The modernization of dam and levee infrastructure is crucial to meeting the evolving challenges of water management, flood control, and sustainable resource allocation. As climate change continues to introduce more frequent and severe weather events, infrastructure must be adapted for greater resilience, operational efficiency, and environmental stewardship. Digitalization and intelligent water management systems, including real-time monitoring through advanced sensors and analytics, are increasingly employed to dynamically adjust water flows, optimize distribution across sectors, and minimize resource losses.

Climate Change and Infrastructure Resilience

The article emphasizes that the impacts of climate change are becoming undeniable, as extreme weather events, including tropical cyclones, droughts, and altered rainfall patterns, increasingly strain existing water infrastructure. Dams are now exposed to heightened flood risks, soil saturation leading to landslides, erosion, and sediment accumulation. These phenomena compromise dam integrity and storage capacity. Meanwhile, droughts cause significant reductions in reservoir inflows, jeopardizing agricultural production, industrial water use, municipal supplies, and hydropower generation. The unpredictability of future climate scenarios highlights the need for climate-resilient infrastructure, employing adaptive designs, hybrid solutions that combine traditional engineering with natural elements, and flexible operational strategies that anticipate a wide range of climatic extremes.

Technological Advancements in Water Management

Modern water management is increasingly driven by technological innovation. Smart water management systems enable stakeholders to respond flexibly to evolving conditions, shifting away from rigid, pre-set strategies toward more dynamic and adaptive operations. Real-time monitoring has become a cornerstone of operational safety, with Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors offering precise measurements of strain, temperature, and pressure across critical dam structures. These sensors, integrated with Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, enable automated alerts and facilitate predictive maintenance. SCADA systems aggregate and analyze incoming data, ensuring timely intervention before structural issues escalate. Future improvements, including AI-driven analytics and enhanced remote capabilities, are expected to further strengthen the resilience and efficiency of dam operations.

Refurbishment of Existing Infrastructure

The modernization of dams like Cucuteni, Solești, and Căzănești in Romania demonstrates the importance of updating older infrastructure to meet contemporary standards. Rehabilitation measures at these dams address structural stability, upgrade hydromechanical and electrical systems, and incorporate ecological considerations. Restoration efforts include the reinforcement of upstream and downstream slopes, repairs to spillways and bottom outlets, and the installation of modern sluices and actuators. Electrical systems are also updated to support new automated and real-time monitoring capabilities.

Advanced monitoring using FBG sensors ensures continuous structural health assessment, while ecological upgrades like FishFlow siphon ladders support aquatic species migration. Additionally, interventions such as floating “green” islands and sediment flushing through bottom outlets promote better water quality and ecosystem stability. Site-specific improvements, such as drainage system upgrades at Căzănești Dam and a new photovoltaic energy system at Solești Dam, further enhance operational sustainability. These efforts align with Romania’s risk management strategies under the Prut-Bârlad River Basin Plan and broader European environmental directives.

Ecological Considerations

The article emphasizes that contemporary dam rehabilitation efforts must prioritize preserving ecological flows and facilitating sediment transport, both of which are essential for sustaining downstream ecosystems and protecting biodiversity. Ensuring the longitudinal connectivity of rivers allows fish and other aquatic species to migrate freely, a function addressed by installing siphon-type FishFlow ladders. Environmental risks associated with dam modernization are carefully assessed under EU directives to ensure compliance with conservation objectives and minimize pollutant emissions. Rehabilitation projects have been evaluated in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) requirements, especially where Natura 2000 protected areas are concerned.

Economic and Regulatory Frameworks

Economic viability is central to the modernization strategy. Rehabilitation projects demonstrate approximately 30-40% cost savings compared to building new structures, offering significant lifecycle extensions of about 25–30 years. Cost-benefit analyses, conducted under EU and World Bank methodologies, account for tangible damages, indirect economic losses, and intangible ecological impacts. These analyses reinforce that investment in refurbishment not only ensures financial sustainability but also maximizes social and environmental benefits.

Funding for these projects can be secured through multiple sources, including EU Cohesion Funds, Romanian national grants, and loans from international development banks. Regulatory compliance plays a crucial role in shaping modernization efforts. Romania’s adherence to the EU Flood Directive, the Water Framework Directive, and Natura 2000 conservation requirements ensures that these projects meet stringent environmental, safety, and operational standards. Integration of SCADA systems, ecological flow management, fish ladders, and sediment flushing mechanisms are part of fulfilling these obligations.

Community Engagement and Stakeholder Participation

The success of dam modernization initiatives also hinges on active community engagement. Early and sustained dialogue with local populations ensures that the benefits of the projects align with community needs and regional development goals. Rehabilitation efforts enhance local water supplies, stabilize agricultural productivity, and foster sustainable aquaculture. They also help to protect vital infrastructure from flood damage, thereby improving overall economic resilience.

The article underscores that equitable distribution of benefits, including improved water security, economic growth, and environmental health, must remain a guiding principle. Transparent consultation processes and community involvement foster public trust, reduce resistance to projects, and help incorporate valuable local insights into the design and implementation phases.

Costs and Project Development

Under Romania’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), project costs are allocated to fulfill requirements for green and digital components. Approximately 10% of the budget supports environmental measures such as floating islands, fish ladders, and forest buffers, while another 5–10% funds the integration of SCADA systems and real-time monitoring technologies. Ancillary costs cover environmental assessments, permits, and project management, ensuring that modernization projects not only meet legal standards but also deliver long-term environmental and operational benefits.

Conclusion: Strategies for Future-Proofing Dams

To secure the future of water infrastructure, a holistic approach is necessary. Structural rehabilitation must be coupled with the integration of advanced monitoring systems and proactive maintenance strategies. Ecological enhancements, such as ensuring ecological flows and supporting biodiversity, are vital for balancing human and environmental needs. Compliance with evolving regulatory frameworks ensures that dams contribute to broader flood risk reduction and environmental goals.

Active community engagement strengthens project sustainability, while comprehensive cost-benefit analyses guarantee that investments are both financially viable and socially equitable. Ultimately, developing resilient and sustainable water management systems will require integrated water resources management, increased investment in green and digital technologies, enhanced flood mitigation measures, cautious consideration of dam removal where appropriate, and continuous policy evolution. These strategies collectively aim to ensure that dams and levees continue to serve human and environmental needs amid the growing challenges of climate change.

This summary is based on the article “Future-Proofing Dams: Strategies for Sustainable Water Management, Technological Retrofit, and Climate Resilience in the Context of Dam Refurbishment”, authored by Cătălin Popescu (Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest, President of ROCOLD), Petruța Isofache (Aquaproiect S.A., Romania), and Isabela Bălan (Prut-Bârlad Administration, Romanian Waters Authority).
The original article was published in an ICOLD Bulletin in 2025.

The Răstolița project First initiated in 1989 in the Mures region, the Răstolița dam aims to generate hydroelectric power and supply water. Although delayed due to Romania’s political and economic transition, the project has been restarted and is nearing completion – with the power plant at 99% and the dam’s main body at 92%. The project, originally conceived at a time when environmental concerns were less pronounced, required environmental improvements through adaptive modifications. These have focused on secondary inputs from adjacent watersheds and the conservation of critical habitats, particularly for species such as taimen. In addition, hidden hydropower schemes, including a 2 MW small hydropower plant, were integrated to compensate for energy losses associated with providing higher ecological flows. As a result, the originally planned annual production of 70.7 GWh was revised to 62 GWh. This reduction in power generation contributes significantly to mitigating the environmental impact of the whole scheme, contributing to a more sustainable and balanced outcome.

The Cerna Belareca Project Located in the Banat river basin and started in 1981, this two-tiered system includes the operational Herculane dam and hydropower plant and the partially completed Belareca section (Dam and Pipeline). The project, developed with more recent environmental awareness in mind, incorporates a number of advanced environmental measures. These include adaptations to the imposed ecological flow requirements, which have resulted in a reduction in power generation potential. To compensate for these losses, a small 1.5 MW hydropower plant has been integrated into the system, helping to recover some of the reduced generation while maintaining compliance with environmental regulations. A key innovation applied here as a concept is the incorporation of a reversible pumped storage system, which contributes an additional 17.5 GWh/year. The adjusted energy production is about 61 GWh/year in total, but with a differentially more important role as grid reserve with the added PSP capacity.

Adaptation and compliance with environmental regulations Both projects have undergone significant redesigns to align with EU environmental standards, including improved fish migration systems, restructured environmental flows and minimized environmental footprints. These adaptations balance operational objectives with conservation imperatives.

Involvement of the public and environmental stakeholders Although both projects enjoy broad government and local community support, some NGOs have raised environmental concerns. In response, Hidroelectrica implemented several eco-sensitive design modifications. This collaborative approach helps reconcile energy development with biodiversity conservation. Aquaproiect, in collaboration with Hidroelectrica as beneficiary, carried out a comprehensive analysis that serves as the basis for establishing the viability of both projects. This analysis is essential not only to obtain the necessary legal authorizations, but also to guide the technical modernization of old hydropower schemes. These historic projects, originally designed by previous generations under widely different regulatory frameworks and engineering approaches, have required substantial re-evaluation to align with current environmental standards, legislative requirements and technological expectations.

Original article written by Bogdan Badea and Cătălin V. Popescu in International Journal on Hydropower and Dams, 2025, Volume 32, Number 1, available at: https://www.hydropower-dams.com/

In this context, a complex, multidisciplinary project – “Extending the Mereni-Plopeni-Salcea CES for flood prevention and elimination of excess moisture in the Salcea area, Suceava County”.

It is a project that aims to:

• stabilization of slopes affected by active landslides over large areas (mass movements)
• removal of excess moisture from the soil profile, as a soil profile promoting and even triggering factor
• deep-sea erosion control
• works to support and protect critical national infrastructure of the first order, namely the International Airport “Stefan cel Mare” Suceava.

The solutions adopted within this complex project harmoniously combine the application of massive structural works techniques (such as transversal and longitudinal consolidations, retaining walls, embankment defenses, valley reprofiling, including related hydrotechnical works to which are added desiccation and drainage components) with biological works such as protective forestry plantations, with an anti-erosion role, consolidation of the vegetal layer, terracing and application of an agricultural crop structure, with a role in minimizing alluvial effluent.

By applying these energetic measures to stabilize the landslides and soil conservation, remarkable results have been achieved, both in terms of increased agricultural production on land with initially low potential, as well as restoring the natural environment and improving the landscape in an area with high development potential (intersection with the future A7 highway) and last but not least for the protection of a national objective of the first order – “Stefan cel Mare” International Airport Suceava.

Before project implementation

After project implementation