Lelio Mejia will present a lecture at the 40th Spring Seminar and 20th Geo Expo of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Geo-Institute Los Angeles Chapter in Long Beach, California at 3:30-4:30 p.m. on April 12, 2017.

Lelio's lecture, entitled "Engineering Challenges of the Dams of the Panama Canal Expansion," will present an overview of the Panama Canal Expansion Project and of the dams that form the new Pacific Access Channel, known as the Borinquen Dams. The expansion project has approximately doubled the Canal's capacity and allows the largest cargo and passenger ships in the world to transit through the historic waterway. Dr. Mejia will describe the geotechnical challenges associated with the dam design, such as the site geologic and seismic setting, the foundation conditions, and the design stability criteria. He will discuss the design concept and illustrate the key features of Dam 1E, the largest of the Borinquen Dams.

 Lelio Mejia is a Senior Principal based in Oakland, California with more than 35 years of experience in geotechnical and earthquake engineering. For many years, he has focused on the challenges of dam and levee engineering and is a leading international authority in this field, with emphasis on the seismic design and performance of dam structures. Lelio leads Geosyntec's Western U.S. dams and levees practice and is a registered civil and geotechnical engineer.

Lelio has directed the investigation and seismic stability evaluation of more than 25 large earth dams, and has been involved in the design and construction of more than 15 major dam projects worldwide. He has also served on technical review boards and expert panels for U.S. Federal and State Agencies, water and power utilities, and other owners on various dam projects.

More Information

For more information regarding the network, visit: 2017 Spring Seminar at the Queen Mary
For more information on borinquen dams, contact Lelio Mejia at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
To learn more about Lelio Mejia see his profile at: http://www.geosyntec.com/people/lelio-mejia