DAM MAINTENANCE

INTRODUCTION
A good maintenance program will protect a dam against deterioration and prolong its life. A poorly maintained dam will deteriorate and can fail. Nearly all the components of a dam and the materials used for dam construction are susceptible to damaging deterioration if not properly maintained. The cost of a proper maintenance program is small compared to the cost of major repairs or the loss of life and property.

TYPES OF MAINTENANCE
1.Critical Conditions 2.Periodic Maintenance 3. Continued maintenance 4.Embankment Maintenance 5.Outlet Maintenance

1.CRITICAL CONDITIONS

Erosion, slope failure or other conditions which are endangering the integrity of the dam. Piping or internal erosion as evidenced by increasingly cloudy seepage or other symptoms. Spillway blockage or restriction. Excessive or rapidly increasing seepage appearing anywhere near the dam site.

2.PERIODIC MAINTENANCE

Remove bushes and trees from the embankment and abutments. Repair erosion gullies. Repair defective gates or valves. Repair deteriorated concrete or metal components. Maintain riprap or other erosion protection.

3. CONTINUED MAINTENANCE
Test, clean and lubricate gates and valves. Inspect and maintain instrumentation and gauging equipment. Remove debris from dam area and emergency spillway approach and exit channel. Remove debris from embankment face and from areas around the intake structures. Clean and remove debris from seepage weirs and small drainage ditches.

4.EMBANKMENT MAINTENANCE

1. Fill erosion gullies with properly compacted cohesive soil material. Seed or riprap repaired area to stabilize from future erosion. 2. Fill rodent burrows with slurry of soil, cement and water. Remove the rodents. 3. Maintain grass cover by spraying weeds, fertilizing and watering as needed. 4. Remove brush, bushes and trees from embankment and from within 25 feet of the groins and 50 feet of the toe of embankment. Remove tree roots, fill with compacted soil and re-seed area.

5. Add or repair riprap where displacement or other damage occurs. 6. Maintain grading of the embankment crests to prevent potholes, rutting or other potential for standing water to accumulate. 7. Maintain fences to provide site security and to exclude livestock from the embankments. Repair and revegetate damaged embankment surfaces. 8. Perform regular inspections of the embankments and abutments to identify potential maintenance items.

5.Outlet Maintenance

1. Test gates and valves semi-annually. 2. Lubricate gates and valves annually or as recommended by the manufacturer. 3. Repair defective gates and valves to ensure smooth operation and prevent leakage. 4. Repair deteriorated concrete or metalwork. 5. Remove debris from the outlet channels annually, inspect and repair erosion protection. 6. Repair and verify calibration of water measurement equipment.

GENERAL REPAIR & MAINTENANCE

Leveling of Embankment Tops & Slopes:

Existing embankments have to be repaired or reconditioned in advance, so that these can safely withstand pressure of the likely highest water level against them, in the ensuing monsoon. The most important point, therefore, is to bring the embankment to the proper grade or levels and section. To achieve this the required free-board for designed

Item of Earthen and Annual Repairs

All hollows and depressions in the embankment section, where ever existing must be made-up with rammed earth after clearing the site of all loose and vegetable material. Where the top of embankment is dusty or sandy, 30 cm of soil containing 10 to 15 percent of clay should be put on and well rammed or rolled.

Opening up and Refilling Leaks

A register of leaks should be maintained showing the exact location and the action taken during the monsoon period (that is, whether it has been fully opened out and refilled with good soil duly watered and rammed, or just plugged at its upstream face). During the monsoon period deep nicks on the slope and sides are also left at the site of each leak as

Repairs to Masonry Works

It is also important to inspect very carefully masonry works so that there is no danger of seepage of water along the plane of contact between the earth and masonry. The earth adjacent to the masonry work should be brought to designed sections laying in very thin layers and then consolidating by reamers.

Plantation

The plantation of trees on embankments are not allowable because their roots tend to loosen the structure of the embankment when shaken by wind storms and these encourage cracks and the development of leaks, which are difficult to close. When trees are removed, it is necessary to remove the roots thoroughly because, if the root is left in, when the organic matter dies and decays and crumbles, it leaves dangerous hollows which cause settlement and lead to further trouble. On the other hand short grass growing on the embankments (tufts of sod) is good protection against erosion and wave wash. The side-slopes of all embankments and land beyond the toes up to 6 m on the countryside and 3 m on the waterside should be kept clear of all trees and other growths except short grass and lai.

Filling Up of Borrow Pits on Land Side

Any borrow pits on the land side made in emergency during flood season near the rear toe may cause excessive seepage and form a surface of saturation along which the superincumbent material may slide or slip, endangering the stability the embankment. These should be properly filled up.

POSSIBLE DAM FAILURES

TYPES OF FAILURE & THEIR CONTROL

1. Seepage 2. Cracking 3. Erosion 4.Instability

SEEPAGE : Seepage all embankment dams pass water through the

embankment materials. the passage of water through the embankment materials is called Seepage .

Controlling methods
Most modern embankment dams have internal drains to control seepage. Internal drains are designed to intercept seepage and to discharge it safely. Many different types of drains can be used to control seepage. Three common types of drains are the Toe Drain, the Horizontal Blanket Drain, and the Chimney Drain with Blanket.

Relief wells may be installed in the downstream toe area to reduce potentially damaging uplift pressure from foundation seepage through pervious materials that were not cut off. Uplift pressure from excessive seepage can cause internal erosion of foundation material or embankment instability.

CRACKING
Cracks are splits that appear in the crest or slopes of the dam. Cracking in an embankment dam falls into the following three major categories. 1. Desiccation Cracking 2. Transverse Cracking 3. Longitudinal Cracking

Desiccation cracking
Desiccation cracking is caused by the drying out and shrinking of certain types of embankment soils. Remedial action: If the depth of the cracking extends below the reservoir level, the place shall be excavated in the form of trench up to the end of the crack and shall be filled with well compacted soil, of course, not with a plastic soil.

Transverse Cracking
The indication of a differential settlement with in the embankment or underlying foundation appears in the form of TRANSVERSE CRACKING in a direction perpendicular to the length of the dam. Remedial action: The place shall be excavated in the form of a trench up to the end of the crack and filled with well compacted soil, if the cracks are up to 1.50 m and above the water level of the reservoir. If the cracks are above 1.50 m and extends below the water level of the reservoir a trench of 1.50 to 2.0 m depth along the crack shall be cut. The remaining portion of the crack, i.e. from the excavated trench is to be filled with well compacted clayey soil, of course not plastic in nature.

Longitudinal Cracking
Uneven settlement between adjacent embankment zone of differing compressibility and the beginning of an unstable slope appears as a longitudinal cracking in a direction parallel to the length of the dam Remedial action: The material up to the depth of the crack shall be removed when the reservoir level is at low, the material shall be spread in thin layers and rolled after deciding on the designed density, the thickness of the layers, the amount of rolling and the weight of rollers.

EROSION
Erosion of slopes, abutments, and spillway discharge channels is one of the most common maintenance problems with embankment structures. Erosion is a natural process, and its continuous forces will eventually wear down almost any surface or structure. Erosion can be caused or aggravated by improper drainage, settlement, pedestrian traffic, inadequate vegetation, animal burrows, or other factors. The cause of the erosion will have a direct bearing on the type of repair needed. Erosion in and around dams can lead to failure of a dam if left untreated. Periodic and timely maintenance is essential in preventing continuous deterioration and possible failure.

Remedial action
Prompt repair of vegetated areas that develop erosion is required to prevent more serious damage to the embankment. Rills and gullies should be filled with suitable soil (the upper 4 inches should be topsoil, if available), lightly compacted, and then seeded. Erosion from runoff, either rills, gullies or bare areas? Improve grass cover; reshape embankment to improve drainage pattern. Runoff from rainfall concentrates in these gutter areas and can reach erosive velocities because of the steep slopes. Berms on the downstream face that collect surface water and empty into these gutters add to the runoff volume. Sod gutters may not adequately prevent erosion in these areas. Small animals often construct burrows underneath concrete gutters, possibly because burrowing is easier due to existing undermining. A well graded mixture of rock with stones 9 to 12 inches in diameter or larger placed on a sand filter generally provides the best

A serious erosion problem which can develop on the upstream slope is "beaching. Waves caused by high winds or high-speed power boats can erode the exposed face of the embankment. Waves repeatedly strike the surface just above the pool elevation, rush up the slope, then tumble downward into the pool. This action erodes material from the face of the embankment and displaces it farther down the slope, creating a "beach". Erosion of unprotected soil can be rapid and during a severe storm could lead to complete failure of a dam. The upstream face of a dam is commonly protected against wave erosion and the resultant beaching by placement of a layer of rock riprap over a layer of filter material. In some cases other materials such as steel, bituminous or concrete facing, bricks or concrete blocks are used.

INSTABILITY
SLIDE, SLUMP, OR SLIP

Foundation movement or a too steep slope can cause earth or rocks to move along a slip plane which can lead to a slump of the embankment. Remedial action: If there is a slip, the reservoir shall immediately be lowered or drained to safe limit to prevent the possible