SEEPAGE AND SEEPAGE CONTROL IN EARTHEN DAMS

1. INTRODUCTION

A dam is an obstruction or barrier constructed across a river or stream. Earthen dam is

one of the classifications of the embankment dam. Compacted soil accounts for more than
50% of the placed volume of the material in earthen dams. Reservoirs created by dams not
only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human
consumption, industrial use, aquaculture, and navigability. Water gets collected at its
upstream and the other side is called downstream as shown in figure below:

Fig 1.1: Dam and its components

Source: www.britishdams.org

Advantages and Disadvantages of Earthen Dams

Some of the advantages and disadvantages of earthen dams are as follows:

Advantages:
 These are suitable for the river valleys.
 They use naturally available materials.
 It is comparatively less costly.
 Foundation requirements are not as rigorous as other dams.
 High skill man powers are not required as compared to other dams.

Disadvantages:
 They are more susceptible to damage than Concrete Gravity Dams.
 Seepage problem is higher in Earthen Dams.
 Greater maintenance cost is required as compared to concrete dams.

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1.1 BACKGROUND

Dams, which are constructed of earth and rock materials, are generally referred to as
embankment dams or fill-type dams. The embankment dams are made up of compacted Earth
or the rock fill without any cementing agents.
Earthen dam is one of the classifications of the embankment dam. Compacted soil
accounts for more than 50% of the placed volume of the material in earthen dams. An earth
dam is made of earth (or soil) built up by compacting successive layers of earth, using the
most impervious materials to form a core and placing more permeable substances on the
upstream and downstream sides. They can be built on any type of foundations except on
strongly liquescent muddy soil.
There are most chances of occurrence of seepage in these types of dams. Seepage is
the slow escape of a liquid through the materials used in constructing dam. This can be
controlled by the use of materials such as filters, diaphragm, etc as shown in the figure.

Fig1.2: Seepage control in Earthen Dam

Source: www.ecourseonline.iasri.res.in
Thus, for this project we have taken the reference of Nurek Dam which is situated across the
Vakhsh River. At 300m high Nurek dam it is the highest completed dam in the world. The
main utility of this dam is for hydropower generation. It has been installed capacity of 2700
MW. The dam is 2,309 feet (704 m) wide at its crest. At the base of the dam it is 150m long
and 30 to 60 m wide. Thus for this project we will make two rough models of the same dam.
One will have seepage filters whereas the other one won’t have the seepage filters. So we will
show the seepage and lack of seepage in models respectively.

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 SEEPAGE AND SEEPAGE CONTROL IN EARTHEN DAMS

Fig 1.3: Section of Nurek Dam

Source: en.academic.ru
1.2 OBJECTIVES

The general objectives of our project are:

 Visualization of seepage action in earthen dam.

 To understand how filter materials control the seepage.
 To know about the physical structure and appearance of Earthen Dams.

1.3 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS

The followings are the scopes of our projects:

 Helps to demonstrate the seepage line in earthen dams.

 Helps to understand how filters are used to control seepage.

Our project has following limitations:

 We could not scale down all the dimensions in same R.F.

 Materials used in construction of our model may not be the same as in the real dam.

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2. LITERATURE REVIEW
Earthen Dams have been constructed from long past. They are constructed with the natural
materials. The construction of earthen dam, up to with the advance knowledge of soil
mechanics, these dam are designed and constructed on scientific basis. With the increased
knowledge of the behavior of soils and the development of earth moving machinery earth
dams can be constructed economically even up to the height of 250m to 300m.

Types of Earthen Dams:

 Homogeneous Type:
Such dams are made of a single type of material or material (soil) from the same
source. This may be small particles placed by hydraulic means, or compacted earth or
gravels that are handled and compacted mechanically.
The soil should have frictional resistance as well as low permeability and should be
available in required quantities near site. Such sections are not in common practice.

 Zoned Type:
These types are mostly used as compared to that of homogenous type. These are dams
with the central portions called core or hearting made from materials which are
relatively impervious. The thickness of the core wall is made sufficiently thick to
prevent leakage of water through the body of the dam. The casing is made of sand and
gravel, soft rock, etc. as it provides water tightness to dam against seepage as well as
stability to dam section.

The various component parts of Earthen Dams are:

Fig 2.1: Earthen Dam with its various components

Source: http://community.dur.ac.uk/~des0www4/cal/dams/emba/sowers11.gif
1. Hearting (Core):

It is the central impervious section constructed with clayey soil, silt clay loam, etc. It
provides water tightness to the dam. It controls the seepage flow through the body of
the dam.

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2. Casing:
It forms the outer portion of the dam. It is constructed with soft rock, or sand and
gravel etc. Casing provides a cover to the hearting protecting it from cracking. It
develops shear resistance against slip, and provides stability to the dam. It also helps
in drainage.
3. Rock Toe:

It is constructed from the rock pieces or boulders larger than 20cm size, it helps to
prevent slogging of the toe due to the seepage flow and increase the stability of dam.
4. Pitching:

Pitching is provided by laying stones on a dressed upstream slope. It prevents the

erosion of material on the upstream face caused due to wave action and protects the
slope from sudden drawdown.
5. Turfing:

It is planting of special type of grass called harali on downstream of the dam. It

protects the downstream slope from eroding action of rain water.
6. Berms:
Berms are offsets provided on downstream at 8 to 10 m vertical intervals from 3 to 5m
width. The object of berm is to collect rain water and dispose it off safely. It is used to
provide roadways for vehicles. It is used to reduce the velocity of rain water falling on
slope.

7. Drains:
A network of drains is provided with longitudinal drains cross-drains and toe drain on
downstream side of the embankment.

8. Transition Filter:
It is graded filter placed in between clayey core and sandy shells (along d/s slope of
hearting and help reduce pore pressure.

Seepage
In these dams, seepage action occurs mostly. The Water seeping through the body of the
earthen dam or through the foundation of the earthen dam, may prove harmful to stability of
the dam by causing softening and sloughing of the slopes due to development of pore
pressures. It may also be caused by piping either through the body or through the foundation,
and thus resulting in the failure of the dam. If the magnitude is within design limits, it may not
harm the stability of the dam. However, if the seepage is concentrated, if will lead to the
failure. The signs of this type of problem could be cracking or heaving. The rate at which the
water moves through the embankment depends on the type of soil in the embankment, how
well it is compacted, and the number and size of cracks and voids within the embankment.
Differences in vegetation and flowing water on the downstream side of embankment are the
two most noticeable signs of seepage.

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Causes of Seepage
The following are the causes of seepage in earthen dam:
 Poor compaction of embankment soils
 Rotted tree roots and wood
 Cracks
 Poor foundation
 Earthquake
 Insufficient structural drainage

Fig 2.2: Seepage Line

Source: www.soilvision.com

Seepage control through Embankment Dam

Seepage effect can be controlled by following measures:

 Regular monitoring and inspection is essential to detect seepage and prevent dam
failure.
 Permeable soils and materials are commonly used at the toe of dams to create drains to
help control and prevent erosion.
 Impermeable upstream blankets and horizontal blankets can be deployed on upstream
and on the floor of reservoir to prevent seepage from upstream and foundation.
 Core of impermeable material should be made and proper drain should be provided
such as chimney drain, toe drain, etc.

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3. METHODOLOGY
The dam model we are building is an Earthen Dam. Using the available resources and
working in a team, we would be applying different methodologies. We will start our work by
consulting various books and project supervisor. For the further understanding we will surf
the internet for various information’s related to this topic as well as consult our seniors.

Preliminary Study

Consultation

Calculation

Material Collection

Construction of Model

Testing and Debugging

Fig 3.1: Methodologies to be used for the project

3.1 PRELIMINARY STUDY

As soon as we finalized the topic of our project, we started finding the facts and
figures of the Earthen Dams and seepage problems in it. Then, we moved on to find the
elements required to control the seepage effect such as drainage filters, diaphragms, etc. in
order to control seepage. We surfed the internet to find the broad information related to the
topic. We also gained knowledge from books and the internet on construction of the dam.

3.2 CONSULTATION

Our supervisor and teachers will be advanced for information on the topic.

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3.3 CALCULATION

We considered the following dimensions for the construction of our dam model with
distorted scale:
Table 3.1: Calculation

R.F. for Height = 1:750

Height of the dam = 300 hm Height of our model = 40 cm
R.F. for Width = 1:1760
Width of the dam = 704 m Width of our model = 40 cm
R.F. for length at base = 1:300
Length of the dam at base = 150 m Length of our model at base = 50 cm

3.4 MATERIAL COLLECTION

The collection of materials as given below will be our first and the foremost priority
which will be started as soon as our proposal is approved. The materials which will be
required are as follows:

 Clayey Materials
 Sandy Materials
 Rocks and Gravels
 Glass plane
 Ply wood
 Aesthetic Materials

3.5 CONSTRUCTION OF MODEL

A box of dimension 150 cm * 40 cm * 50 cm will be build made up of wood and glass

for proper observation of seepage. A layer of soil will be compactly kept at first and the dam
will be built normally for observation of seepage action in the 1 st model of the dam. Then,
another model of dam will be built in order to counteract the seepage effect with properly
built foundation. The filters, horizontal blankets, diaphragm will be used during construction
of the 2nd model of the dam for controlling the effect

3.6 TESTING AND DEBUGGING

The final models will be testing with water being place on one side replicating
upstream. Then the seepage will be seen in the models respectively. If the models function as
hoped, then the models will be provided with the final touches. However, if the models don’t
function as hoped, the models will be tinkered to gain the desired result and function from

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each of the model. Finally, the final touches will be provided to the models to ensure proper
visual significance.
3.7 COST ESTIMATION

Table 3.2: Cost Estimation for the project

S.N Materials Rate (NRS) Quantity Amount(NRS)

1. Clay 50 per kg 4 kg 200
2. Sand 100 per cubic feet 2 cubic feet 200
3. Plywood 105 per square feet 25 square feet 2625
5. Gravel and Rocks 100 per cubic feet 2 cubic feet 200
6. Glass Plane 150 per square feet 4 square feet 600
7. Aesthetic 500 per litre 1 litre 500
8. Miscellaneous 215
Total 4540

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3.8 GANTT CHART

Table 3.3: Gantt chart

Weeks 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th
Works
Literature review
Consultation

Proposal
submission
Proposal defense
Material selection
and purchase
Model design
Model
construction
Mid-term
presentation
Testing and
debugging
Demonstration

Report
submission and
final presentation

INDEX:

Work
Completed
Work
Estimated

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4. EXPECTED OUTCOME
This research project expects to have following outcomes by the end of the project.
1. With this project we shall learn about seepage line and seepage action.
2. With this project, we shall learn about Earthen Dam and Seepage seen in it with the
control measures.
3. This project will lead to the construction of two Earthen Dams, one without Seepage
Filters and the other one with Seepage Filters.

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4. REFERENCES
1. About Dams. (2010, July 15).
Retrieved from http://www.britishdams.org/aboutdams/embankment.html
2. Creager, W.P., Justin, J.D. & Hinds, J. (1995). Engineering For Dams. India, U.P.,
Roorkee: Nem Chand & Bros.
3. Earth Embankment Dams. (2014, May 9).
Retrieved from http://www.aboutcivil.org/embankment-dams-types.html
4. Gar, S. K., (Oct., 2008). Irrigation Engineering and Hydraulic Structures. India, New
Delhi, Darya Ganj: Khanna Publisher.
5. Narita, K. (2000, April). Design and Construction of Embankment Dams.
Retrieved from http://aitech.ac.jp/~narita/tembankmentdam1.pdf
6. Singh, B. & Varshney, R.S. (2004). Embankment Dam Engineering. India, U.P.,
Roorkee:Nem Chand & Bros.

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