Dams and Reservoirs 

About: Dams and Reservoirs is an academic journal published by Thomas Telford Ltd.. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Environmental science & Engineering. It has an ISSN identifier of 1368-1494. Over the lifetime, 211 publications have been published receiving 394 citations. The journal is also known as: Dams and reservoirs.

Engineering the nile: irrigation and the british empire in egypt, 1882-1914

Abstract: ........................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... iii List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... viii List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. ix Chapter

The development of a Life Safety Model to estimate the risk posed to people by dam failures and floods

Abstract: Dam owners face important decisions about the ways in which finite resources should be allocated to ensure the continuing safe operation of ageing dams. Dam safety risk assessments depend on credible estimates of loss of life for hypothetical failure events to aid in quantifying risk and making decisions concerning how structures are maintained. This paper briefly describes the development of a model, called the “Life Safety Model”, to provide a physics based, dynamic model to estimate loss of life and evacuation times that can result from extreme flood events. The Life Safety Model has an agent-based simulator that enables the model to represent a myriad of probable scenarios which could result from a flood event. Unknown variables such as the effectiveness of warning, road capacity, and time varying population density can be tested in a range of scenarios. The Life Safety Model uses results of flood water depth and velocity from two dimensional hydraulic models such as Telemac 2D over the course of the event, to represent the flood hazard. Unlike many other models and methods of this kind the Life Safety Model includes a dynamic interaction between the receptors and the flood hazard. The paper describes the application of the model to the Malapasset Dam disaster that occurred in 1959 in the south of France. The application of the Life Safety Model to this disaster demonstrated that the model was capable of making accurate estimates of loss of life from an actual flood event.

Preliminary reflections on the failure of the Brumadinho tailings dam in January 2019

Abstract: The failure on 25 January 2019 of the Brumadinho dam 1 at the Minas Corrego do Feijao in the Minas Gerais region of Brazil resulted in at least 220 deaths, together with major environmental impacts...

A Guide to Breach Prediction

Abstract: Earthen embankments that are categorised as large (15m or greater in height) number in the tens of thousands globally. Embankment dam risk assessment is a vital measure that has been adopted throughout the industry to assess the potential impact that catastrophic dam failures can carry. A critical part of this assessment is the prediction of the breach process, which will determine the reservoir outflow hydrograph. This is crucial for the following stage of flood routing, which aids in flood risk assessment, evacuation planning and land-use planning. This report provides details of the breach prediction methods available to users, ranging from simple parametric equations to complex multi-dimensional erosion models. These are commonly divided into three categories; parametric models, semi-physically based models and physically based models. Parametric models, such as Froehlich (2016a, b), Xu & Zhang (2009) and Von Thun & Gillette (1990), allow breach geometry, formation time and peak outflow to be estimated through the regression analysis of historical dam failure data. These have advantages in their ease and speed of use, but were found to have great uncertainty in their application and are therefore not typically suitable for high risk applications, where uncertainties will have a large impact. Appropriate applications include initial appraisal-level breach modelling and the study of low-risk scenarios where uncertainties will have a minimal impact. Semi-physically based models, such as HEC-RAS, take breach geometry and formation time, or soil erosion rates, as input values to produce a breach hydrograph. No physical processes are modelled; rather the flow of water through the use-defined breach is calculated using simple fluid dynamic equations, such as weir and orifice flow. These provide no improvement in the accuracy of predicting a breach over parametric models, but improve on the process of converting these results into outflow hydrographs, which may be required for further use. Physically based models, such as EMBREA, DL Breach and WinDAM consider the complex geotechnical, structural and hydraulic behaviour of an embankment dam and its impounded reservoir. While generally more time-consuming than parametric and semi-physical models, physical models tend to provide results with a greater certainty and accuracy. These, as a whole, are suitable for high risk breach scenarios, where accuracy and reliability are critical in providing results within the acceptable bounds of uncertainty. The descriptions and recommendations of breach prediction methods in this report are intended to guide users towards the most appropriate breach model for a given scenario. A recommended approach to choosing a model type (parametric, physical etc.) is given, taking into consideration the type of analysis and associated risks, amongst other factors. It was concluded that, while parametric models have tended to be used by industry in the past, technological advancements and practical field testing have allowed rigorous physically based models methods to become more feasible. Further developments are likely to reduce the reliance of physical models on simplifications and improve their accuracy and usability.

The potential of sand dam road crossings

Abstract: In many African dryland regions, culverts are built under low-volume rural road river crossings. The capacity of culverts is often inadequate to accommodate the peak floods and, over time, sedimentation reduces this capacity further. As a result, culverts are vulnerable to being washed away. Sand dams that incorporate a ford are an alternative to culverts and offer significant benefits. Correctly designed sand dams manage flood flows and are a robust, cost-effective alternative. Among additional benefits, sand dams recharge the aquifer, reduce downstream flood risks and provide a reliable, year-round water supply in water-scarce environments. This paper documents a case study from Kenya where a sand dam acts as both a road crossing and the source for a water pipeline. The paper describes the principles for siting, design and construction of sand dam road crossings, where this approach is appropriate and the barriers and enablers to wider adoption.