Welcome to A Dam Conversation - With John France!

This is an Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) podcast sharing the stories of leaders and innovators in the dam safety community. Your host for this episode is Brianna Crotty. 

In this episode, we welcome John France, an Independent Consultant at JWF Consulting, LLC. With over 45 years of experience in dam safety, John plays a key role in the forensic investigations of dam failures and incidents, especially where internal erosion and seepage are involved. He has written numerous papers and articles on internal erosion and has hosted workshops on the topic. John is a vital resource for sharing design insights and best practices for internal drainage systems in dams.

John, thank you for your stories and advice on career insights and technical expertise for engineers at all levels. You’re a true expert—one who has likely forgotten more than most of us will ever know about dam safety and design. 

Key Takeaways:

1:20 – Hear about John’s early interest in dam engineering and his inspiration. Like many of us, his path was a winding journey of discovery!

5:52 – John’s early working days and the beginnings of his enthusiasm for dams. 

8:20 – Focus on mentorship: What style led John to success? Learn about the importance of patience, independence, and respect. How can young engineers find the best mentors?

13:40 – Historical changes in dam engineering and dam design throughout John’s working years - from slide rulers to risk-informed evaluations and everything in between, including the history of dam safety and ASDSO.

23:43 - The importance of continuing education - recommended books for learning from the past

25:55 - Quote of the episode: “We’re all a lot more similar than we are different…to see what people did and how they did it, how clever people were in engineering and architecture centuries ago...People are quite clever”

28:29 - What makes a strong candidate for being hired? Hear from the expert!

30:55 - Advice for young professionals attending conferences (hint: go! Listen, learn, and engage with speakers!)

33:40 - Diversity in the spotlight!! Women, people of color, people of various abilities and identities - Oh, how we’ve grown!

34:59 - What has John really relished and cherished in his career? Keeping balance, maintaining relationships, and being proud of the work is crucial!

36:52 - The importance of SQRA (Semi-Quantitative Risk Analysis) in keeping a balanced budget and providing risk reduction.

39:12 - ASDSO Membership benefits.

Important Links from the Episode

• INDEPENDENT FORENSIC TEAM REPORT OROVILLE DAM SPILLWAY INCIDENT– A comprehensive analysis on the near-failure of the tallest United States’ dam’s emergency spillway in 2017, led by Mr. John France. 
• INVESTIGATION OF FAILURES OF EDENVILLE AND SANFORD DAMS – An in-depth investigation of the devastating failure of Edenville Dam, and subsequently Sanford Dam in 2020 in Michigan, United States, led by Mr. John France. 
• TETON DAM FAILURE: LESSONS LEARNED - The first domino in a series of events that led to our (US) federal dam safety program

We want to hear from you!

Have questions for our guests? Want to suggest a topic? Email us at [e-mail] – we’d love to hear from you!

📢 This program is copyrighted in 2025 by the Association of State Dam Safety Officials. All rights reserved.