Simulation of Unsteady Movement in the Downstream of a Hydroelectric Complex During the Destruction of a Soil Dam

153 reservoirs have been created in the Republic of Belarus. During the period of passing catastrophic floods and high waters along the river, there is a risk of overflowing reservoirs, overflow of water masses through the crest of an earthen dam and flooding of significantly large areas. The destruction of the dam is accompanied by the formation of a breach and the outflow through it of an unsteady flow of water in the form of a breakthrough wave into the downstream. A breakthrough wave and catastrophic flooding of the area are the main destructive factors of hydrodynamic accidents. Calculations to determine parameters of the wave and to assess the possible consequences of flooding are necessary when drawing up operational-and-tactical plans for the prevention and elimination of emergencies in case of accidents at retaining structures, determining the probable damage from flooding of the territory in the downstream of a hydraulic structure as a result of the passage of a breakthrough wave. It is necessary to assess the flooding zone and the hydrodynamic parameters of the flow, viz. the maximum values of the depth and velocity of the flow in the zone of catastrophic flooding, the time from the beginning of the accident to the arrival of a breakthrough wave at the particular point of the terrain, the duration of flooding, the boundaries of the zone of catastrophic flooding, the hydrographic flow rate in the section of the eroded dam and the graph of the fall headwater level. The degree of reliability of predictive calculations is determined by the accuracy of the two applied mathematical models, viz.: 1) erosion of the dam; 2) the movement of the breakout wave. The analysis of the applied mathematical models shows that in all cases the hydrodynamic models based on the oneand two-dimensional equations of Boussinesq – Saint-Venant are used to calculate the movement of the breakthrough wave. Wave parameters, i. e. wave height and speed of its propagation, completely depend on the hydrograph of the discharge in the section of the eroded dam, which, in its turn, is determined by the dynamics of its erosion. The aim of the work is to develop a methodology for calculating the flooding of the downstream as a result of the destruction of a soil dam.

The Influence of Internal Erosion in Earthen Dams on the Potential Difference Response to Applied Voltage

Internal erosion is widely perceived as contributing to the failure of earthen dams. To reduce the failure risk, timely monitoring of internal erosion is an effective method in observing their internal structure evolution. A set of earthen dam model experiments were conducted. Under an applied voltage, the response potential differences (PD) at the slope of the dam models were collected before and after the impoundment of the upstream reservoir. The discrepancy among the four dam models, the influence of soil moisture content on PD, and the impact of internal erosion on PD were studied. The results show that it is acceptable to employ different dam models to simulate the development of internal erosion, although the discrepancy among the models is inevitable. The moisture content of the soil significantly affects the PD response to applied voltage. The PD increases with an increase in soil moisture content until the soil is saturated. The change in PD is correlated with the development of internal erosion. With the progression of internal erosion, the starting position for the steep increase in PD distribution continues to move toward the dam toe. In addition, the electrode stability is noted to have an effect on measured PD, which requires further studies to be clarified. This study sets the stage for the PD-based monitoring method in observing the evolution of internal erosion in earthen dams.

Sensitivity Study of the Computational Parameters for the Deformation of Homogeneous Earth Dams

The deformation of dams has always been the focus of dam safety research. To more accurately study the effect of the Duncan–Chang model on the deformation of homogeneous Earth dams, this paper simulates the displacement variation of a homogeneous Earth dam through the finite element method based on the Duncan–Chang E-B model. The sensitivity of the Duncan–Chang E-B model parameters and the dam material density on the displacement of a homogeneous earthen dam in Gansu Province, China, were investigated using single-factor and multifactor analysis methods. The results show that the displacement variation of the dam during the completion and operation periods is consistent with the general rule for Earth and rock dams; the three parameters R f , φ 0 , and Δ φ are more sensitive to dam deformation; and the three parameters m , n , and K are less sensitive to dam deformation.

Investigating Seepage Paths at Golfaraj Earthen Dam, Northwest Iran

An investigation of seepage was conducted at Golfaraj Reservoir Dam with a particular emphasis on determining the seepage areas based on regional and site-specific hydrogeological studies. The primary goal of the investigation was to develop strategies intended to minimize dam and reservoir seepage. Leakage from the reservoir is a serious problem and of considerable concern to the local populace. Substantial reduction of seepage from Golfaraj Reservoir Dam is the ultimate goal of the investigations conducted. Golfaraj Reservoir Dam, located in East Azerbaijan province, northwest Iran, was built to provide water for agricultural and industrial needs in Golfaraj plain and neighboring lands. The Golfaraj Reservoir was constructed through the Miocene Upper Red Formation, which consists of sequences of sandstone, mudstone, conglomerate, and gypsiferous marl. Following reservoir filling, seepage of water into adjacent formations was found to occur at an estimated rate of 70 L/s. After reservoir impoundment groundwater levels in Shahmar village, 2 km downstream and just north of the dam axis, rose and land surfaces became abnormally wet. Lugeon values in some boreholes drilled around Golfaraj Dam before and after dam construction were high enough to indicate that the dam base has sufficient permeability to allow water to escape by underflow. Twenty-four Casagrande piezometers installed around the dam axis at four sectors provided additional information on seepage pathways through the dam body and underneath or through the cutoff wall. Water-level variations in the Casagrande piezometers confirmed the seepage routes. Study results showed that reservoir water likely seeps through the reservoir bottom and beneath and through the cutoff wall. The west side of the dam and near the reservoir reflected water-level rises in accordance with the rise in reservoir-water level. Seepage in this area is probably due to its proximity to Golfaraj Reservoir. Hydrogeochemical analyses further suggest that the water source of Shahmar Drain, ~ 1800 m north of Golfaraj Dam cannot be from the east or west embankments of the dam because the electrical conductivity in Shahmar Drain water approximates the electrical conductivity of Golfaraj Reservoir water and is lower than the electrical conductivity of groundwater in some of boreholes. Potential future seepage mitigation measures will focus on methods to seal the reservoir floor and cutoff wall sections I2-I2 and I3-I3, although some efforts may be directed at the west side of the dam. Such measures could take the form of installation of a geomembrane barrier over the west side of the dam, concrete cutoff walls downstream of the dam, and pumping wells to intercept seepage.Thematic collection: This article is part of the Sustainability in engineering geology and hydrogeology collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/sustainability-in-engineering-geology-and-hydrogeology

Design of Kawlewada Dam and its Components

This paper presents the design and stability analysis of Kawlewada dam (a concrete gravity dam situated in kawlewada village of gondia district) and its components. Through, the demanding years, it has been observed that failures of dams due to many factors are common. So, it is the essential to analysis the various components, parts of dam against all its modes of failures, forces acting on it, uncontrollable disasters such as earthquake, disaster, etc. For this, the preliminary data of the dam required for design, such as control levels, dimensions, crest width, base width, etc. was collected through the Inspection Engineer, posted at Dhapewada Lift Irrigation Office, Tirora, Dist. Gondia. On the basis of collected data the elementary profile and practical profile of dam was estimated, further all the major and the minor force forces acting on dam were calculated, stability analysis of designed dam against all modes of failure and for various load combinations was carried out in STAAD PRO software and was checked for permissible limits. Design of spillway, stilling basin and earthen dam was also carried out for the designed dam. Further, canal originating from the dam and carrying water to culturable command area was also designed by taking care of peak discharge as required by crops.

Status of the Amargosa niterwort (Amaranthaceae) in California and Nevada

The Amargosa niterwort is a narrow endemic restricted to alkali wetlands of the northern Mojave Desert in Inyo County, California and Nye County, Nevada. Groundwater pumping and subsequent hydrological alteration within the Amargosa groundwater basin has been identified as the most significant threat to the long-term persistence of the species. Parallel monitoring programs were established in California (2010) and Nevada (2014) to establish baseline trends in abundance, measured as ramet (stem) number, and to aid in determining management actions that are needed to ensure the long-term viability of populations. Monitoring in California shows significant variation in abundance between years; however, there are consistent trends, indicating that factors influencing increase or decrease in abundance is similar across the population. However, this pattern is not shared in Nevada, where following a sharp decline between 2014 and 2015 the population has remained relatively stable. Two of the three Nevada macroplots are downstream from Crystal Reservoir and are likely influenced by discharge from the reservoir including periodic water releases and leakage from the earthen dam. Significant increases and decreases in abundance within macroplots are not correlated with climate variables including precipitation, thus it is important to understand how groundwater flow and spring discharge impacts abundance of plants within and between populations.

sUAS for 3D Tree Surveying: Comparative Experiments on a Closed-Canopy Earthen Dam

Defined as “personal remote sensing”, small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) have been increasingly utilized for landscape mapping. This study tests a sUAS procedure of 3D tree surveying of a closed-canopy woodland on an earthen dam. Three DJI drones—Mavic Pro, Phantom 4 Pro, and M100/RedEdge-M assembly—were used to collect imagery in six missions in 2019–2020. A canopy height model was built from the sUAS-extracted point cloud and LiDAR bare earth surface. Treetops were delineated in a variable-sized local maxima filter, and tree crowns were outlined via inverted watershed segmentation. The outputs include a tree inventory that contains 238 to 284 trees (location, tree height, crown polygon), varying among missions. The comparative analysis revealed that the M100/RedEdge-M at a higher flight altitude achieved the best performance in tree height measurement (RMSE = 1 m). However, despite lower accuracy, the Phantom 4 Pro is recommended as an optimal drone for operational tree surveying because of its low cost and easy deployment. This study reveals that sUAS have good potential for operational deployment to assess tree overgrowth toward dam remediation solutions. With 3D imaging, sUAS remote sensing can be counted as a reliable, consumer-oriented tool for monitoring our ever-changing environment.