Impact of Animals on Earth Dams
Credits: 8 PDH
PDH Course Description:
This online engineering PDH course provides a fundamental understanding and technical knowledge of potential detrimental impacts of nuisance wildlife on the safety of earthen dams and methods of controlling and/or removing the listed animal species.. It will introduce you to the principles and practices of identifying problems in existing earthen dams that are the result of animal activity. Some common misconceptions concerning animal activity on dams will be presented. This course will also give you an introduction to the steps necessary to protect a dam from potentially serious damage from nuisance wildlife.The purpose of this manual was for FEMA to provide a comprehensive survey of animal impacts on earthen dams across the United States. The results of the survey indicate that there is too often a wide gap between the known best practices of animal activity relative to dam safety and the perceived acceptable level of maintenance by many dam owners.
Topics:
- Awareness of the seriousness of dam safety problems associated with animal impacts
- Understanding of dam safety issues by reviewing current damage control policies
- Understanding of the habitat of common nuisance wildlife
- Understanding of the range and behavior of common nuisance wildlife
- Understanding of the habitat of common nuisance wildlife
- Learning about the descriptions and range of common nuisance wildlife
- Analyzing biological data to determine which specific nuisance wildlife inhabits the dam
- Methods of proper identification of common nuisance wildlife
- Understanding remediation design considerations related to dam damage from animals
- Learning about procedures for management of desirable animal activity on earthen dams
- Learning useful statistics on dams damaged by animal activity
- Understanding the collective view of state and federal dam safety officials
- Learning about the different methods for repairing damage caused by animals
- Knowing the recommended methods controlling different species of animals
- Learning how to recognize different species of animals and their activity
- Learning about the use of construction methods for control of animal activity
- Understanding the relationship between well compacted soil and animal activity
- Learning about the rules of thumb for analysis of dam safety conditions
- Identifying the five (5) safety inspection and evaluation zones
- Understanding the pros and cons of regular maintenance versus long term remediation
- Understanding the compounding affect of smaller animals attracting larger predators
- Understanding the compounding physical and economic effects of delayed maintenance
- Learning about the guidelines for estimating costs of maintenance and remediation
- Understanding the critical need to maintain animal activity in a timely manner
To take this course:
1.) Enroll in Course: Click below to enroll:
(must be logged into your user account)
Download the Study Guide
3.) Test: Once you've thoroughly read the course materials, please click below to take the final examination.
Take the final exam
4.) Certificate: A passing grade of 70% or higher on the exam, is required to receive the certificate of completion for this PDH course.
NOTE: After the exam is completed, you will need to return to this page, in order to print (download) the certificate of completion.
Print the Certificate of Completion
Intended Audience: This course is intended for use by civil, hydraulic, water resources, environmental, and other engineers whose job description may require a general knowledge of the impact which animals may have on earthen dams.
Publication Source: US FEMA
D. Allen Hughes, PE