Transformation of a geological environment into an engineering-geological environment at particular hydrotechnical constructions

Abstract

Any building construction causes changes in the geological environment. Around each building construction its engineering-geological environment, enclosed by two boundary interfaces, can be distinguished. One of these interfaces encloses that part of the geological environment that influences the stability of, and work on some construction and the other envelopes such a part of the geological environment where changes caused by this construction take place. Finally, the engineering-geological environment is limited by this one from both of the interfaces which encloses a bigger part of the geological environment (fig. 1, 2). Hydrotechnical constructions have much more influence on the geological environment than other building constructions. Changes caused by hydrotechnical constructions in the geological environment are of differing character. We have to take into consideration all kinds of changes. Dealing only with easily visible changes leads to false conclusions about the spatial distribution of the engineering-geological environment, changes taking place there and their results playing an important role for the economy of the whole community and not only for hydrotechnic or water economics. In each case of hydrotechnical construction one should not talk about passively understood protection of the geological environment but about its formation and transformation into engineering-geological one. This transformation ought to be accomplished in full consciousness of the rational choice of the directions of the changes, which, both at present and in the future, secure predominance of gains in the economy of the whole community in a reliably calculated balance of gains and losses, caused by any hydrotechnical construction.