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David Capka: Advancing Dam Safety at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Wanapum Dam, on the Columbia River in central Washington State, is licensed by FERC.
T
he Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) licenses almost all nonfederal hydropower dams in the United States. To maintain a license or exemption, dam owners must meet a number of criteria, including many related to dam safety, and carry out periodic inspections. Currently, FERC is considering significant technical revisions to the part 12 process, one of its main dam safety inspection processes. In this interview, David Capka, the director of FERC’s Division of Dam Safety and Inspections, tells Hydro Leader about the agency’s dam safety work, the status of the part 12 revision process, and new trends in dam safety risk analysis. Hydro Leader: Please tell us about your background and how you came to be in your current position.
30 | HYDRO LEADER | April 2021
Hydro Leader: Please tell us about FERC and how hydropower and dam safety fit into its overall mission. David Capka: FERC is an independent agency that regulates the interstate transmission of electricity, natural gas, and oil. FERC reviews proposals to build liquefied natural gas terminals and interstate natural gas pipelines and licenses hydropower projects. FERC’s mission is to guarantee efficient, safe, reliable, and secure energy for consumers. FERC is responsible for licensing nonfederal hydropower projects in the United States. Hydropower fits within the mission of guaranteeing safe, reliable, secure energy for consumers, and the safe part is where dam safety comes in. FERC retains oversight and jurisdiction over hydropower projects for their full license terms. hydroleadermagazine.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF WILLIAMBORG.
David Capka: I’ve got about 25 years of federal government engineering experience. I started with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Baltimore district as a civil engineer in the construction and engineering divisions, where I worked on dams, levees, and civil works projects. I transferred to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs
in Washington, DC, in 2005, and worked as a dam safety program manager. I then came to FERC in 2006. I started as a geotechnical engineer, then became headquarters branch chief, then deputy director, and now I am the director of the Division of Dam Safety and Inspections, a position I have held since March 2017.
