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Dr. R. Craig Findlay, P.E., G.E

Education

- Northfield-Mount Hermon School, Gill, Massachusetts
- B.S.,    Civil Engineering, 1976, University of New Hampshire
- M.S.,    Civil Engineering, 1981, University of New Hampshire
- Ph.D., Engineering, 1991, University of New Hampshire

Engineering Career

I chose to study engineering because of my interest in mathematics and physics in high school, where I had a premiere physics teacher, “Doc” Weston.    I was also looking forward to driving my own train.  That never happened!  I went to school at the University of NH for my BS, MS and Ph.D. at different times between work assignments.  After completing my BS in 1976, which was mosly structural engineering and one geotechnical course, I went to work for the NH Highway Department (NHDOT now).  It was in the interstate highway construction period, and I got a lot of experience in subsurface investigations, field instrumentation of embankments and advance geotechnical laboratory testing.  I got hooked on geotechnical engineering.  After I received my MS degree in 1981, I moved to the Portland Maine area, and worked for Jordan Gorrill Associates and EC Jordan Company as a geotechnical engineer in many paper mill expansions, wastewater treatment plants, commercial development.  I also worked on my first greenfield dam project (both design and construction) in 1984-1987, the Pontook Project on the Androscoggin River north of Berlin NH as the lead geotechnical engineer.  That lit my interest in dams and hydroelectric project, and the rest of my career was triggered by that project, which was an incredible learning experience. In 1988, I left EC Jordan, (then ABB Environmental Services) with the title of Sector Manager, managing geotechnical, civil, landfill and structural engineering departments to pursue my Ph.D. full time, working part time for that company.  Special Mention for Professors Jean Benoit and Pedro A deAlba. I also got married and helped raise two children during that time (not for the weak kneed!).  I graduated and left ABB Environmental in 1991 to work with Northrop, Devine and Tarbell, Inc. (NDT) in Portland as a geotechnical engineer, and later as head of a fledgling geotechnical department.  That work was over 90 percent dams and hydroelectric projects.  NDT was purchased by Duke Engineering and Services (now part of HDR) a spin-off of Duke Power Company in NC), and left to go out on my own in 1998 until the current day.  My resume summarizes my career as follows:

Dr. Findlay's 42 years in the dam safety, water resources and geotechnical engineering profession includes a broad variety of consulting and project engineering experience, more than 35 years of which have included near exclusive involvement with dams and hydroelectric projects.  He has served as technical lead or lead geotechnical engineer on hundreds of dam projects and serves on ongoing and past Boards of Consultants and Review Panels.  Dr. Findlay has worked on several hydroelectric 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; secant pile cutoffs; grouting; post-tension anchor design; and dam safety inspections.  Dr. Findlay has been an Independent Consultant on over 250 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Part 12D and other dam inspections, and/or a Potential Failure Modes Analysis Facilitator for clients including AER-NY Gen, LLC, Alabama Power, Algonquin Power, AEP, Avista Corporation, Brookfield Renewable Power, California Department of Water Resources, Central Nebraska PPID, Central Vermont Public Service, City of Danville Virginia, Duke Energy, Eagle Creek, Entergy, EGE Fortuna, SA (Panama), Eugene Power & Electric Board, Florida Power & Light, Georgia Power, Green Mountain Power, Henwood Energy Services, Inc., Idaho Power Company, Louisiana Hydroelectric, Manitoba Hydro, NAE Mass, Nebraska Public Power District, Niagara Mohawk, Northern Lights, Inc., PacifiCorp, Pacific Gas & Electric, PowerSouth, Reliant Energy, South Carolina Electric & Gas, Southern California Edison, Synergics Energy Services, Vista Irrigation District and WE Energies.  He has also conducted numerous dam structural stability analyses for gravity, slab and buttress, embankment and/or arch dams for many of the above clients.

Professional Activities

Member, American Society of Civil Engineers
-  Life Member, US Society for Dams (USSD)
- Member, Association of Dams Safety Officials (ASDSO)
 - Current Vice Chairman, Affiliate Member Advisory Committee, Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO)
- Current Editor, ASDSO Journal of Dam Safety
- Member, ASCE Task Committee on Guidelines for Instrumentation and Measurements for Monitoring Dam Performance.
- Past Member, Subcommittee on Guidelines, Inter-agency Committee on Dam Safety (ICODS).

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

Most Rewarding Career Moment

Hard to say. The Ph.D. was a big accomplishment, with an NSF grant for field testing using the Cambridge Self-Boring Pressuremeter at Pease Airforce Base in Portsmouth, NH and Hamilton Airforce Base in Navato, CA.  It also involved a significant geotechnical laboratory test program and computer numerical modeling of construction and soil stresses in a swamp adjacent to the Portsmouth Traffic Circle.  Also, going into private practice in 1988, and working for myself ever since.  It was scary at first but have never missed a beat, being too busy all the time.  I love all the dam projects I have worked on.

Awards

Having a fun and enjoyable career.  Payoff for hard work.

Hobbies

Guitar, gun collecting and shooting, ammunition reloading, drone flying, and walking/hiking.