The California Division of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has fined the state's Department of Water Resources following a 2009 accident at the Edward Hyatt hydropower plant. DWR is appealing the citations, wire services reported.

Upper Potomac River Commission officials say the Savage River Reservoir in western Maryland can now be refilled after three of four dam gates have been replaced at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Savage Dam.

The Bureau of Reclamation, an agency of the Department of the Interior, awarded an $11.8 million contract to CJW Construction Inc., of Santa Ana, Calif., for sediment removal at Imperial Diversion Dam.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a contract for seismic mitigation work at its 1,076.6-MW Bonneville Lock and Dam, on the Columbia River in Oregon, to Wildish Standard Paving Co. of Eugene, Ore.

A new dam safety classification system is being used to screen 14 Army Corps of Engineers dams in the Omaha and Lincoln areas.

 The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has awarded an $843,000 contract under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to Research Triangle Institute to support scientific investigations to evaluate the economic potential for advancing fisheries restoration by removing four dams, and whether it is in the public interest to do so.

Sinohydro Corporation Limited and the Ministry of Development of Brunei signed a construction contract for the Ulu Tudong Dam project at Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital city of Brunei, Sinohydro reported.

The Volta River Authority is preparing an Emergency Preparedness Plan to identify, prevent and limit the effects of potential dam failures at Akosombo and Kpong.

The United States Society on Dams will award one $10,000 and two $1,000 Scholarships as well as a trip to the 2010 USSD Annual Meeting and Conference in Sacramento, Calif.

The United States Society on Dams is asking USSD members to make nominations for awards to be presented at the upcoming annual conference in California.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Association of State Dam Safety Officials are hosting the Third Annual National Dam Security Forum in conjunction with Dam Safety 2010 Sept. 19-23 in Seattle, Wash., at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has awarded Minnesota-based Abhe & Svoboda, Inc., a US$12.2 million contract to replace the protective coating on two penstocks at its 94.5-MW Flatiron hydroelectric project in Colorado.