Feb. 26—Yuba Water Agency officials on Monday announced that Tim Truong, the agency's chief dam safety engineer, was elected to the board of directors for the U.S. Society on Dams.
According to its website, the U.S. Society on Dams (USSD) is a "world class organization dedicated to advancing the role of dam and levee systems and building the community of practice."
"Our members are professionals who advance the environmentally sustainable science of planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance of dams, levees and associated civil engineering projects. They lead the nation, and work with partner organizations worldwide to resolve the world's most critical resource problem: access to clean water," the organization says on its website. "USSD is the United States member of the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD). ICOLD leads the international dam profession in setting standards and guidelines to ensure that dams are built and operated safely; efficiently; economically; and are both environmentally sustainable and socially equitable."
Yuba Water officials said Truong will serve a three-year term on the board beginning in April. "Since joining the agency eight years ago, Tim has really elevated our Dam Safety Program and helped build key relationships with industry experts, other dam owners and our regulatory partners," Yuba Water's General Manager Willie Whittlesey said in a statement. "His election to the USSD board is well-deserved and will help us continue to build upon our commitment to dam safety."
According to officials, the USSD includes more than 1,300 professionals from across the dam industry, including public and private dam owners, state and federal regulators and others.
"I'm really looking forward to bringing a smaller organization's perspective to the USSD and expanding public awareness around dams," Truong said in a statement. "Many people aren't aware of the importance of dams for public safety, providing a reliable water supply and energy generation, and many people don't even know they have dams in their communities. One of my priorities as a board member will be to increase the USSD's educational and outreach offerings around the critical role that dams play in our society."
Officials said Truong has been a member of the USSD since 2016 and currently serves on its finance committee. He was elected to fill one of five vacant board member positions on the USSD's seven-person board.