LATEST NEWS

Entura’s Paul Southcott appointed as convenor of new ANCOLD working group

11 August, 2025

In an initiative of the Australian National Committee on Large Dams (ANCOLD), Entura’s Paul Southcott (Senior Principal – Dams and Headworks) has been appointed as Convenor of the newly formed ‘Guidelines for Dam Instrumentation and Monitoring Systems Working Group’.

The working group will support the development of updated ANCOLD guidance on dam instrumentation and monitoring practices. Paul will lead the group through its initial planning and development phase, establishing the foundational framework for the guidelines and progressing their development through to publication.

“With nearly four decades of experience in civil and dam engineering, Paul will bring an exceptional depth of technical knowledge and extensive industry experience to this role,” said Dr Amanda Ashworth, Entura’s Managing Director. “We are very proud to see Paul appointed to this role and given the opportunity to share his profound knowledge with colleagues across the Australian dams industry.”

Paul said, “ANCOLD plays a crucial role in facilitating knowledge sharing, building the capability of dams professionals, and formulating the industry guidance that advances excellence in technical practice and management of dams. I’m excited to guide the Working Group so that together we can make a meaningful contribution to the long-term safety and sustainability of Australia’s dams, many of which are truly intergenerational assets.”

“Thanks to robust dam safety standards and ANCOLD’s guidance, dam catastrophes are rare in Australia; however, safety must remain every dam owner’s key concern,” said Paul. “Ensuring that dams have the appropriate instrumentation and monitoring for their potential failure modes is fundamental for keeping dams safe. It is also a key input into keeping all the components of the dam operating as intended and achieving their intended lifespan.”

Paul’s expertise is a crucial part of Entura’s ongoing support for dam upgrade and safety works for Hydro Tasmania’s and TasWater’s extensive dam portfolios. He has also contributed to many major dam and hydropower projects throughout Australia and the Indo-Pacific region, including for Snowy Hydro and numerous councils and water utilities including SeqWater, Sun Water and SAWater.

Paul was named Tasmania’s Professional Engineer of the Year in Engineers Australia’s 2021 Engineering Excellence Awards.

He is passionate about furthering the engineering profession through knowledge sharing and has authored numerous conference papers and journal articles for national and international forums.

His latest thought leadership article is ‘Planning for the Future: The Challenges of Dam Inspection and Maintenance’. He has also written articles on the business risks of small dams and weirs, the importance of maintaining quality long-term records, the benefits of dam portfolio risk assessment, and using risk assessment to guide dam safety upgrades.