KOWEPO-LAO International Co.

,Ltd

Identifying Problems and

Solutions:
A Self-Help Guide for Dam
Monitoring
Civil Team@KLIC 1
Dam Potential Problem Indicators
Dam Potential
Problem Indicators:
1. Trees and brush
2. Crack
3. Settlement
4. Slump area
5. Animal burrows
6. Erosion
7. Blocked spillway
8. Scour
9. Seepage

Civil Team@KLIC 2
Question:
When should a Dam inspection be done?

Answer:
• On a regular basis, as part of the routine maintenance
is the most economical means of assuring the safety
and long life of the structure. Routine surveillance
inspections are a straightforward procedure that
allows any properly trained person to make an
accurate assessment of a dam’s condition. The
inspection involves careful examination of the surface
of all parts of the structure.

Civil Team@KLIC 3
1.Reservoir Problems Causes:
• Water action and wave erosion which
a. Slides and Sloughs
creates vertical slopes
• Steep slopes left unsupported by
erosion
• Toe of slope becomes saturated by the
reservoir

Concerns:
• The slides or slough area may endanger
the embankment
• Waves caused by a slide may endanger
the embankment

Recommended Action:
• Monitor the area and notify the Civil
Engineer if the embankment is
threatened.
• Inform the Owner, the services of a
qualified Professional Engineering
Consultant may be required
Civil Team@KLIC 4
b. Floating Debris

Causes:
• Wild animal activity
• Heavy runoff

Concern:
• Debris may block spillway or
outlet

Recommended Action:
• Install trash racks or floating
booms where necessary and clean
them as required

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c. Wild Animals Activity
Cause:
• A favorable habitat

Concern:
• Wild animal activity may block
spillway or outlet causing water to
rise and overtop the embankment

Recommended Action:
• Remove the wild animal dam if any
• Contact the Wildlife Branch of the
Provincial Government in relocating
the wild animal if any and necessary
for their presence or as the well of
the Owner

Civil Team@KLIC 6
 Causes:
• Lack of maintenance
2. Crest Problems • Neglection of work

a. Excessive Vegetation Concerns:

• Prevents a thorough inspection
• Obscures any problems which might
exist
• Root system can weaken the
embankment and result in a failure
• Prevents easy access
• Provides a habitat for unwanted
burrowing animals

Recommended Action:
• Remove excessive vegetation and root
system
• Remove cuttings and debris from
embankment area
• The embankment should be seeded
with an appropriate grass
• Prevent or remove re-occurring
growth as part of a regular
Civil Team@KLIC 7
maintenance program
b. Rodent Activity
Cause:
• Burrowing animals

Concerns:
• Can weaken the embankment
• Can cause a piping failure

Recommended Action:
• Control rodents
• Remove favorable habitat
conditions
• Backfill rodent burrows with
compacted fill or a pumped grout

Civil Team@KLIC 8
c. Ruts along Crest Causes:
• Heavy vehicles, farm equipment or
livestock traffic
• Lack of maintenance or inadequate
crest surfacing

Concerns:
• Allows continued rutting
• Allows standing water to collect and
saturate the crest
• Vehicles crossing the crest can get
stuck causing further damage

Recommended Action:
• Regrade and re-compact crest to
original elevation with a camber to the
upstream slope which will encourage
proper drainage of runoff back into the
reservoir.
• Provide surface resistant to rutting
such as placement of crushed gravel
surfacing.
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d. Drying Cracks
Cause:
• Crest material expands and
contracts with alternating wet and
dry weather

Concern:
• Provides an entrance point for
surface water which can saturate
the crest material

Recommended Action:
• Regrade or tight blade the crest if
necessary

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e. Longitudinal Cracking Causes:
• Uneven settlement within the
embankment or foundation
• Initial stage of a slope failure or
embankment slide
Concerns:
• Results in an area of high instability
• Can lead to future movements or failure
(see Figures above – Development of a
Slope Failure from Longitudinal cracking)
• Provides an entry point for surface water
which can promote movement
• Can reduce the effective crest width
Recommended Action:
• Notify the Civil Engineer
• Inform the Owner, the services of a
qualified Professional Engineering
Consultant may be required to
determine the cause and recommend a
plan of action
• The crack(s) should be monitored
• A lower reservoir operating level may be
Civil Team@KLIC required 11

f. Transverse Cracking
Civil Team@KLIC
Causes:
• Uneven movement between two adjacent
segments of the embankment
• Instability of the embankment or
foundation
Concerns:
• Provides an entry point for surface water
• Creates an area of structural weakness
which could result in further movements
or failure
• May create a seepage path from the
reservoir and a potential piping failure
Recommended Action:
• Notify the Civil Engineer
• Inform the Owner, the services of a
qualified Professional Engineering
Consultant may be required to determine
the cause and recommend a plan of
action
• The crack(s) should be excavated and
back-filled with compacted material to
prevent seepage
• Area should be closely monitored for
future movement
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g. Low Area on the Crest Causes:
• Excessive settlement of the embankment
material or the foundation
• Internal erosion of the embankment
material
• Prolonged erosion from wind or water
• Poor construction practices

Concerns:
• Reduced freeboard for safe routing of
floodwater
• Floodwater may overtop the embankment
in the low area rather than passing
through the spillway

Recommended Action:
• Notify the Civil Engineer
• Inform the Owner, the services of a
qualified Professional Engineering
Consultant may be required to determine
the cause and recommend a plan of
action
Civil Team@KLIC 13
h. Sinkhole on the Crest Causes:
• Burrowing animals
• Internal erosion from seepage piping
or a hole in the conduit, etc.

Concerns:
• Sloughing/caving can occur in the
sinkhole leading to embankment
instability and development of a low
area
• Provides an entrance point for
surface water
• Depending on size and depth, may
lead to a failure

Recommended Action:
• Notify the Civil Engineer
• Inform the Owner, the services of a
qualified Professional Engineering
Consultant may be required to
determine the cause and recommend
a plan of action
Civil Team@KLIC 14
3. Upstream Slope Problems
a. Erosion (Beaching and Scarps)
Causes:
• Wave or water action
• Local settlement
• Inadequate erosion protection

Concerns:
• Continued erosion can reduce
crest width and height leading to
a possible overtopping
• May cause increased seepage

Recommended Action:
• Regrade the upstream slope to
the original design grade
• Provide adequate slope
protection

Civil Team@KLIC 15
b. Displaced and Broken Down Riprap
Causes:
• Wave or water action
• Poor quality riprap
• Same size rock (improperly
designed), leaving gaps which allow
waves to erode underlying material

Concerns:
• Allows increasing erosion which can
reduce the width and height of the
embankment

Recommended Action:
Re-establish adequate slope protection
with underlying filter bed
Repair erosion damage with properly
designed erosion protection

Civil Team@KLIC 16
c. Burrowing Animal Activity

Cause:
• A habitat which encourages wild
animal’s activity

Concern:
• Burrowing can weaken the
embankment and lead to its failure

Recommended Action:
• Remove the burrowing animals
• Compact the burrows with
compacted fill or a pumped grout
• Remove the supporting habitat

Civil Team@KLIC 17
d. Excessive Vegetation and Trees
Causes:
• Neglection of works
• Poor maintenance procedures

Concerns:
• Can obscure serious problem
which may exist
• Root systems can penetrate and
weaken the embankment and
create seepage paths

Recommended Action:
• Remove excessive vegetation
• Keep vegetation under control as
part of a regular maintenance
program

Civil Team@KLIC 18
e. Large Cracks
Causes:
• A foundation failure
• Localized instability

Concerns:
• Almost always precedes a slope failure
or large scale settlement

Recommended Action:
• The reservoir should be drawn down
• Notify the Civil Engineer
• Inform the Owner, the services of a
qualified Professional Engineering
Consultant may be required to
determine the cause and recommend
a plan of action

Civil Team@KLIC 19
f. Slide or Slump

Causes:
• Foundation failure
• Slope is too steep
• A rapid drawdown of the reservoir

Concerns:
• Can lead to a failure of the dam
• Slide debris can block low level
outlets

Recommended Action:
• Draw the reservoir down
• Notify the Civil Engineer
• Inform the Owner, the services of a
qualified Professional Engineering
Consultant may be required to
determine the cause and recommend
a plan of action

Civil Team@KLIC 20
g. Sinkhole
Cause:
• Concentrated seepage begins to
“pipe” embankment material
through the dam. This loss of
material causes the inlet of the
“pipe” to collapse forming a sinkhole

Concern:
• Usually results in a piping failure

Recommended Action:
• Draw the reservoir down
• Look for other sinkholes and their
exits
• Examine outflow for dirty water
• Notify the Civil Engineer
• Inform the Owner, the services of a
qualified Professional Engineering
Consultant may be required to
determine the cause and
recommend a plan of action
Civil Team@KLIC 21
4. Downstream Slope Problems
a. Longitudinal Cracking
Civil Team@KLIC
Causes:
• Drying and shrinking of
embankment material
• Settlement of embankment of
foundation material
Concerns:
• Provides an entry point for
surface water
• Causes embankment instability
• Can be an early warning of a slope
failure, slide or slump
Recommended Action:
• Drying cracks should be sealed
• Notify the Civil Engineer
• Inform the Owner, the services of
a qualified Professional
Engineering Consultant may be
required to determine the cause
and recommend a plan of action.
22
b. Slump / Slide
Causes:
• Slope is too steep
• Loss of embankment material
strength from settlement or
excessive seepage

Concerns:
• Can cause additional slumps/slide
• Can lead to embankment failure

Recommended Action:
• Drawdown the reservoir
• Notify the Civil Engineer
• Inform the Owner, the services of
a qualified Professional
Engineering Consultant may be
required to determine the cause
and recommend a plan of action

Civil Team@KLIC 23
c. Wet Areas / Seepage Causes:
• Seepage through the embankment or
under the foundation
• Surface water entering through cracks
or animal burrows
Concern:
• Creates slope instability which can
lead to a failure
• Indicates the possibility of internal
erosion (piping)
Recommended action:
• Monitor the area for a change in size
• Monitor seepage outflow, if any, for
dirty water which would indicate
internal erosion (piping)
• If dirty water is seen notify the Civil
Engineer
• Inform the Owner, the services of a
qualified Professional Engineering
Consultant may be required to
determine the cause and recommend
a plan of action
Civil Team@KLIC 24
d. Cave in / Collapse
Causes:
• Poor compaction during
construction
• Internal erosion (piping) through
the embankment or foundation
• Animal burrowing

Concerns:
• Can cause increased seepage
• Indicates a potential for failure

Recommended action:
• Monitor the area for change
• Notify the Civil Engineer
• Inform the Owner, the services of a
qualified Professional Engineering
Consultant may be required to
determine the cause and
recommend a plan of action

Civil Team@KLIC 25
e. Erosion / Rutting

Causes:
• Livestock traffic
• Surface runoff
• Poorly protected slope

Concerns:
• Encourages further erosion

Recommended action:
• Regrade slope and sow a cover
crop
• Keep livestock off embankment

Civil Team@KLIC 26
5. Downstream Toe Problems
Causes:
a. Seepage Water Exiting as a Sand or • A concentrated seepage path or pipe has
developed through the foundation
Water Boil • A layer of sand or gravel in the
foundation being charged by the
reservoir
Concern:
• Dirty seepage water is an indication that
piping may be occurring and may result
in a piping failure of the foundation and
ultimately the embankment
Recommended Action:
• The outflow should be examined for
dirty water
• The area and flow should be monitored
and the reservoir drawn down if flows
increase
• Notify the Civil Engineer
• Inform the Owner, the services of a
qualified Professional Engineering
Consultant may be required to
determine the cause and recommend a
Civil Team@KLIC plan of action 27
b. Standing / Ponded Water at the Downstream Toe

Causes:
• Heavy seepage
• Surface runoff
• Poor drainage away from the toe

Concerns:
• Obscures source and makes flow
rates difficult to estimate
• Saturates and destabilizes the
downstream slope
• Can result in slope failure

Recommended Action:
• Provide an adequate drainage
system to prevent ponding.
• Identify source of water and
inform the Owner

Civil Team@KLIC 28
6. Downstream Abutment Problems
a. Wet Areas or Water Exiting from Downstream Abutment
Cause:
• A seepage path or “pipe” passing
around the embankment
through the natural abutment
material
Concern:
• May result in an abutment piping
failure
Recommended Action:
• Monitor the area and flow for
change and the presence of dirty
water
• Notify the Civil Engineer
• Inform the Owner, the services of
a qualified Professional
Engineering Consultant is
required if the seepage flow
increases and dirty water is
Civil Team@KLIC 29
present
7. Spillway Problems
Causes:
a. Eroded Channel / Slide • Inadequate erosion protection
• Too steep a gradient

Concerns:
• Channel erosion deepens and
generally works its way
upstream
• Can result in the reservoir
draining through the eroded
channel

Recommended Action:
• Repair the eroded area with
compacted fill
• Provide adequate erosion
protection
• Regrade the channel if
necessary

Civil Team@KLIC 30
b. Blocked Channel
Causes:
• Floating debris from the reservoir
• Animal activity
• Man-made

Concerns:
• May restrict spillway channel flow
causing the embankment to
overtop

Recommended Action:
• Remove the blockage
• Prevent future blockages
• Install trash racks if necessary

Civil Team@KLIC 31
THANK YOU!

Civil Team@KLIC 32