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Seepage through till foundations of dams of the

Eastmain - Opinaca - La Grande diversion

J.-J. PAR^ AND N. S. VERMA

Sociite' d'inergie de la Baie Jarnes, 800 est boulevard de Maisonneuve, MontrPal, P.Q.,Canada H2L 4M8
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AND
A. A. LOISELLEA N D S. PINZARIU
Lalonde, Girouard, Letendre et Associis Ltd., Suite 214, 1400 SauvP Street West, Montrial, P.Q., Canada H4N IC.5
Received November 11, 1982
Accepted October 5 , 1983

The EOL (Eastmain - Opinaca - La Grande) diversion scheme of the La Grande Complex (phase I) for the James Bay
Hydroelectric development in northern Quebec diverts the waters of the Eastmain, Opinaca, and Petite Opinaca Rivers into the
LG 2 reservoir. The EOL diversion consists of four dams and seven dykes about half of which are founded for part of their length
on overburden foundations of variable thickness and consisting of heterogeneous deposits of glacial till or sandy and silty alluvia.
The till core of these zoned embankments is either placed directly on the till strata or extended through the alluvia to the
underlying till by a core trench. The construction of these embankments was completed in 1979 and the maximum reservoir level
achieved in November 1980.
This paper deals with the seepage and pore pressure behaviour in the overburden foundations, namely, dams OA-1OB and
OA-11 and the dyke OA-8B, during and subsequent to the reservoir filling. The results of the parametric seepage analyses carried
out by finite element methods are compared with the observations. Special attempts are made to resolve the long-existing
speculations regarding the anisotropy of natural deposits. Comments are made regarding the effective anisotropy of such deposits
For personal use only.

in the James Bay region and its effect on exit gradients and uplift forces, which influence the design and safety of dams and dykes.
Keywords: seepage, pore pressure, hydraulic conductivity, anisotropy, foundation treatment, cutoff.

Faisant partie du dkveloppement hydroklectrique de la Baie James, la derivation EOL (Eastmain - Opinaca - La Grande) du
Complexe La Grande, Phase I, consiste ?IdCtourner les eaux des rivikres Eastmain, Opinaca et Petite Opinaca vers le reservoir LG
2. La derivation EOL a requis la construction de quatre barrages et de sept digues fond&, pour la moitiC de ces ouvrages en
remblai, sur des sols meubles dlCpaisseur variable. Ces sols sont soit des dCp6ts glaciaires hettrogenes out soit des alluvions
silteuses et sablonneuses. Le noyau de moraine de ces ouvrages zones est place directement sur le dCp6t glaciaire ou rejoint cette
couche impermeable en traversant les couches alluvionnaires permiables ?I I'aide d'une clC. La construction des remblais fut
complktke en 1979 et le niveau maximum de reservoir fut atteint en novembre 1980.
Cette communication porte sur les infiltrations et les pressions interstitielles, telles que mesurkes dans les fondations pendant et
suite au remplissage du reservoir. Les rksultats des analyses parametriques d'infiltration obtenus par tlkments finis sont compar6s
aux observations. L'on a tent6 particulikrement d'apporter un Cclairage nouveau relativement au problkme de I'anisotropie des
dCp6ts naturels. Des commentaires sur I'anisotropie de permtabilite et son effet sur les gradients et les sous-pressions sont
prCsentCs en regard de leur influence sur la conception et la s&curitCdes ouvrages.
Mots-clPs: infiltration, pression interstitielle, conductivite hydraulique, anisotropie, traitement de fondation, parafouille.
Can. Geotech. J. 21,75-91 (1984)

Introduction by a core trench. In cases where alluvia were thick and

The EOL (Eastmain - Opinaca - La Grande) diver-
sion scheme of the La Grande Complex (phase 1) for the
James Bay Hydroelectric development in northern
Quebec diverts the waters of the Eastmain, Opinaca, and
Petite Opinaca Rivers, located about 800 km north of
Montreal, into the LG 2 reservoir. The EOL diversion
(Fig. 1) consists of four dams and seven dykes creating a
reservoir with a surface area of about 40 000 km2. About
half of these dams and dykes are founded on overburden
foundations consisting of heterogeneous deposits of
glacial till and alluvia of variable thickness. The
compacted till core of these zoned earth structures is
either placed directly on the till strata or extended
through the pervious alluvia down to the underlying till
bedrock or till was located at considerable depth, cutoff
was achieved by means of a slurry trench or a concrete
panel wall.
The construction of these embankments was com-
pleted in 1979 and the first reservoir filling took place
between July 1979 and November 1980. The reservoir
level since then has completed three cycles of fluctua-
tions between the maximum and minimum levels of 2 16
and 212m (708 and 695 ft) respectively. The per-
formance of the till core and foundation is evaluated on a
regular basis from analyses and interpretation of the
results of visual surveillance and instrument readings
installed at selected locations.
This paper deals with the seepage and pore pressure
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CAN. GEOTECH. J . VOL. 21, 1984

 PARE ET AL.

1. Some characteristics of structures founded on till deposits

TABLE

Length (m)
Maximum height (m) Thickness (m)
On till of till
Structure On bedrock On till Total foundation foundation
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Dyke OA-2 18 7 1260 370 8

Dyke OA-3 21 15 690 90 8
Dyke OA-8B 27 17 2280 300 18
Dam OA- 1OB - 25 800 800 21
Dam OA- 1 1 33 23 3210 160 18

behaviour of the till foundation of embankment dams The design of the sections of dams and dykes founded
during and subsequent to the reservoir filling. The cases on till deposits consists typically of a zoned embank-
selected for these studies involved different types of ment with a central till core protected by granular filter
embankment-foundation contact designs. and transition zones and granular shells. The core is
sloped at 1H:5V and the upstream and downstream
Geology exterior shell surfaces at 2.5H: 1V and 2.25H: 1V respec-
The La Grande Complex lies within the Canadian tively. A 1.5 m core trench is excavated into the till
Shield, a glaciated peneplain, developed on Precam- stratum, which has been approved as acceptable founda-
brian basement rocks of igneous and metamorphic tion material and assures a positive contact of the core
origin. The predominantly granitic gneiss, which served with the impervious foundation. The downstream filter
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as the foundation for some of the structures and which zone is connected through a horizontal filter blanket to a
was the source of rockfill for dam construction, is of 1.5 m deep toe drain.
good quality. The foundation excavated involved removal of the
Deposits of glacial and glaciofluvial origin cover most organic soil and the surficial layer of desiccated and/or
of the region. Till, consisting generally of nonplastic contaminated till as well as pockets of any loose, soft, or
silty sand and gravel, is widespread in the form of highly permeable material. Thus all material overlying
ground moraine, locally including some drumlin depo- the competent impervious till foundation was ex-
sits. Glaciofluvial action has produced alluvial outwash. cavated. A drainage ditch located along the downstream
Terraces of fine sand and clayey silt deposits of fluvial toe collects seepage discharge from the foundation.
origin and marine silty clays below elevation 200 m Constant head or variable head in-siru hydraulic
(650 ft) are found along the water courses. The till and conductivity tests were carried out in cased boreholes.
alluvial deposits provided excellent sources of embank- The measurements pertaining to the open section below
ment construction material and often served as compe- the casing are considered to represent a relative assess-
tent foundation. ment of hydraulic conductivity as it varies with borehole
location and depth.
Dams and dykes The special features pertinent to the subject of this
Because of the large variation in the existing founda- paper are described for individual structures hereafter.
tion conditions and the available construction materials,
the foundation design and treatment varied significantly. Dyke OA-8B
Thus, some of the structures were founded entirely on A till deposit, overlain by a 1.5 m surficial layer of
bedrock, some entirely on impervious overburden foun- sand with gravel traces, was found in three depressions
dation, others had the shell zones founded on overbur- along the OA-8B dyke axis. Based on standard penetra-
den with the core extended to bedrock, and some were tion test results, the till is compact to very dense. The
provided with an impervious upstream blanket, a slurry hydraulic conductivity, k (formerly known as the
trench, or a concrete cutoff wall to intercept and control coefficient of permeability), of the deposit was inferred
seepage through the permeable foundation. Such varia- to range between lop2and 10-4cm/s (Fig. 2).
tions apply not only to the different structures but also to Dam OA-1OB
the different sections of the same structure. The OA-1OB dam closes the north valley of the Petite
There are five structures, namely, dams OA- 1OB and Opinaca River. The wide U-shaped valley at the dam
OA-1 1 and dykes OA-2, OA-3, and OA-8B, which are site is filled with overburden with a relatively uniform
founded for part of their length on till deposits. Some of thickness of about 20 m. The soil stratigraphy, consist-
the characteristics of these structures are summarized in ing of surficial layers of peat, underlain by layers of
Table 1. variable thicknesses of wash moraine and sandy silt to
 CAN. GEOTECH. J. VOL.
HYDRAULIC
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FIG. 2. Dyke OA-8B, hydraulic conductivity test results on till foundation.
silty sandy till, is shown in Fig. 3 and the corresponding
standard penetration test results in Fig. 4. The wash
moraine, consisting of sand and gravel with silt traces,
contained some pockets of high silt content. The
stratigraphic details shown on these figures were in-
ferred from boreholes done during the initial exploration
as well as some 40 boreholes executed during the core
trench excavation.
Based on the results of standard penetration and
hydraulic conductivity tests in boreholes, the surficial
layers of the till and the wash moraine were generally
loose to compact and had a mean hydraulic conductivity
of about 5 X cm/s. Most of this surficial material
was excavated over the total width of the dam except
between chainages 450 and 700 where the wash
moraine, because of its depth of about 7 m, was only
excavated under the core. In comparison, the till at depth
21, 1984
CONDUCTWITY (cm/s)
was very dense and possessed a mean hydraulic conduc-
tivity of about 5 X 10-4cm/s. These results of
conductivity tests are presented in Fig. 5 and typical
gradation curves for the wash moraine and till strata are
shown in Fig. 6 .
The north section of the dam between chainages 300
and 700 consists of a deep trench excavated through the
highly silty alluvia or the wash moraine layers down to
the very dense silty sand with gravel till. A fine to coarse
sand filter along the inclined downstream face of the
core trench as well as a horizontal filter layer under the
downstream shell zone were incorporated in the design
in areas where the silty alluvia were encountered.
The foundation treatment of the dam in the south
section consists of a nominal core trench excavated into
the compact to very dense till and an impervious
upstream blanket connected to the core. The upstream
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CAN. GEOTECH. J. VOL. 21, 1984

 PARE ET AL.

HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY (cm/s)

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FIG. 5. Dam OA-IOB, hydraulic conductivity test results on till foundation.

impervious blanket zone was placed over the upper
stratum of relatively higher hydraulic conductivity with
a view of increasing the flow path.
Dam OA-I 1
The foundation of dam OA-11 varies significantly
over its 3.2 km length, so that the foundation design
included sections with slurry trench, concrete panel
wall, core to bedrock, and core on till stratum. The
desien and construction details of some of these sections
havgbeen dealt with elsewhere (Loiselle et al. 1978,
1982).
The dam section between chainaees 2545 and 2865
u
consists of core to bedrock or till stratum, with the shell
zones founded on overburden. Soil stratigraphy in this
sector consisted of a surficial layer of organic material
underlain by layered medium to coarse sand which in
turn was underlain by a silty sand and gravelly till.
Discontinuous layers and lenses of fine sand with silt
traces were encountered within the till stratum. The
depth to the till stratum varied between 3 and 5 m.
Observed pore pressures
Pore pressures in the foundation and till core were
measured with electrical, pneumatic, and standpipe type
hydraulic piezometers. The foundation pore pressures
observed during construction and reservoir filling and
the subsequent period of reservoir operation for the
various dams and dykes are shown in Figs. 7-10 along
with the detailed zoning of the dam embankment.
Dyke OA-8B
Two sets of electrical piezometers are installed at
different depths in the foundation: PO-1, 2, and 3 just
downstream of the core and PO-5,7, and 8 near the toe
(Fig. 7).
Water levels nearly downstream of the core (PO-1,2,
and 3), which increased gradually and simultaneously
 82 CAN. GEOTECH. J. VOL. 21, 1984
HYDROMETER US STANDARD SIEVE SIZES
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ODOlmm 0.Olmm OJmm
CLAY TO SILT
FlNE I MEDIUM
SAND
FIG.6. Dam OA-IOB, typical gradation limits for till and wash moraine strata: (1) upper wash moraine and till strata and (2)
lower till stratum.
with the reservoir filling, have continued to vary with the
reservoir level fluctuations, such that the pore pressure
at the location of the instruments corresponds to about
40% of the total head. All piezometers displayed
identical levels, indicating an absence of vertical
gradient.
Near the dyke toe, piezometers PO-5, 7, and 8 have
continued to indicate a level corresponding to the water
level in the toe drain ditch and have not been influenced
by the reservoir. Therefore no measurable exit gradient
or uplift pressure is considered to be acting at the toe.
Dam OA-1OB, chainage 535
As shown in Fig. 8, a total of 10 electrical piezo-
meters is installed in the foundation, five downstream of
the core trench (under the shell) and five under the toe
drain ditch. At each location, the uppermost piezometer
is located in the 3-5 m thick surficial granular stratum
and the rest in the underlying till stratum.
During reservoir filling, pore pressures increased
s i m u l t a n ~ o u swith
~ ~ the-reskrvoi;. The piezometric
levels near the dam axis increased with depth such that
excess pore pressures in the deepest piezometer (PO-13
at 14 m depth) amounted to about 30% of the total head.
Under the toe drainage ditch, this pressure at depth
diminished to about 15-20% of the reservoir head
(piezometer PO- 18). No excess pore pressures were
I SIEVE OPENINWS (in) ( DIMENSON (I~LI
Imm lDmm lWmm KXX)nm
IcOARSEI FlNE I STONES BLOCKS
GRAVEL
developed in the upper granular stratum (piezometers
PO-9, PO-10, and PO-14) or in the upper 6 m of the till
stratum under the toe ditch. This implies that no exit
gradient exists in the upper 6 m and only slight but
inconsequential uplift pressure at depth. The above
behaviour has persisted during- reservoir operations.
Dam OA-IOB, chainage 840
A total of eight electrical and pneumatic piezometers
was installed at different depths in the foundation of the
dam section having an impervious blanket under the
upstream shell and a thick filter blanket under the
downstream shell.
As shown in Fig. 9 , about 30-40% of the reservoir
head was transmitted to the piezometers located just
downstream of the dam axis and about 10-15% of the
head remained undissipated under the dam toe. Vertical
gradient at both locations was small. This behaviour was
observed during reservoir filling as well as during its
operation.
Dam OA-11
At chainage 2620 (Fig. lo), where the dam core was
founded directly on the impervious till after excavating
the overlying granular stratum, six electrical piezo-
meters were installed in the foundation (two under the
core on the axis and four under the toe) and four in the
dam core.
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84
CAN. GEOTECH. 1. VOL. 21. 1984
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FIG.10. Dam OA-11, Ch. 2620, observed reservoir and piezometric levels: (1) till, (2) processed sand and gravel, (3) pit run sand and gravel, (4) rip rap, ( 5 )
bedrock, (6) layered sand, (7) till, and (EA-12) piezometer.
 TABLE2. Parameters used in analyses

Hydraulic conductivity

Structure Material kh (cm/s) A = kh/k,

Fill zones:
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All structures Till core and blanket 1 x lo4 10

Filter/transition 1 X lo-2 1
Shell 1 x lo-2 1
Foundations:
OA-8B Till
OA-1OB (Ch. 535) Upper layer 1x lo-2 10
Lower layer 5x lo4 1, 10,20, 100
OA-IOB (Ch. 840) Till 5x lo4 1, 10,20, 100
Lenses at toe 1X lo-? 1

TABLE
3. Comparison of calculated and observed pore pressures (dyke OA-8B, chainage 1325, reservoir
level at 215.8 rn)

Level difference* (rn)

For personal use only.

kh = 5 x lo4 cm/s kh = I x 1o4crn/s

Observed
Location Piezorneter level (rn) 1 10 20 100 20

Near dyke axis PO-1 203.3 -3.8 -2.6 -2.1 -1.4 -2.3
PO-2 203.4 -3.7 -1.5 -0.7 -0.1 -0.9
PO-3 203.4 -3.5 -1.2 -0.5 -0.2 -0.6
Near toe PO-5 196.4 +0.5 +0.7 +0.9 +1.4 +0.8
PO-7 196.6 10.3 +0.6 +l.O +2.3 $1.0
PO-8 197.2 -0.3 +0.1 +0.6 +2.6 +0.5
*Level difference = calculated level - observed level.

Pore pressures in the foundation varied concurrently
with reservoir filling, the piezometric levels relative to
the reservoir head being about 50% under the core and
about 5- 15% under the toe.
Seepage analyses
Analyses of seepage flow through the foundation and
embankment zones were carried out using the finite
element method and a programme developed for two
dimensional steady state flow with a free surface by
Newman and Witherspoon (1970). This method has also
been used for the studies carried out at the design stage
(Lefebvre and Lupien 1976).
Four cross sections, with different designs of the
core-foundation contact and where the behaviour has
been monitored with instruments, were selected. The
use of similar fill materials placed in the four embank-
ments and a general similarity of foundation materials
presented a good opportunity of cross-checking the
validity of design parameters. The sections selected
were as follows:
(a) Dam OA-1OB at chainage 535: core founded on a
foundation consisting of two layers; core trench exca-
vated down to the relatively impervious and dense till
stratum.
(b) Dam OA-1OB at chainage 840: core connected to
an upstream impervious blanket placed over the till
foundation.
(c) Dyke OA-8B at chainage 1325: core on a till
foundation.
(d) Dam OA-1 1 at chainage 2620: core on a till
foundation.
The hydraulic conductivities used in the analyses for
the fill were selected on the basis of the results of
laboratory testing and of observed seepage performance
through similar materials on the La Grande Complex
and for the foundations, on the basis of information
gathered from boreholes put down during exploration.
Whereas the overall hydraulic conductivity of foun-
dation materials as used in the analyses is based on these
tests, the value of anisotropy was open to speculation
and it was necessary to choose a range of values
 CAN. GEOTECH. J. VOL. 21. 1984

extending on either side of the most probable value.

Effectively, two general types of materials (namely, the
relatively impervious till and the granular wash mor-
aine) with different hydraulic conductivities were iden-
tified in the foundation. The two existed as independent,
intertwined layers or as lenses. The magnitude of
applicable anisotropy has thus been assessed indirectly
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by comparing the observed and the analyzed pore

pressures.
A summary of the parameters used for different soil
types in the analyses is given in Table 2. It should be
noted that the anisotropy of permeability as used in these
analyses represents a mass anisotropy of the foundation
and should be distinguished from the properties of soil
samples or blocks which represent a local condition and
which may possess a microanisotropy.

Results of analyses
For each set of parameters selected, a seepage flow
net was developed and the magnitude of pore pressures
at the location of the piezometer tips determined. The
applicability of each set was then reviewed by compar-
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ing these calculated pore pressures with the observed

piezometric levels. While comparing the observed and
the calculated pore pressures, it should be remembered
that some local pore pressure variation related to the
foundation heterogeneity is always present and that the
electrical sealed piezometers may exhibit some zero
error. The results of the analyses of only the selected and
most pertinent cases are presented in detail below. It
should be noted that both the observation and the
analyses relate to the steady state seepage condition at
maximum reservoir level.

Dyke OA-8B and dam OA-11 (core on till foundation)

The results of pore pressures, as analyzed for a
horizontal hydraulic conductivity of 5 X lop4 cm/s and
the values of anisotropy of permeability of 1,10,20, and
100, together with the corresponding observed piezo-
metric levels for dyke OA-8B, are summarized in
Table 3. The table gives (a) the water levels in
piezometers installed in the foundation and (b) the
difference between the calculated and the observed
water levels in piezometers, both corresponding to the
maximum reservoir level. A negative difference implies
that the analysis indicated lower pore pressure than
observed in piezometers and vice versa.
A review of Table 3 indicates that the compatibility
between observed and calculated pore pressures is best
achieved for anisotropy of 20 and 100 for piezometers
just downstream of the core and for anisotropy of 1 and
10 for piezometers at the toe. The deviation in the case of
piezometer PO-1 located at a depth of 2.5 m near the
core is considered to reflect pressure in an isolated
 4. Comparison of calculated and observed pore pressures (dam OA- LOB, chainage 535,
TABLE
reservoir level at 215.8 m)
Observed
Location Piezometer level (m)
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Near dam axis PO-9
PO-10
PO-1 1
PO- 12
PO-13
Near toe PO-14
PO- 15
PO- 16
PO- 17
PO- 18
*Level difference = calculated level - observed level; kt, = I
cm/s for lower till layer; anisotropy of upper layer = 10.
impervious pocket. The results of assuming hydraulic
conductivity ( k h )of 1 X l o p 4 cm/s and anisotropy of 20
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also gave compatible results as shown in Table 3. Based
on these comparisons it is considered that the applicable
values of mass anisotropy must be of the order of 10-20.
A graphic representation of the distribution of equi-
potential lines, for full reservoir condition, through the
fill and foundation of dyke OA-8B and for the case of an
anisotropy of 10 is shown in Fig. 11. Also shown are the
location and the corresponding water levels of the
foundation piezometers.
Similar analyses carried out at the instrumented
section at chainage 2620 of dam OA-11 pointed to an
anisotropy of 20 or more for achieving a concordance
between the observed and the calculated pore pressures
at the location of piezometers installed in the till
foundation under the core and at the downstream toe.
Dam OA-IOB (two-layerfoundations, chaiizage 535)
A comparative analysis of the foundation pore pres-
sures (Table 4) shows that a general concordance
between the observed and the calculated pressures is
best achieved for anisotropy of 10 and 20. The pore
pressures in the upper foundation layer, because of its
relatively high hydraulic conductivity, are controlled
mainly by the water level in toe drain and are not
appreciably affected by variations in the anisotropy of
the underlying till layer.
Figure 12 shows the distribution of equipotential lines
through the embankment and the two foundation layers
for the case of a foundation anisotropy of 10. Also
shown are the location of the piezometer tips and the
corresponding observed water levels. The effectiveness
of the relatively permeable upper foundation layer and
the inclined filter along the downstream face of the core
Level difference" (m) for anisotropy
of lower layer
1 10 20 100
X 10-'cni/s for upper layer; kL = 5 x lo4
trench in dissipating the excess pore pressures is quite
evident.
Dam OA-1OB (section with impervious blanket, chain-
age 840)
A comparison of the observed and calculated pore
pressures at the piezometric tip locations is given in
Table 5 for foundation anisotropy of 1, 10,20, and 100,
considering the case where two 16 m X 3 m sand and
gravel lenses are located at depths of 13 and 20 m at the
dam toe and also the case where these two lenses were
eliminated for purposes of comparison. A review of this
table indicates that a compatibility between the observed
and the calculated foundation pore pressures under the
downstream filter and toe is best achieved for values of
soil anisotropy at about 20. For the isotropic condition,
all calculated pressures are underestimated, especially
near the core. For an anisotropy- of 100, the calculated
L
pore pressures at the toe are excessive. The excessive
deviation of the observed piezometric level in piezo-
meter PO-19 from the general pattern of pore pressure
distribution in the foundation may be related to the local
variation of the natural material.
The piezometric pressure near the ground surface at
the dam toe is effectively controlled by the level of water
in the toe drain. Consequently, the presence of the two
sand and gravel lenses in the foundation at the toe has a
limited influence in modifying the pore pressure dis-
tribution.
The equipotential lines for the case of a foundation
hydraulic conductivity anisotropy of 10 are presented
on Fig. 13. The figure shows that the presence of an
upstream impervious blanket under the shell has effec-
tively provided for about 213 of the total potential drop
in the upstream half of the foundation.
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 TABLE
5. Comparison of calculated and observed pore pressures (dam OA-IOB, chainage
840, reservoir level at 2 15.8 m)

Level difference" (m) for anisotropy

Observed
Location Piezometer level (m) 1 10 20 100 10
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Presence of sand lenses Two lenses under dam toe No lenses

Near dam axis PO- 19 207.8 -3.3 -3.3 -3.2 -2.8 -3.5
PO-20 206.6 -1.7 -1.3 -1.2 -0.4 -1.5
PO-21 206.3 -1.2 -0.5 -0.2 +0.9 -0.6
PO-22 207.0 -1.8 -1.1 -0.9 +0.3 -1.1
Near toe PO-23 202.5 -0.7 -0.3 -0.3 0 -0.5
PO-24 203.8 -1.8 -0.6 -0.3 +1.2 -1.0
PO-25 203.6 -1.2 +0.7 +1.3 +3.4 -0.2
PO-26 204.4 -2.0 -0.1 +0.6 +2.7 -0.5
*Level difference = calculated level - observed level; k, = 5 X 10-~crn/s.

Concluding remarks surveillance team of SEBJ, who were responsible for

This study was based on an approximate and sim- collecting the instrumentation data; the consulting en-
plified simulation of somewhat complex foundation gineers Lalonde, Girouard, Letendre and Associates
soils and embankment zoning conditions. In view of the Ltd.; the SEBJ Engineering Direction, who were re-
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objective of the analyses and the lack of precise soil
parameters, the extra effort required to improve the
simulation was not considered necessary. The results of
the analyses, though approximate, are nevertheless
considered to be appropriate.
The reasonable agreement obtained between the
observed and the calculated pore pressures in the
foundation of the different cases studied demonstrates
the adequacy of the simulation of the structure of the till
deposits (including the interlayers, pockets, lenses, etc.)
in terms of a mass anisotropy of permeability.
Based on the results of the analyses, the till deposits at
EOL possess a mass anisotropy, the magnitude of
which, though variable from place to place, is con-
sidered to generally range between 10 and 20. It is
therefore considered that the pore pressures in the
foundation of an embankment dam will not be fully
dissipated under the shell zone and some 5-20% of the
water head may be transmitted to the foundation under
the toe. A toe drain of suitable depth and a filter blanket
downstream of the central core, especially if rockfill
materials are used for the shell zone, are important
features to be incorporated in the design of dams under
similar conditions in order to control the exit gradients
and the uplift pressures at the toe.
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank the SociCtC d'Cnergie de la
Baie James for permission to publish this paper. They
also gratefully acknowledge. the work of the field
sponsible for the design, the monitoring, and the
analysis of dyke and dam behaviour during reservoir
impounding; and as well the SEBJ Board of Engineering
Consultants, who oversees the works at the La Grande
project.
LEFEBVRE, G., and LUPIEN, C. 1976. Analyse des infiltrations
par la mithode des ClCments finis, Sites OA-5, OA-8,
OA- 1OB et OA- 11. Internal Report of Lalonde, Girouard,
Letendre & Ass., Consulting Engineers for SociCte
d'CnCrgie de la Baie James.
LEFEBVRE, G., LUPIEN, C., PAR&J. J., and TOURNIER, J. P.
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LOISELLE, A. A., TOURNIER, J . P., PAR^, J . J . , and PELCHAT,
C. 1978. Le coussin du barrage OA-11: un remblai en
riviere sur sol fin. Proceedings of the 31st Canadian
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LOISELLE, A. A., PAR&J. J., TOURNIER, J. P., PEL PEL CHAT,
C. 1982. MCthodes particulibres de construction du barrage
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 This article has been cited by:

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