The U.S. Department of Interior's Bureau of Reclamation recently appointed Miguel Rocha as the bureau's new chief of dam safety, according to an April 26 report by Hydro Review.
Rocha will be in charge of the dam safety program, which assesses currently operating dams for safety risks and develops preventative safety solutions throughout the bureau, Hydro Review reported.
“Reclamation takes proactive actions so its dams do not pose an unreasonable risk to people, property or the environment,” Dam Safety and Infrastructure Director Karen Knight said, according to Hydro Review. “Miguel’s extensive experience at Reclamation will be invaluable as he takes on this important leadership role as well as working with local, regional and national partners.”
According to his LinkedIn profile, Rocha has been employed by the bureau for almost 15 years.
Earlier, Rocha served as the bureau's dam safety office supervisor from June 2019 and as dam safety program manager from March 2015 to June 2019, according to the bureau's official website. In addition, he served in the bureau's Research and Development Office, Policy and Programs Office, Albuquerque Area Office, Oklahoma-Texas Area Office and Missouri Basin Regional Office.
Rocha is a New Mexico-licensed professional engineer who earned a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from New Mexico State University and a Master of Engineering from the University of Colorado, the bureau reported.
