Dams & reservoirs day 2026

Europe is home to over 8000 large dams holding more than 450 billion m3 of water. These infrastructure play a crucial role in water management, energy production, irrigation, flood mitigation, drinking water and climate change resilience.

We are pleased to announce the Dams and Reservoirs Day 2026. This day is an annual celebration established by EURCOLD (ICOLD European Club) and held in May. The initiative was launched by the Italian Committee on Large Dams (ITCOLD) to advocate for and recognize contributions to promote knowledge about the role of dams, reservoirs, tailing dams, and levees in economic, social, and environmental contexts. The event was first celebrated on May 29, 2024, under the motto “Dam Day: Reservoirs for Europe”.

This year, the third celebration will take place on May 24, 2026 with active participation of EURCOLD member countries.

The focal theme for this year will be about “Securing water Resilience for Europe”.

This message highlights the critical importance of ensuring the safety, sustainability, and reliability of water resources and infrastructure across Europe.

In line with this theme, the main objectives for the Dams and Reservoirs Day 2026 includes:

• Addressing challenges in water management and reservoir operation across Europe- promoting best practices and knowledge sharing;
• Enhancing dam safety and resilience to ensure the long-term sustainability of Europe’s water infrastructure,
• Promoting flexibility and adaption of water infrastructure in response to climate change impacts,
• Raising public awareness about the crucial role of dams, reservoirs, and levees for water resilience,
• Educating children, young people, and local communities on dams, reservoirs and levees, valuable contributions towards sustainable social development and prosperity. Providing students and young professionals with information on job opportunities in the sector,
• Promoting interactions between professionals and administrative bodies. Encouraging cooperation among stakeholders to strengthen European water security.

Dams and Reservoirs Day 2026 is celebrated across Europe with various events that showcase the crucial role of these infrastructures. The event highlights their resilience and adaptability to climate change extremes—such as floods and droughts—while addressing the growing demand for potable water, energy production, and irrigation. Related activities may also take place in the days leading up to or following the official celebration day.

EURCOLD will actively support and encourage all European National Committees to organise activities within the framework of this important event, such as Site visits to dams and reservoirs, Workshops with young engineers and students in cooperation with universities, photo competitions or others, promoting the dam and reservoir sector, and meetings of the dam engineering community with governing, legislative and decision making bodies, etc Events at the national level are coordinated by the European National Committees.

EURCOLD organizes activities and works closely with National Committees to enhance engagement, ensure synchronization, and promote the main objectives of Dams and Reservoirs Day 2026. Furthermore, EURCOLD will also plan activities and promote the European dam sector during the ICOLD Annual meeting in Guadalajara, Mexico, in the last week of May 2026.

We invite all European members and Committees to actively participate in this Initiative and contribute to strengthening water resilience across Europe.

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