The Current
Reclamation's Biweekly Newsletter
July 27, 2018
Reclamation has had a significant impact on the landscape of the American West. However, it is not widely known that Reclamation has also left a sizeable imprint internationally and is known worldwide for its expertise in dam safety, dam construction, water resources management, desalination, and sedimentation. Reclamation has also played a pivotal role in helping others to establish governmental water agencies so that they could develop and better manage their water resources.
Reclamation provides reimbursable technical assistance, training, seminars/workshops, visitor programs, and technology exchange to foreign governments and international organizations through authority delegated by the U.S. Department of State.
Technical assistance: Technical assistance programs typically entail the assignment of Reclamation experts overseas on a short-term basis. Each program is designed to address the specific needs of the requesting agency and all costs are fully reimbursable.
Technical Training and Visitors: Reclamation provides reimbursable technical training and technical visitors' programs for foreign visitors. Training programs are tailored to fit each request and vary in length from two days to one-year, usually combining office assignments and field visits or study tours to Reclamation's Denver, regional, and area offices.
Technical Cooperation and Technology Exchange: Reclamation periodically seeks to improve the technical capabilities of its personnel by participating in formal cooperative science and technology exchange programs with other countries, and more often through informal activities, such as attendance by Reclamation employees at various meetings, conferences and other forums. These activities are generally non-reimbursable.
Reclamation’s International Affairs Program, with staff in both Denver and Washington, D.C., serves as the point of contact for all international activities and serves as a liaison between foreign and international entities and Reclamations’ technical and subject matter experts. The program’s staff receives and reviews incoming requests, helps develop well-defined and manageable scopes of work, identifies available experts, works with other U.S. federal agencies to obtain clearances, and ensures other requirements are met for foreign delegations to visit the United States or for U.S. personnel to travel abroad. Throughout the years, Reclamation has worked in more than 70 countries, trained more than 6,000 professional staff from approximately 100 countries and welcomed more than 20,000 visitors from nearly every country in the world.
Most recently, The International Affairs office welcomed 31 participants from 10 countries to the 29th Safety Evaluation of Existing Dams International Technical Seminar and Study Tour.
The technical session, June 4-7 took place in Denver, Colorado, and consisted of classroom presentations and discussions. On June 8, participants traveled to Pueblo, Colorado, where Reclamation staff led participants in an abbreviated simulated dam examination. The post session study tour June 9-11 included site visits to Lewiston Dam, Trinity Dam, Keswick Dam and Shasta Dam in California.
Learn more at www.usbr.gov/international.
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