The 2016 USSD Conference Theme is Celebrating the Value of Dams and Levees — Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Dams and levees have provided and will continue to provide significant benefits to our society. These benefits include; recreation, habitat and environ- mental enhancement, flood control, water supply, irrigation, renewable energy and navigation. Many of our existing dams and levees provide greater benefits today than they did when they were first constructed and they will be needed to provide even greater benefits to address the challenges of the future.

Dams and levees are not without their undesirable impacts and a number of individuals and organizations have emerged over the last several decades that have worked very effectively to address these impacts. This focus has resulted in minimizing, eliminating or mitigating many of the impacts. Unfortunately, this focus has also resulted in casting an unrealistically negative image on dams and levees. Further, a vocal minority of these individuals and organizations seem more interested in advancing idealistic agendas than in finding real solutions and have, in many instances, used questionable methods to advance their cause.

USSD has been and continues to be a source for balance and reason — neither ignoring the negative impacts of these important facilities nor their benefits. USSD and its members have worked and continue to work to identify and advance real solutions that minimize impacts and maximize the benefits of dams and levees.

This year’s theme is not intended to ignore the challenges or impacts of dams and levees, nor unevenly or irrationally advocate for dams and levees. Rather, in addition to discussing the issues and challenges, as we have in the past, we have asked this year’s authors to include some discussion of the benefit(s) that the various dam, levee and related technologies described in their paper, presentation and or poster provide in order to remind ourselves and the greater community of the need for and value of dams and levees to society and to cast dams and levees in a more reasonable and balanced manner.

Also join us for the Workshop on Closure of Tailings Dams