Please join us for a special AIH webinar on October 14, 2022 from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM PT

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Webinar Description: A sizable portion of flood risk assessment and risk-based design of hydraulic structures in the U.S. involves estimation of annual exceedance probability (AEP) of peak flows on streams regulated to some extent by reservoirs or other hydraulic structures. For unregulated streams, time series of recorded annual peak flows are normally considered to be random samples of independent, identically distributed random variables associated with precipitation and runoff. For river systems regulated by multipurpose reservoirs, however, peak reservoir releases may be largely unrelated to peak reservoir inflows. This online seminar examines characteristics of regulated and unregulated streams relative to estimation of flow-frequency relationships, presents alternative approaches to flow frequency estimation on regulated streams and their limitations, and identifies areas of needed future research.

Webinar Learning Objectives:

• Identify principal distinctions between unregulated and regulated streams relative to estimation of annual exceedance probability (AEP) of peak flows.
• Compare and contrast flow-frequency relationships derived using traditional statistical approaches to analysis of historical floods on unregulated and regulated streams.
• Identify alternative approaches to flow-frequency analysis of regulated streams and their limitations.
• (Extra credit) Suggest productive areas of future research.

Speaker: George McMahon PhD, PH

Vice President, National Expert – Water Management, Arcadis, Atlanta, GA george.mcmahon@arcadis.com

Dr. McMahon has accumulated more than 50 years of water resources planning, engineering, design, construction, operations, and management experience throughout the U.S. and worldwide. Areas of practice include hydrology and hydraulic analysis and design; hydropower engineering; comprehensive river basin planning; institutional capacity development for water management; reservoir and river systems analysis; modeling and model integration; planning and real-time water control decision support; dam safety and emergency actions planning; coastal and waterways engineering; peer review and expert testimony. He has authored one book and more than 60 peer-reviewed journal papers, conference proceedings papers, and technical reports on technical, economic and policy aspects of water resources planning and management.

Dr. McMahon has been an AIH member and Professional Hydrologist since 1987, and currently serves on the Board of Directors as Vice President of Policy and Advocacy. He is also a Life Member of ASCE and EWRI Fellow, and an Associate Editor of the ASCE Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management. In 2022 he received the EWRI Planning and Management Council Service to the Profession Award.