Effect Of The Seepage On Earth

Dams
( Case Study : Mosul Dam )

CIVIL ENG. DEPARTMENT

underground water and seepage

: Prepared by
Mazin Jader
 Introduction
• OUTLINES
• What is earth dam ?
• Main earth dam types
• Advantages & Disadvantage
• Types of failure
• Effect of ( Seepage Failure ) on earth dam
• Mosul Dam, problems and solutions
 Introduction
• Earth Dams : Is one of the types of dams commonly
used in the countries of the world , which depend of
construction on the earth filling that make up the largest
part of the dam body. This type of dam is exposed to water
seepage through its Embankment or Foundations.
The process of Seepage control through parts of the earth
dam is very necessary to avoid instability in the slope of the
embankment in downstream as well as to avoid piping in
embankment or foundations .
 Introduction
• Main earth dam types :
• 1- homogeneous dam : They are formed from one
material in all directions.
• 2- non-homogeneous dam : They are formed by
more than one material .
 Introduction
Advantages & Disadvantage :
1- Economical and fast to implement
2- Can be Construct it on any foundations
3- One of the biggest threats to its stability is
irregular water seepage through dam body .
 Introduction
• Types of failure :
• 1- Hydraulic failures
• 2- Structural failures
• 3- Seepage failures
 Seepage failures
• Piping through dam and its foundation
• Piping is the progressive erosion which develops through the
dam or within its foundation by the water seeping from
upstream to the downstream .

• Internal erosion and piping through dam body and foundation

 Seepage failures
1- Seepage through pervious foundation :
Pervious foundation uplift pressure acts vertically on downstream side , so
that counterweight fill or relief well are recommended to prevent heaving
and local side.

• 2- Hydraulic fracture :
Concentration of flow line at downstream toe leads to increase hydraulic
gradient upward seepage force causes reduction in effective stresses in
foundation.
 Mosul Dam
• problems and solutions :
● The location of the dam site and its foundations are built over
a highly karstified area
● where gypsum and limestone beds are exposed and exist
deep under the ground surface, and even deeper than the
foundations.
● Accordingly, grouting treatment was carried out and still on
going, but all the attempts to have a safe and relevant dam
were in vain.
 Mosul Dam
● Because the foundation of the dam is constructed on gypsum
stone , the force of water seepage leads to occurrence piping or
Cavities under the foundation .
● These cavities cause the foundation of the dam to drop ,
which affects its stability .
● Cavities are treated by injecting bentonite under the
foundation of the dam .
● Continuous injection of bentonite for many years does not
solve the problem, but rather causes a high cost with the same
problem remaining due to the ability of water to interact with
the bentonite .
 Mosul Dam
• Polymeric materials as a thermoset polymer can be used as
an alternative to bentonite because they give better results.
• The most important of these materials is the Epoxy , which
consists of two parts: the resin and hardiner
• Thus, cavities can be blocked by Resin injection technologies.
 Conclusions
• The seepage water can be reduced under the foundation of
the dam by constructed a wall in the upstream area to cut
the flow lines

• Cavities can be injected under the foundation of the dam

with a polymer material as an alternative to bentonite
because it gives better results
 References
● Assessing the Efficiency of Seepage Control Measures in Earth fill Dams,
Ali T. Haghighi . Anne Tuomela . Ali A.Hekmatzadeh.
● Seepage Evaluation of Mosul Earth Dam, Dr. Raad H. I.Abdulghani A.
Hasan Civil Engineering Department Dam and Water Resources Research
Center University of Tikrit.
● Relationship between seepage water volume and total suspended solids
of landslide dam failure caused by seepage: an experimental investigation,
Prakash Dhungana and Fawu Wang .