‘LIFE OF A DAM’ – ANCOLD Webinar Series – Geotechnical site investigations

Presenter

Biography

Gavan Hunter

Gavan has more than 30 years of experience in geotechnical engineering, specialising in geotechnical dam engineering for water storage and tailings dams.  He has been involved with the assessment of performance, investigation, risk assessment, design, and construction of numerous dam projects in the past 20 years.  These projects have covered a broad range of geotechnical engineering application including soft ground engineering, slope stability assessment, risk assessment, foundation design, assessment of performance, cut-off wall design, liquefaction assessment, earthworks control, and design and construction advice.

For the past almost four years Gavan has provided independent technical review to water authorities and mining companies on a range of dam projects, mostly in Australia but also internationally.

Gavan completed his undergraduate at Melbourne University in 1986 and his doctorate at University New South Wales in 2003.  His thesis is titled “Pre and Post Failure Deformation Behaviour of Landslides in Soil Slopes” and was supervised by Emeritus Prof. Robin Fell.

Gavan represents ANCOLD on the ICOLD Embankment Dams Committee (Committee E).  Gavan has been on the ANCOLD committees for the updated guideline on design for earthquake and the new guideline on geotechnical investigations of dams.

Andrew Barclay

Andrew is a GHD Principal and Senior Technical Director of Engineering Geology, with 25 years of industry experience. Since early 2020 Andrew and his family has been living in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

Andrew holds a bachelor’s degree in geology and a master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering. He is a Fellow and Registered Professional Geoscientist (RPGeo) with the Australian Institute of Geoscientists, Fellow of the Geological Society of Australia, Member of the Australian Geomechanics Society, and Member of the International Association for Engineering Geology and the Environment.

He has broad ranging experience, encompassing planning and managing geotechnical investigations; developing engineering geological models; design of rock excavations, stabilisation treatments and foundations; construction monitoring; and design verification.

In 2017 and 2018 Andrew was part of the working group for the ANCOLD (2020) guidelines for geotechnical investigations of dams, their foundations, and appurtenant structures.

Over the last 15 years, Andrew has been the geotechnical lead for a diverse range of dam projects from the feasibility stage, through concept to detailed design, construction, and commissioning. Notable projects include Cotter Dam in Canberra, Kangaroo Creek Dam Upgrade in Adelaide, and recent work for Warragamba Dam in Sydney, which is the subject of today’s presentation.