UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE INGENIERÍA

Facultad de Ingeniería Civil

Departamento Académico de Hidráulica e Hidrología Ciclo 2021-I

ENGLISH TEST (HH413-H)

Profesor(es) : Nilton Ernesto Rivas Oyola / Kenñe Rosario

Día y hora : 16 de Abril de 2021 - 16:00 – 18:00

I. Choose the correct answers:

1) What technical bulletin did you review? Pregunta Puntaje Max
a) Consequences and Classification for Dam Safety
b) Classification for Dam Safety 1 2
c) Consequences, Inundation, and Classification for Dam Safety
d) Inundation, Consequences, and Classification for Dam Safety 2 2
e) Dam Safety Review

2) Why do we classify dams according to the CDA’s technical bulletins? 3 2

a) They are legal requirements in Peru. Dam safety regulatory
requirements are established based on the consequence 4 2
classification of the structures and/or risks or hazards posed by
the structures
b) The consequences of dam failure underlie several principles of 5 3
the CDA
c) We need to estimate a dam break analysis. 6 3
d) The hazard potential classification for a dam is intended to rank
dams in terms of potential losses to downstream interests if the 7 3
dam should fail for any reason.
e) We need to define the design criteria with international guides,
because we could reduce the risks of dam failures. 8 3

3) What is the purpose of dam classification? Final 20

a) The classification is based on the incremental adverse
consequences (after vs. before) of failure or mis-operation of the
dam, and has no relationship to the current structural integrity, operational status, flood
routing capability, or safety condition of the dam or its appurtenances.
b) We need to reduce the risks and impact of dam failures.
c) To save money.
d) We need to understand the results of a failure.
e) Dam classification helps understand what might happen given an event.

4) How do we classify dams according to the CDA?

a) There are four categories: environmental, life line, economic, and/or human life.
b) We may include loss of life, injury, and general disruption of population´s lives in the
inundated area.
c) A dam break analysis is required to determine the consequences of dam failure.
d) We need to perform a characterization of a hypothetical dam breach, flood wave routing,
inundation mapping, and evaluation of the impacts.
e) We need numerical models.
II. Choose the correct words to complete the sentences.

5) An understanding of the consequences of (a)……..……… underlies several principles of the

CDA Dam Safety Guidelines. Consequences of dam failure may include (b)………………, injury,
and general disruption of the lives of the (c)………..…… in the inundated area.
The analyses leading to consequence assessment and classification of the dam typically
include the following steps: characterization of hypothetical (d)………..……, flood wave routing,
inundation mapping, and evaluation of the impacts. A wide range of methods may be applied in
each of these steps depending on the extent of information needed.

a) Dam break, dam failure, dam breach dam failure

b) Loss life, loss of life, life loss of life

c) Population, people, persons

population
d) Dam break, dam failure, dam breach dam breach

6) The (a)……..……… assessment involves determining the ultimate discharge from a hypothetical
breach of the dam. The outcome of the breach analysis is a flood peak or flood wave
immediately downstream from the dam. This assessment to determine the discharge
hydrograph requires evaluation of (b)………………… and the breach geometry and timing.
Initial Conditions
Initial conditions define the hydrologic state of the study area at the start of the breach including
the reservoir levels and downstream flow conditions coincident with the flood scenario. In
general, the following two hydrologic conditions may be evaluated:
 “(c)………..……” failures - These are sudden dam failures that result during normal
operations and may be caused by an earthquake, mis-operation of the dam, or other event.
 “(d)………..……” failures - These are failures of the dam occurring coincident with a flood of
magnitude greater than the dam can safely pass.

a) Dam break, dam failure, dam breach dam breach

b) initial conditions, boundary, boundaries initial conditions

c) Sunny-day, Rainy-day, Flood induced Sunny-day

d) Sunny-day, Rainy-day, Flood induced Flood-induced

III. The possible breach consequence may be evaluated using CDA criteria (see Table 1).
Indicate the Classification.

7) Possible breach Consequence: Release of water may cause loss of life (10 to 20) in the
hydropower station camp and the permanent settlement downstream, significant damage to
railway track, environment and the infrastructure below.

a) Low b) Significant c) High d) Very High e) Extreme

8) Possible breach Consequence: May cause damage to the access road across the Rimac River
and loss of life immediately below breach.

b) Low b) Significant c) High d) Very High e) Extreme

 Table 1. Dam Classification (CDA, 2007).

Incremental losses
Population
Loss of life Environmental and cultural Infraestructure and
Dam Class at risk (note
(note 2) values economics
1)
Minimal short-term loss Low economic losses; area
Low None 0 contains limited infrastructure
No long-term loss or services

No significant loss or
deterioration of fish or wildlife
habitat
Losses to recreational
Temporary facilities, seasonal
Significant Unspecified Loss of marginal habitat only
only workplaces, and infrequently
used transportation routes
Restoration or compensation in
kind highly possible

Significant loss or deterioration

of important fish or wildlife High economic losses
habitat affecting infrastructure, public
High Permanent 10 or fewer
transportation, and
Restoration or compensation in commercial facilities
kind highly possible

Significant loss or deterioration Very high economic losses

of critical fish or wildlife habitat affecting important
infrastructure or services
Very high Permanent 100 or fewer
(e.g., highway, industrial
Restoration or compensation in facility, storage facilities for
kind possible but impractical dangerous substances)

Major loss of critical fish or Extreme losses affecting

wildlife habitat critical infrastructure or
More than services (e.g., hospital, major
Extreme Permanent
100 industrial complex, major
Restoration or compensation in storage facilities for
kind impossible dangerous substances)

Note 1. Definitions for population at risk:

None—There is no identifiable population at risk, so there is no possibility of loss of life other than through
unforeseeable misadventure.
Temporary—People are only temporarily in the dam-breach inundation zone (e.g., seasonal cottage use,
passing through on transportation routes, participating in recreational activities).
Permanent—The population at risk is ordinarily located in the dam-breach inundation zone (e.g., as
permanent residents); three consequence classes (high, very high, extreme) are proposed to allow for more
detailed estimates of potential loss of life (to assist in decision-making if the appropriate analysis is carried
out).
Note 2. Implications for loss of life:
Unspecified—The appropriate level of safety required at a dam where people are temporarily at risk
depends on the number of people, the exposure time, the nature of their activity, and other conditions. A
higher class could be appropriate, depending on the requirements. However, the design flood requirement,
for example, might not be higher if the temporary population is not likely to be present during the flood
season.