SEEPAGE THROUGH DAMS

REPORTERS:
PADUA, LYSTER KEITH M.
VERACES, JOHN PAOLO A.
GEOSYNTHETICS
-are synthetic products used to stabilize
terrain.
DAMS
- a barrier constructed to
hold back water and raise
its level, forming a
reservoir used to generate
electricity or as a water
supply.
PARTS OF DAMS
Core- make the dam water tight.
Small particle size of materials.

Shell- gives strength and support

to the core wall. Large particle
size of materials.
Transition Filter- prevents
mixing of materials of core and
shell. Semi-pervious materials.
SEEPAGE
- also known as leakage, leak, oozing or percolation.

- The slow escape of a liquid or gas through

porous material or small holes.

- Something that seeps or leeks out.

SEEPAGE
EFFECTS OF SEEPAGE
Water losses in canals contribute to:

- water-logging
- Salinization of valuable irrigated areas.
- Reduce system performance.
- Lead to increase in water withdrawal.
EFFECTS OF SEEPAGE
- All embankment dams are subjected to seepage.

- Seepage may be detrimental to the stability of

structure as a result of excessive pore water pressure or
by internal erosion.

- Turbid flow is a symptom of internal erosion.

EFFECTS OF SEEPAGE
WATER-LOGGING
- refers to the saturation of soil with
water.
SALINITY
- Measure of all he salts
dissolved in water.
- The average ocean
salinity is 35ppt and the
average river salinity is
0.5ppt or less.
PIPING
- Internal erosion of the foundation or
embankment caused by seepage.
- Erosion starts at the downstream
toe and works back towards the
reservoir.
- The channels or pipes follow paths of
maximum permeability.
- Time-taking process.
PIPING
Resistance of the embankment or foundation to
piping depends on the:
- Plasticity of the soil
- Degree of compactness
- gradation
- Plastic clays with a plasticity index
of >15 are most resistant to piping.
PIPING (CONTROL)
- Piping can be avoided by lengthening the flow
paths of water within the dam and its foundations.

- This decreases the hydraulic gradient of the water

flow and hence its velocity.
PIPING (INCREASING FLOW-PATHS)
Flow-paths can be increased:

- cut-off walls.
- Impermeable cores.
- Impermeable blankets extending upstream
from the upstream face.
PIPING (INCREASING FLOW-PATHS)
cut-off walls
- Mitigate the flow of
groundwater.
PIPING (INCREASING FLOW-PATHS)
Impermeable core
- A zone of low permeability
material in an embankment
dam.
PIPING (INCREASING FLOW-PATHS)
Impermeable upstream
blanket
- An impervious layer placed
on the reservoir floor
upstream of a dam.
- In the case of embankment dam,
the blanket may be connected to
the impermeable element of the
dam.
SEEPAGE CONTROL
- seepage is the continuous movement of water (from u/s to
d/s face of dam).
- The upper surface of this stream of percolating water is
know as the phreatic surface.
- The phreatic surface should be kept at or below the
downstream toe.
- The phreatic surface within a dam can be controlled by
properly designed cores or walls.
SEEPAGE CONTROL
INTERNAL DRAIN SYSTEM:
Purpose:
A homogenous dam with a height of more than 6m to 8m
should have some type of downstream drain:

1. To reduce the pore water pressure in the d/s portion of the

dam therefore increasing the stability.

2. To control any seepage that exits the d/s portion of the

dam. (prevents piping)
INTERNAL DRAIN SYSTEM:
Effectiveness:
The effectiveness of the drain in reducing pore pressures
depends on its:
1. Location
2. Extent
However, piping is controlled by ensuring that the grading of
the pervious material from which the drain is constructed
meets the filter requirements of the embankment material.
TOE DRAINS:
The design of a d/s drainage system is controlled by the:
1. Height of the dam.
2. Cost and availability of permeable material.
3. Permeability of the foundation.
- For low dams, a simple toe drain can be used successfully.
- For reservoir greater than 15m depths, most engineers
would place a drainage system further inside the
embankment.
TOE DRAINS:
HORIZONTAL DRAINAGE BLANKET:
ADVANTAGES:
1. Often used for dams of
moderate height.
2. Frequently used over the
downstream one-half or
one-third of foundation
area.
DISADVANTAGES:
An earth dam embankment
tends to be more pervious in
the horizontal direction than in
the vertical.
CHIMNEY DRAINS:
1. Prevents horizontal flow along relatively impervious
stratified layers.
2. Intercept seepage water before it reaches the downstream
slope.
3. Useful in reducing pore water pressures.
CHIMNEY DRAINS AND
HORIZONTAL BLANKET
DRAINS:
DIMENSIONS AND PERMEABILITY OF
DRAINS:
1. Must be adequate to carry away the anticipated flow with
an ample margin of safety for unexpected leaks.
2. If the dam and the foundations are relatively
impermeable, then the expected leakage would be low.
3. A drain should be constructed of material with a
coefficient of permeability of at least 10 to 100 times
greater than the average embankment material.
THIN U/S SLOPING CORE:
In an earth dam with an u/s
sloping core of low
permeability, the foundation
is assumed to be impermeable
and in a steady state.

2. For this type of dam the

d/s shell must be several
hundred times more
permeable than the core.
PARTIAL CUT-OFF:
An earth dam constructed
without a cut-off on
permeable or semi-permeable
foundations of earth or rock
may lead to seepage beneath
the dam creating unacceptable
uplift pressure and causing
instability.
THANK YOU!