Historia konferencji

Conference History

45 Years of the Technical Dam Control Conference History

There are many distinguished individuals, and events in the history of the Technical Dam Control conference (TKZ) that have shaped the development of modern Polish hydraulic engineering. Among the pioneers of the first conferences focused on the hydraulic structure safety were Krzysztof Fiedler, Włodzisław Hrabowski and Jerzy Kloze. These individuals were also members of the Organising Committee of the 1st National Technical Dam Control Conference, held over forty years ago, from 4th to 6th November 1981, at Warsaw

The closure of the first five-year stage of the Government Program PR-7, titled "Shaping Water Resources in Poland", provided a suitable opportunity for organising this event. The program ran from 1976 to 1980 and was realised in six directions coordinated by major scientific and research institutions:

Warsaw University of Technology;
Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW);
Institute of Environmental Planning;
Central Research and Development Centre Energopol (COBR Falenty);
Institute for Land Reclamation and Grassland Farming in Falenty.

In the second stage of the program from1981–1985, COBR Energopol was replaced by Hydroprojekt Warsaw.The Silesian Institute in Opole, which mainly focused on the Oder River basin, also joined in the program. The fact that the IMGWwas the main coordinator of all activities, and its director acted as the Head of PR-7 Program, led to the idea of organising periodic TKZ conferences being initiated. Initially, the conferences were held as national events until 2005.

Organization and Committees

The organisers of the first conference:

Polish Scientific and Technical Committee for Water Management under the Chief Technical Organisation (NOT);
Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW);
Polish Committee on the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD).

Contributions by individuals and institutions

Significant academic contributions to the conference development, apart from the aforementioned initiators, were made by professors Jan Zieliński, Zbigniew Grabowski, Kazimierz Thiel, Zbigniew Kledyński, Jan Winter, who served for many years as chairs of the Scientific Committees of TKZ.

The contributions of the directors of the Dam Safety Technical Control Centre (OTKZ): Władysław Jankowski, Andrzej Wita, and Edmund Sieinski – along with the work of other OTKZ staff, especially long-time conference secretary Anna Kosik, should also be highlighted..

Since 2017 , the Division of Hydro-Engineering and Hydraulics of Warsaw University of Technologyhas been the main organiser of the TKZ conference. Jan Winterhas served as Chair of the Organising Committee, and as the Secretary - Agnieszka Dąbska.

Conference format and scope

From 2007 - every two years, international conferences with the participation of foreign dam safety agencies.
In 2015, - a seminar of the Working Group on Internal Erosion in Embankment Dams of the European Club of ICOLD took place, as a side event to the 17th TKZ conference.
From 2021 – hybrid form allowing online participation.

Attendees have included participants from Austria, Belgium, Czechia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, Turkey, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Canada, the United States of America, Australia.

Journals and additional publications

All editions of the TKZ conference were followed by various publications. Initially, these were the post-conference materials, however, since 2009, recurring monographs have also been published. Many distinguished experts contributed to the conference as chapter authors and reviewers, ensuring high-quality publications, which are valuable to researchers and practitioners.

Selected additional materials:

"Principles for Conducting Underwater Inspections and Tests to Assess the Technical State of Dams", W. Wachowski (2013), IMGW-PIB, Warsaw;
"Dam Failures and Disasters – Threats, Causes, Consequences, and Preventive Measures",edited by Krzysztof Fiedler, IMGW, 2007;
"50 Years of Dam Technical Control in Poland",collective work, IMGW;
"60 Years of Dam Technical Control in Poland",collective work, IMGW;
"The Soła River Cascade. Tresna, Porąbka, Czaniec Reservoirs – A Monograph",edited by Bohdan Godlewski, 2007;
"The Czorsztyn–Niedzica and Sromowce Wyżne Water Reservoir System named after Gabriel Narutowicz – A Monograph", Leszek Bajorek, IMGW, 2003;
"Guidelines for Conducting Tests, Measurements, Assessments of the Technical State and Safety of Dam Structures",edited by Edmund Sieinski and Piotr Śliwiński, IMGW, 2020;
"The English-Polish-Czech-Slovak-Hungarian technical-construction dictionary",edited by Peter Panenka, Jiří Poláček, Jan Adam Winter, Andrzej Wita, Polish Chamber of Civil Engineers, 2019.

Technical-Construction Dictionary

The idea for the dictionary was introduced at the turn of the first and second decades of the 21st century during annual working meetings of the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD). At the same time, cooperation strengthened between the technical services responsible for monitoring and ensuring the safety of hydraulic structures in the Czech Republic, Poland, and the Slovak Republic – especially between Vodní díla – TBD, a.s. from Prague, the Dam Safety Technical Control Centre (OTKZ) of IMGW-PIB from Warsaw, and Vodohospodárska výstavba, Department of TBD from Bratislava. It soon became evident that there was a need to improve language communication and ensure precise translation of water engineering and hydraulic structure operation terms used in those countries.

The dictionary was published by the Polish Chamber of Civil Engineers and distributed to engineers from the Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Poland, and Hungary, independently of the TKZ conferences. A mobile app version is also available for free download from the Google Play Store ( link )

The list of all TKZ conferences (1981–2025)

Edition number	Date	Place	Topics
I	4–6.11.1981	Warsaw
II	10–12.11.1983	Warsaw
III	11–13.11.1986	Warsaw
IV	27–29.10.1988	Porąbka‑Kozubnik
V	1–3.06.1992	Międzybrodzie Żywieckie
VI	4–6.10.1994	Sobieszewo k. Gdańska
VII	8–10.10.1996	Rytro
VIII	20–23.06.1999	Zakopane‑Kościelisko
IX	29–31.05.2001	Rytro
X	16–18.06.2003	Kielce
XI	9–11.06.2005	Polana Zgorzelisko
XII	19–22.06.2007	Stare Jabłonki
XIII	24–27.06.2009	Stare Jabłonki	Dam Safety – Safety of People and the Environment
XIV	13–16.06.2011	Zamek Książ k. Wałbrzycha	Dam Safety – New Challenges
XV	18–21.06.2013	Jastrzębia Góra	Dams – Safety and Directions of Development
XVI	29.09–02.10.2015	Wierchomla	Exploitation of Hydraulic Structures – Diagnostics and Risk Prevention
XVII	19–22.09.2017	Zawoja	Hydraulic Structures – Exploitation and Monitoring
XVIII	10–13.09.2019	Biała Woda (Czarna Góra k. Stronia Śląskiego)	Hydraulic Structures Monitoring and Safety
XIX	7–10.09.2021	Legnica	Safety of Dams on Tailings Storage Facilities and Other Hydraulic Structures
XX	12–15.09.2023	Chorzow	Safety of Hydraulic Structures
XXI	9–12.09.2025	Krakow	Challenges in Hydraulic Engineering

For nearly 45 years, the Technical Dam Control conferences have served as a significant platform for meetings and exchanging knowledge and experience among hydraulic engineers. We would like to invite you to participate in future conference editions and create with us the following chapters of its history!

Jan Winter

For nearly 45 years, the Technical Dam Control conferences have served as a significant platform for meetings and exchanging knowledge and experience among hydraulic engineers. We would like to invite you to participate in future conference editions and create with us the following chapters of its history!
Jan Winter