Dams and reservoirs

Reservoirs
Site selection
Leakage from
reservoirs
Sedimentation
Stability: effect of
raised WT

Dams
Types
Forces on a dam
Geology and dam sites
Rock types and dams
Dams on soils
Ground improvement

Dams and reservoirs - literature

Bell F.G., Engineering geology and
geotechnics
Ch 6 (Reservoirs)
Ch 7 (Dams)

Blyth F.G.H. and de Freitas M.H., A

geology for engineers
Ch 14 (Reservoirs and dams)

Reservoirs: purpose
Water storage
Flood prevention
Power

Reservoirs: site selection

Hydrological considerations
Fundamental controls
topography
climate
geology
Water
added
Rainfall in river
basin

Water
subtracted
Infiltration
Evaporation
Transpiration

Net amount of water

available for storage
Runoff

Reservoirs: leakage

Water
added
Rainfall in
river basin

Water
subtracted

Leakage from
reservoir

Infiltration
Evaporation
Transpiration

Net amount of water

available for storage
Runoff

1. Dam bypass
2. Water table effects

Reservoirs: leakage
Leakage via subsurface bypass due to siphon effect
Dol-y-gaer dam
reservoir level

Carboniferous strata:
Devonian strata

Devonian strata
Subsurface water flow

Devonian strata

fracture and dissolution

flow routes

Reservoirs: leakage
Leakage buried channels beneath drift

RD
rac

Ancient river/valley
Modern river/valley
50 km

Sautet
dam and
reservoir

Bypass of reservoir in drift

Reservoirs: water table leakage-1

lan
d

wat
er

su
rfa
c

before

tabl
e

water table divide

Bedrock with a water
table and finite
permeability

river

new
water
table

Leakage to next valley

reservoir

after

Reservoirs: water table leakage-2

Water table in aquifer
La
nd
s

urf
ac

High
permeability
layer

before
Bedrock with low
permeability: aquiclude

river

Modified water table in aquifer

reservoir

High
permeability
layer

Leakage to next valley

after

Reservoirs: sedimentation
Worlds largest dam;
180m tall, 2km wide
84% sediment in rainy
season (june-sept)
drawdown and
sediment sluicing
during this period

Reservoirs: raised water table

Before
river

Water table

After - 1
reservoir

Raised water table

After - 2
reservoir

Failure and
slumping
due to
weakened
rock mass

Viaont dam disaster, Italy

Reservoirs: raised water table

Shear stress s

s=c +.(n- p)
p = pore fluid pressure
n p = effective stress
Unstable
Stable
Raising water table
3, WT

1,WT

Normal stress n

Dams: types

Gravity dam: rigid monolithic structure

Trapezoidal cross section
Minimal differential movement tolerated
Dispersed moderate stress on valley floor and
walls

Arch dam: high strength concrete wall

Convex faces upstream

Thin walled structure
Relatively flexible
Huge stresses imposed on valley walls and floor

Earth dams: bank or earth or rock with

impermeable core
Core of clay or concrete, extended below ground
Sand or gravel drains built to cut fluid pressure
Low stress applied to valley floor and walls

Types of dam
Arch

Gravity

Buttress

Embankment
or Earth

Emosson Dam, Switzerland

The Vaiont dam today

Dams: forces applied

Vertical static forces
Lateral force applied by water body
Dynamic forces
wave action
overflow of water (controlled by spillway
channels)
earthquakes and tremors
ice/freezing

Dam failure: earthquake

Dam failure: asteroids

Dam failure: bombs

Dam sites: geology

Poor geological characterisation of dam foundation
responsible for 40% of dam failures
Need proper site investigation

Dams: ground improvement

ground strengthening

Poor geological conditions can be improved in 2 ways

improving load bearing properties
controlling seepage

>10

gravel

0.07

sand

0.002

<0.0001 mm grain size

silt

clay

Rolling, bolting and pre-loading

gravity drainage
well-points with drainage
electro-osmosis
vibro flotation
explosives

grouts
chemical treatments
thermal treatment

Dams: ground improvement

Rock bolts
Rolling and preloading

Gravity drainage and well points:

material injected into the ground

Chemical treatments

useful in water-saturated gravel and scree increases bulk density

Grouts

mechanical vibrating plate with load compresses low density gravels and sands

Explosives

sand and gravel channels and shallow wells (for pumping) Electro-osmosis: insert conduction
rods into fine grained clay-rich bedrock and have an electric field - de-waters ground via the
flow of electric current

Vibroflotation

compresses ground in prep for structure

improves post dam compaction

react solutions injected into ground. React with material to alter properties. NaCl solution
injected into smectite-rich mud, shale etc. to alter expansivity of smectite stabilizes ground preconstruction

Thermal treatment

Freezing with injected liquid N2 to consolidate loose ground during excavation. Heating by
burning petroleum under pressure in subsurface causes thermal metamorphism - hardens
ground and cuts porosity

Reservoir

Injected
grout curtain

Core and rear of dam

R ip
wa rap t
ve
o
en kill
erg
y

Hard face to dam

Pre-stressed
anchors
Drain

Apron drains (to

individual aquifers)

Regolith
Aquiclude layers
Aquifer layers

Excavation
to rock