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Geotechnical, Water Resources and Dam Safety Engineering

EMAIL:   cfindlay@findlayengineering.com

70 Old Field Road, Yarmouth, ME 04096
Phone: (207) 846-1465
FAX: (207) 846-3434

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FOR PROFILES OF PROJECT EXPERIENCE AND PHOTOGRAPHS
CLICK ON ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:

1) FERC Part 12 Inspection Experience
2) Dam Investigation, Analysis and Design Experience
3) Erosion and Sedimentation Experience

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FEI Offers The Following Services:

> FERC Part 12, Potential Failure Modes Analysis and Other Periodic Dam Inspections  Independent Consultant and Facilitator Services
> Embankment Dam Slope Stability (Limit Equilibrium Slope Stability Analysis)
> Embankment Dam Earthquake Analysis (FEM Static and Dynamic Stresses, Liquefaction Triggering, Post-Earthquake Stability, and Seismic Deformation)
> Dam Instrumentation, Relief Well, Drains (Installation, Assessment, Maintenance Consultation)
> Concrete Gravity Dam Analyses (Base Stress, Cracked Base, Sliding, Overturning, 2D and 3D Static and Dynamic FEM, Pseudodynamic)
> 3D Concrete Arch Dam and Slab and Buttress Dam Stress Analysis (Static and Dynamic FEM; Response Spectrum or Time History Analyses)
> Arch Dam Abutment Rock Slope Stability (Block and Wedge Analyses, including Arch Dam Thrust) 
>
Seepage And Dewatering Analyses (Steady State And Transient FEM and Finite Difference)
> 3D FEM Radial Gate Analyses of Trunnion Friction Effects
> Erosion and Sedimentation Studies, Consultation, Shoreline Stabilization Design
> Operational Effects on Erosion and Sedimentation

Findlay Engineering, Inc. (FEI) was formed by Dr. R. Craig Findlay, P.E., G.E. in April, 1998 to provide dam safety and geotechnical engineering services to the Hydroelectric and Water Resources Industry.   In the competitive world of electrical generation, it is necessary for power generators to get the most for their money in all expenditures......and on the schedule that they need it.  FEI was formed with the idea of providing high quality hydro-related engineering services, attentive to the client’s needs and schedule, without the high overhead of a large company. FEI’s measure of success with a client is repeat business.

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Dr. Findlay's Summary of Experience:

Dr. Findlay's 36 years in the dam safety, water resources and geotechnical engineering profession includes a broad variety of consulting and project engineering experience, over 29 years of which have included involvement with hydroelectric projects.  He has served as technical lead or lead geotechnical engineer on hundreds of dam related projects.  Dr. Findlay has worked on several greenfield design and remediation projects which have given him broad experience with water resources projects including earth dam and embankment design and instrumentation; powerhouse, spillway and headworks foundations; stability, liquefaction and deformation analysis; seepage and piping assessments; finite element analysis of stresses in embankments, gravity dams, arch dams and radial gates; finite element analysis of earthquake response of embankments, gravity dams, and arch dams; unlined canal design; water retaining structure remediations; cement-bentonite cutoffs and slurry walls; grouting; anchor design; and dam safety inspections.  

Dr. Findlay has been an Independent Consultant for FERC Part 12 and Other Dam Safety Inspections/Analyses and Potential Failure Modes Analyses for owners including:

AER NY Gen
Alabama Power Company (Southern Company Generation)
Algonquin Power
American Electric Power Company
Avista Corporation (formerly Washington Water Power)
Brookfield Power New York
California Department of Water Resources
Central Nebraska Public Service and Irrigation District
Central Vermont Public Service
City of Danville, Virginia
Duke Power Company
EGE Fortuna SA (Republic of Panama)
Entergy-Arkansas, Inc.
Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB)
Florida Power and Light (FPL Energy)

Georgia Power Company (Southern Company Generation)

Henwood Energy Services, Inc.
Idaho Power Company
Manitoba Hydro
Nebraska Public Power District
New Hampshire DES - Water Division
Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation
North American Energy Mass
Northern Lights, Inc.

PacifiCorp

Pacific Gas & Electric Company
PowerSouth Energy Cooperative
Reliant Energy

SCANA

Southern California Edison Company
Sugar River Hydro
Synergics Energy Services
Utica Power Authority

Vista Irrigation District

We Energies
 

Craig has presented and/or published several technical papers on dam seepage, dam remediation, reservoir erosion and in situ soil property measurement for technical societies including USCOLD, ASDSO, ASCE, the Canadian Geotechnical Society, American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) and the Transportation Research Board.

Published Papers Include:

Findlay, R.C., and Jensen, Mary C, (2011), “Noxon Rapids Dam Sudden Seepage and Erratic Piezometer Behavior”, a paper presented at the 2011 ASDSO Annual Convention, Washington, DC, September.

Findlay, R.C., and Pelletier, Michael, A, (2011), “Abbott Brook Dike Seismic and Seepage Rehabilitation”, a paper presented at the 2011 ASDSO Annual Convention, Washington, DC, September.

Findlay, R.C.; Knarr, Michael; Hawkins, G.E.; and Yen, J., (2010), “Mammoth Pool Dam Fragility Analysis”, Proceedings of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials Annual Convention, in Seattle, WA, September 25.

Findlay, R.C., (2009) “Fragility Analysis of Mammoth Pool Dam - Status Report”, Presented at the Western Forum, Bechtel Meeting Facilities, San Francisco, California, Sponsored by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, California DSOD, PG&E, Southern California Edison, USACOE, and USBR, January 15-16, 2009.

Findlay, R.C., Hawkins, G.E., and Yen, J., (2008), “Use of a Net Instead of a Line when Fishing for Threshold Values for Deviant Piezometers”, Proceedings of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials Annual Convention, in Indian Wells, California, September 10.

Findlay, R.C., Pelletier, Michael A., (2006), "Rehabilitation to Reduce Piping Potential in the Skelton Dam Artesian Pressure Drainage System", Presented at and Published in the Proceedings of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials Annual Convention, in Boston, Massachusetts.

Findlay, R.C. and Rabasca, S.J., (2004) "Diversion Dam: Seismic Stability and Seepage Assessment/Rehabilitation", Published in the Journal of Dam Safety, Association of State Dam Safety Officials, Lexington, Kentucky.

Findlay, R.C. and Rabasca, S.J., (2003) "Diversion Dam - Seismic Stability Assessment and Rehabilitation", Presented at Waterpower XIII and published in the conference proceedings, Buffalo, New York.

Rabasca, S.J., and Findlay, R.C. (2003) "Seismic and Seepage Remediation of Diversion Dam", Presented at and published in the conference proceedings of the 2003 US Society on Dams Annual Lecture, Charleston, South Carolina.

Findlay, R.C., Pelletier, Michael A., (2002), "Foundation Pressure Reduction and Monitoring at Skelton Embankment Dam", Presented at and Published in the Proceedings of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials Annual Convention, in Tampa, Florida.

Findlay, R. C., And Millikan, D.L., (2000), "Arch Dam Abutment Stability at Big Creek Dam 4", Published in the ASDSO Newsletter, Nov./Dec. 2000, Vol.16, No.6.

Findlay, R.C., Hsu, F.T., Tracy, L.T., and Viau, J.L., (2000), "Geotechnical Aspects of Schaghticoke Penstock Replacement", Presented at and Published in the Proceedings of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials Annual Convention, in Providence, Rhode Island.

ASCE (2000), Guidelines for Instrumentation and Measurement for Monitoring Dam Performance, Dr. Findlay was the Chapter Leader for Chapter 11, Embankment Dams.

Findlay, R.C. and Millikan, D.L., (1999), "Arch Dam Abutment Stability at Big Creek Dams 4 and 5", Presented at and Published in the Proceedings of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials Annual Convention, St. Louis, Missouri.

Findlay, R.C., Fry, S. A., Swant, T, and Hall, N., (1999) "Clark Fork River Erosion and Sedimentation Issues", Presented at and Published in the Proceedings of Waterpower ’99, Los Vegas, Nevada

Rabasca, S.J., Findlay, R.C. and Hsu, F.T, (1999) "Comparison of Borehole Advancement Techniques on SPT N-Values", Published in Dealing with Aging Dams and Presented at  the USCOLD Annual Lecture, Atlanta, Georgia.

Findlay, R.C., (1996), "Use of Groundwater Seepage Models for Evaluation of Dam Performance", Presented at and Published in the Proceedings of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials Annual Convention, Seattle, Washington.

Findlay, R.C., and Jones, A.J., (1996), "Lake Blackshear Dam Breach Repair," Presented at and Published in the Proceedings of Innovation in Civil and Environmental Engineering: An Inventory of Innovative Civil and Environmental Engineering Practices in New England, 1996 Maine Section ASCE Technical Seminar, Portland, Maine.

Findlay, R.C., Northrop, J., Crisp, R., and Rentfrow, S. (1995), "Repair of Lake Blackshear Dam", Presented at and Published in the Proceedings of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials Annual Convention, Atlanta, Georgia.

Findlay, R.C., Northrop, J., Crisp, R., and Rentfrow, S. (1995), "Effects of the Georgia Flood of 1994 on Lake Blackshear Dam," Presented at and Published in the Proceedings of Waterpower '95, ASCE Conference, San Francisco, California.

Findlay, R.C., Tarbell, J., and Carrington, G., (1995), "Beaver River Project Shoreline Erosion Study," published in Sediment Management and Erosion Control, and Presented at the 1995 USCOLD Annual Meeting and Lecture, San Francisco, California.

Benoit, J., Atwood, M, Findlay, R.C., and Hillard, B., (1995), "Laboratory and Field Evaluation of Jetting Insertion Parameters for the Self-Boring Pressuremeter in Soft Clays," Published in the Canadian Geotechnical Journal, February.

Findlay, R.C., (1994), "Geotechnical Aspects of the Graham Lake Dam Remedial Measures Project," Presented and and Published in the Proceedings of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials Annual Convention, September, Boston, Massachusetts.

Findlay, R.C., (1993), "Piping Security of Glacial Till-Structure Interfaces," Presented at and Published in the Proceedings of Waterpower '93, ASCE Convention, Nashville, Tennessee.

Jones, A.N., and Findlay, R.C., (1993), "Graham Lake Dam Remedial Measures Project," Published in Geotechnical Practice in Dam Rehabilitation, ASCE Geotechnical Special Publication No. 35, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Findlay, R.C., and Benoit, J., (1993), "Some Factors Affecting In Situ Measurement Using the Cambridge Self-Boring Pressuremeter," Published in the ASTM Geotechnical Testing Journal, Vol.16, No.2, June, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Findlay, R.C., (1991), "Use of the 9-Arm Self-Boring Pressuremeter to Measure In Situ Horizontal Stress, Stress Anisotrophy, and Stress Strain Behavior in Soft Clay," Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire.

Benoit, J.B., Nejame, L.A., Atwood, M.J., and Findlay, R.C., (1990), "Dilatometer Lateral Stress Measurements in Soft Sensitive Clays," Published in the Proceedings of the 69th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C.

Findlay, R.C., (1988), "Hydrostatic Pressure at a Soil-Structure Interface," Published in the Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering, sponsored by the University of Missouri Rolla, St. Louis, Missouri.

Wardwell, R.E., Findlay, R.C., and Muzzy, M.W., (1988), "Seepage Effects on Sedimentation of Fly Ash Slurry," published in Hydraulic Fill Structures, ASCE Geotechnical Special Publication No. 21, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND PROJECT PHOTOGRAPHS, CLICK ON ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:

1) FERC Part 12 Inspection Experience   

2) Dam Investigation, Analysis and Design Experience

3) Erosion and Sedimentation Experience

 

 

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