Criteria for Site

Selection of SWIP

Training on Agro-Hydrology and Dam Design for SWIP

October 18-29, 2021
1. Dam Incidents &
Damages
▪Vajont Dam Incident
▪Date : Oct. 9, 1963
▪Overtopping resulted from huge
rock slide of 250 million m3
in left abutment slope
▪Life : 2,600 lost

3
 Shihkang Dam Failure (Taiwan)

-Concrete Gravity Dam for Tab Water Supply

-H=25m
-Earthquake (M=7.7) : Sept. 20, 1999
-Dam body was broken by fault action in vertical direction on dam
axis
-Reduction of 40% of tab water supply to Taichung city
Yeoncheon Dam Failure (Korea)
-Date : July 27, 1996
-Damage : 50 houses completely broken,
downtown in downstream flooded

5
Kyungpo Dam (Korea)
: Failure of Spillway(2002.8)

6
Baeksan Dyke Failure (Korea)
(2002.8)

7
 Original dam axis

Before rehabilitation

Digdig Small Water

Impounding Project,
Carranglan, Nueva Ecija,
Philippines
 During rehabilitation

After rehabilitation
 Causes of Dam Failures in USA
Embankment Dams *
Cause 1955 Current
1. Inadequate spillway capacity 30% 40%
2. Seepage/piping 25% 37%
3. Slides 15 6%
4. Conduit leakage 13%
5. Slope protection 5% 17%
6. Unknown 12%

* Source – National Inspection of Dams Program, Corps of Engineers survey and

10
Bureau of Reclamation survey
Small Water Impounding Project

CRITERIA FOR SITE SELECTION

❑ The reservoir should be wide enough to have
the most economical active storage capacity
preferably more than one hectare.

❑ The reservoir should not be on formations

that will allow excessive leakage or loss of
empoundments such as limestone
formation and sandy to gravelly loose
formation.
Typical cross-section of sandy,
loose strata
Piping occurs in the
dam base due to
presence of
limestone formation
How to conclude subsurface geology without
seeing what is beneath the surface.
• Through OUTCROPS
• A representative of a subsurface geology of the
area.
• Not necessarily found in the damsite itself, but in
some distant location.
• Roadside cuts
• River banks.
Road-side cut
outcrops
River outcrops
CONTINUATION OF CRITERIA FOR SITE
SELECTION .........
• Reservoir sites should not be located below mining
areas.

• The land area to be submerged should be relatively

of low value.

• The reservoir inflows should be dependable and

adequate to sustain its purpose, hence, watershed
must be large enough to provide sufficient water
yield.
Watershed
CONTINUATION OF CRITERIA FOR SITE
SELECTION ........
❑ There should be a suitable site for an economical
spillway.

❑ The dam should be located in a narrow section of a

stream channel and where both abutments are of
sufficient height.

❑ Adequate fill materials should be available with in

economic haul distance from the damsite.
❑ The value of necessary land aquisition and right of
way is cheap

❑ The service area should be of lower elevation than

the damsite and should be near for economical cost
of conveyance.

❑ The damsite should not be located on or near a

known active fault.

❑ No water right grantee should be affected

Watershed
End of presentation…

Thank You…
 Department of Agriculture
Bureau of Soils and Water Management
Water Resources Management Division
SRDC Bldg. Elliptical Road corner Visayas Avenue,
Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines

Telephone/Telefax: (02) 923-0454

E-mail Address: waterresources.bswm@gmail.com
www.bswm.da.gov.ph