. Confidence Level Assessment of Design Flood Estimates

-- Strategy for planning spillway arrangements with emphasis of floods exceeding design flood

-- Project facilities means to deal with floods in excess of design flood

-- Operational procedures and flood warning system

-- Cases studies: some experiences on safe passage of extreme flood in China, Canada and Brazil

The adequate management of floods is of fundamental importance either for dam safety and for the security these dams should provide. According to statistical overviews (ICOLD, 1995 and 2003), in recent times flood events have been the main natural hazard responsible for human and economic losses and one of the main reasons for dam failures. This is particularly true for small dams with heights 30 meters or less.

Bulletin 142 is available at a price of 60 Euros per copy (plus VAT at 5.5 per cent for France and EEC purchasers who have not given their VAT identification number).

192 pages, bilingual English/French, in 9 chapters. Illustrated cover.

About ICOLD

The International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) was founded in 1928 to provide a forum for discussion and for the exchange of knowledge and experience in dam engineering for engineers and others concerned with the development of water resources.

With a present total of 95 member countries, ICOLD leads the profession in ensuring that dams are built and operated safely, efficiently, economically, and with a minimum environmental impact. For more than 20 years, ICOLD has been particularly concerned to enhance the profession's awareness of the social and environmental aspects of dams and reservoirs, and to broadening its perspective in such a way that these aspects receive the same attention and conscientious treatment as the technical aspects.