Background
The International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) is a non-governmental International Organisation which provides a forum for the exchange of knowledge and experience in dam engineering. The Organisation leads the profession in ensuring that dams are built safely, efficiently, economically, and without detrimental effects on the environment. ICOLD was founded in 1928 and has National Committees from 80 countries with approximately 6,000 individual members, who are practising engineers, geologists and scientists from governmental and private organisations, consulting firms, universities, laboratories and construction companies.

Its original aim was to encourage advances in the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of large dams and their associated civil works, by collecting and disseminating relevant information and by studying related technical questions. Since the late sixties, focus was put on subjects of current concern such as dam safety, monitoring of performance, reanalysis of older dams and spillways, effects of ageing and environmental impact. More recently, new topics include cost studies at the planning and construction stages, harnessing international rivers, and information for the public at large, and financing.

The Commission pursues its goals through:

• Technical Committees which issue between 2 to 10 technical books, bulletins or registers a year.
• Three-yearly Congresses with discussions on four technical subjects. Between 200 and 300 papers are submitted, totalling 6,000 pages within 5 Volumes, discussions included.
• One-day or day-and-a-half technical Symposia.
  Technical lectures.
• Wokshops organised by Technical Committees.

Further information about ICOLD and its activities are available on the ICOLD website (http://www.icold-cigb.org). The British Dam Society forms the UK Section of ICOLD. The BDS committee is also the UK National Committee of ICOLD (UKCOLD)

ICOLD CIRCULARS
ICOLD send BDS circular letters on events, bulletins and administration of ICOLD. A list of these is provided with the agenda to the Main Committee Meetings. Copies are available from the BDS Secretary.

ICOLD Technical Committees
The functions of most of the technical committees is to produce Technical Bulletins. A list of bulletins is on the back of each issue of Dams & Reservoirs. BDS is currently represented on the majority of ICOLD technical. Meetings of all the Technical Committees are held at the ICOLD annual Meetings. Reports from the BDS representatives are periodically published in Dams & Reservoirs.

Draft Bulletins
Comments are invited from National Committees on draft bulletins prior to publication. The draft bulletins are now available on the ICOLD website. A password is obtained via the relevant circular letter. Usually a BDS member will volunteer to review a draft bulletin. The review or reviews are sent via the BDS Technical Secretary to the chairman of the committee producing the document. The British Representative, if any, must also be sent the comments.

Completed ICOLD Bulletins
A list of ICOLD bulletins is on the back page of Dams & Reservoirs with details of how to obtain them. Information is also on the ICOLD website. A review of the ICOLD bulletins for Dams & Reservoirs is usually undertaken by a BDS member.

ICOLD Congresses
ICOLD Congresses currently take place every three years. The first Congress was in Washington in 1936. Four questions are addressed at each Congress. Papers are published in the Transactions, but are not presented at the Congress. There are two sessions for discussion of each question.

List of Congresses

For each congress a small BDS sub-committee is set up to ensure that suitable papers of high technical merit from members of the British Dam Society are submitted to the congress and that costs to BDS are kept reasonably low.