Dam Failure Research Articles

Increasing flood awareness through dam-break serious games

Dams are one of the most important human-made structures ever conceptualized and allow the development of society by providing multiple uses, such as the development of hydroelectric plants and as a source of water supply. A dam break problem is a catastrophic event that evolves rapidly, causing uncontrollable large floods downstream. In this paper, we develop a simplified modeling approach to assess flood characteristics associated with dam-break problems. The method offers a useful tool to improve the perception of dam safety in terms of the hydrodynamic impacts associated with a dam break. We apply our framework to 20 dams in Brazil, in addition to the Brumadinho dam failure at Córrego do Feijão. This event occurred in Brazil in 2019 leading to almost 300 fatalities. The second case study demonstrates the use of the modeling framework developed in this paper through the simulation of 20 dams in Brazil. The modeling approach uses GIS databases, Google Earth, and National Water Agency (ANA) databases and can be replicated whenever GIS information on dam characteristics, downstream channel, and downstream community is available. The results of this modeling approach indicate that several dams in the northeast of Brazil have relatively large flood hazards. A simplified dam-break hazard index was developed to establish a relative hazard impact that considers only deterministic factors such as the hydrodynamic force, velocity, and depth, as well as the arrival time of the maximum values of these states. These values are determined by a 1-D full momentum solver model (HydroHP-1D).

Sedimentary records of giant landslide-dam breach events in western Sichuan, China

Introduction: Landslide-dammed lake outburst floods (LLOFs) are common natural disasters in high-mountain regions, posing serious safety threats to residents’ livelihoods and properties and causing major damage to engineering facilities. Giant landslides and river damming events commonly occur in the Eastern Tibetan Plateau in southwestern China. Dam failure generate LLOFs that form outburst deposits (ODs). This phenomenon is particularly common in some giant ancient landslide-dammed lakes.Methods: This study conducted a detailed investigation of the sedimentary characteristics of large-scale landslide-dammed lake outburst deposits in the Diexi Reach of the Upper Minjiang River and Tangjiashan Reach of the Tongkou River Basin, West Sichuan Plateau, China. Meanwhile, typical evidence of high-energy ODs was recorded.Results and Discussion: The longitudinal distribution of these ODs is similar to an elongated fan-shaped terrace along the river channel, presenting a distinctive sedimentary disordered–sub-ordered–ordered sequence from upstream to downstream. Several typical units of “sedimentary facies” are developed in the OD profiles, such as boulder units deposited by high-energy outburst flood (OF) events and the gravel and sand units representing pulsating-flow sedimentary environments during the recession stage. The grain size frequency curves are bimodal, and the granularity accumulated curves are upward convex, which reflect that the detrital characteristics of the sediment source area are mainly composed of coarse gravel and boulders. This indicates that the coarse gravel sediment gradually become decreased from upstream to downstream. Moreover, the OD hydrodynamic intensity displays a gradual weakening, and sediment sorting is improved. From upstream to the downstream, the mean particle-size and sorting of the ODs gradually decrease. The skewness become larger, and the kurtosis of the ODs is distributed in all the types. In addition, the different combinations of quartz sand surface microtextures indicate the transformation from high-to low-energy impacts over a short distance, which is controlled by flood hydrodynamics and regime.Significance: These sedimentary characteristics of ODs explain the hydrodynamic changes during the propagation of OFs, and are also important records for distinguishing between ODs, and “normal” floods.

Experimental and Seepage Analysis of Gabion Retaining Wall Structure for Preventing Overtopping in Reservoir Dams

Recently, heavy rains caused by climate change have resulted in dam failures due to overtopping. This study presents a design method aiming to prevent overtopping failures by applying gabion retaining walls at the dam crest. Simulations, experiments, and measurements were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of this design. The design framework aims to establish a system in which gabion retaining walls prevent overtopping when water levels exceed the crest of the dam, efficiently draining seepage water into the dam body through vertical filters. Research findings indicate that implementing dam crest core and geomembrane design effectively prevents seepage and saturation of the downstream slope during overtopping events. Notably, the reservoir dam operates in a stable manner, as seepage water passing through the dam body is directed solely to the toe drain. Overall, this design approach suggests its potential as a practical solution by significantly reducing hazards resulting from heavy rainfall.

Air-Water Flow Properties In Highly Unsteady Flows

Recent catastrophic events caused by tsunamis, storm surges, flood waves, and the failure of dams (e.g. in Ukraine and Libya) have shown to be a significant threat to densely populated coastal communities. Interactions with built environments can lead to violent wave impacts that may have severe consequences, including significant infrastructural damage and potential loss of life. The frequency of these water-related disasters is increasing globally due to climate change and sea level rise, resulting in a rising demand for deeper knowledge related to the physical processes of such hazards. The dynamic behaviour of these type of wave phenomena is described by long-period, high translatory waves, where the on-shore propagation or inland inundation is associated with sudden free-surface deformations. This results in a steeping of the slope at the leading edge, causing non-linear flow behaviour to prevail and inducing the wave to collapse. The breaking process generates a breaking roller at the wave front, containing a rapidly fluctuating mixture of air and water, associated with a strong recirculation. The high degree of air-water interaction in these unsteady flows has a significant impact on the flow properties as it influences many dynamic processes, including viscous and surface tension effects at air-bubble level, as well as larger scale gravitational effects associated with the turbulent flow and eddy formation (Brocchini and Peregrine, 2001). New innovative measurement techniques have allowed experimental studies to more precisely quantify the air-water interactions in multiphase flows. However, most experimental research focused on air-water flow properties in hydraulic jumps and other steady flows (e.g. spillway flows, plunging jets). Currently, limited research is available for unsteady flows and mostly based on small datasets and limited flow conditions. This lack of availability and diversity of experimental data restricts the understanding of how these multi-phase flows behave under different conditions, hence the need for future research.

Potential effects of internal dam-break in Stare Miasto Reservoir in Poland

Study regionThe research object is located in Wielkopolska province (Poland), which is well-known for its rural character and scarcity of water. To prevent droughts, small reservoirs are installed in local watersheds. It enables control of water conditions for agriculture and improvement of local climate. The main challenge is prevention from the deposition of sediments in a reservoir. To minimize this threat, the specific constructions of the reservoir are applied, e.g. internal dams. Study focusThe Stare Miasto reservoir consists of an internal dam with the upper zone separated. The highway bridge split the main part. In 2014 a flood wave propagated through the reservoir. The crest of the internal dam was shifted generating a potential risk of internal dam failure. The consequences of such an event were analyzed using a two-dimensional hydrodynamic numerical tool that solves the shallow water equations with finite volume method on unstructured mesh. New hydrological insight for the regionThe results obtained prove that the dam break increases the risk of bridge instability. The shear stresses generated during break of internal dam may exceed 50 N/m2, what cause danger of deep scour generation under and below the construction. Unexpectedly, the existence of the bridge decreased the threat of the main dam overtopping. The study may be a valuable inspiration for the design of new reservoirs inevitable in controlling water resource conditions in the region.

The impact of floods triggered by natural dam breakage on the adaptability of downstream river fish—the 2018 baige outburst flood in the upper reaches of the Yangtze river in China

Outburst floods can affect the survival adaptability of fish. Although the survival adaptability of many fish species under low steady-flow conditions has been studied, research on the survival adaptability of fish species under large outburst flood conditions is lacking. This paper takes the 2018 Baige landslide dam as an example. A breach model was developed to calculate the outburst discharge of the landslide dam. The outburst flood hydrograph is simulated with the breach model, which shows that the difference between the peak discharge of the dam break simulation results and the measured data is 0.13×104 m3/s. In addition, the simulated hydrographs are the same as the measured hydrographs. Furthermore, a two-dimensional fish habitat model was used to analyse the adaptability of Schizothorax to survival during the breaching process. For the survival adaptability of Schizothorax, we observed that as the flow rate increased the weighted usable area (WUA) decreased, which indicated a decrease in the adaptability of Schizothorax survival. In contrast, as the flow rate decreased and the WUA increased, the survival adaptability of Schizothorax improved. In addition, the WUA of Schizothorax changed with the substrate of the riverbed; the smaller the channel suitability index (CSI) the greater the WUA. This study revealed the impact of outburst floods triggered by landslide dam failure on the survival adaptability of Schizothorax, and a method for assessing the impact of outburst floods on fish habitat adaptability is provided.

Experimental investigation on the characteristics of seepage failure of landslide dams with strongly permeable zones

Landslide dams are formed by river blockages caused by landslides or other slope instability bodies. They exhibit loose structure, poor stability and strong permeability. Large water head caused by water-level increase can trigger seepage deformation of soil and influence the stability of landslide dams, possibly leading to dam breach and catastrophic damage. Various landslide dam structures also result in differences in seepage characteristics. In this study, multiple physical model tests for seepage failure of landslide dams with strongly permeable zones were designed. The influence of the location and gradation of the strongly permeable zones on the seepage of landslide dams was studied. The characteristics and modes of seepage failure of landslide dams with strongly permeable zones were analysed. The experimental results showed that the cyclic evolution failure of piping and downstream slope collapse was an essential failure mode for the seepage-induced failure of landslide dams with strongly permeable zones. Compared with the strongly permeable zone at the bottom of a landslide dam, the piping caused by seepage evidently promoted the slope erosion of the dam with the strongly permeable zone in the middle. As the permeability coefficient of strongly permeable zones increased, piping was faster and easier to form, and piping failure, slope erosion, and slope collapse were more severe. The seepage failure of landslide dams mainly included the emergence of seepage water, piping, slope erosion, and downstream slope collapse. Piping was caused by the erosion and migration of some fine particles of soil in seepage channels in the dam. When the flow drag force could overcome the resistance force among the soil particles, some fine particles and even large particles on the downstream slope surface were continuously eroded. This study provides new insights into the evolution process and breach mechanisms for the seepage-induced failure of landslide dams with strongly permeable zones.

Modelling and Impact Analysis of Combined Dam Failure of Small Tandem Reservoir Groups in Hilly Areas

Numerous small reservoirs in hilly areas play a significant role in flood control and profit-making in the basin, but there is also a risk of dam failure when encountering special circumstances such as excessive flooding, which may cause large losses downstream. In this paper, we take the small reservoirs in Shandong Province as the research object, analyze the hydraulic topology of three types of tandem reservoirs, generalize the shape of the breach by using the transient lateral local one-break to the end, calculate the dam-break flooding process by using the quadratic parabolic method, and simulate the dam-break by using the MIKE21 model based on the principle of the two-dimensional incompressible Reynolds mean stress equation for the incompressible fluid, and analyze the peak flow under various combinations of dam-break flow by setting various combinations of the number of dam-breaks and the timing of dam-break simulation. By setting various combinations of dam failure numbers and timing, we analyzed the changing rules of peak dam failure flow, inundation area and other elements under various combinations, and sought the most unfavorable combinations and parameters such as the timing of dam failure, and the results of the analyses can provide technical support for the assessment of the risk of dam failure in the tandem reservoirs in the hilly area and the risk correspondence.

Slope Stability Monitoring of Hydroelectric Dam and Upstream Watershed Areas Utilizing Satellite Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR)

Dams offer significant benefits such as power generation, flood control, irrigation, and tourism. However, when mismanaged, they pose a high risk of catastrophic failure, potentially releasing large volumes of water rapidly, resulting in severe downstream damage, environmental impacts, injuries, and loss of lives. Effective dam monitoring is essential to evaluate slope stability, detect slope behaviour changes, and deliver early warning for potential hazards. Upon detecting any deformations in the dam or its watershed areas, prompt interventions can be initiated. Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) is the measurement technique of signal phase change between two images at the same location and at different times, it will be a proficient method for monitoring ground or slope changes across vast areas without the installation of on-site instrumentation. The dataset used in this work consists of 392 images of Sentinel-1 from 1 September 2018 to 11 August 2023 to conduct long-term InSAR data analysis. Monitoring the dam and its watershed is crucial, given that over 30% of U.S. dam failures result from overtopping. Slope failure events at the upstream area can cause abrupt water level rises, further increasing the risk of overtopping and major instability. This study explores slope deformation around dams and their watersheds using satellite long-term InSAR technology using a study case from one of the dams in Indonesia. The outcomes will provide insights into dam safety and shed light on the strengths and constraints of the InSAR technology.

Numerical Simulation of Tailings Mortar Flowing from Dam Break by Variable Concentration Two-phase Flow Algorithm

A dam break accident of tailings pond may result in serious loss of the residents' lives and property, and usually leads to surrounding environmental disaster. Accurately calculating the flowing distance and inundation range of discharged tailings is important but remains to be solved. The main feature of tailings mortar movement is that solid particles continue to sink and accumulate during the flow process, which makes the solid concentration in the mortar constantly change, thus altering the rheological properties of the mortar. Therefore, the advancement of tailings mortar is a kind of two-phase unsteady flow with variable solid-phase concentration. In conventional numerical calculations of tailings flow, the rheological parameters of the Bingham model used are given fixed values with no consideration of concentration change, resulting in inaccurate calculation results and difficulty reflecting the phenomenon of tailings sands accumulation along the way. In this paper, a variable concentration two-phase flow model is proposed and then applied to a typical tailings dam failure case. The flow features and inundation range of the tailings mortar are analyzed and are found to be basically consistent with the field investigation, which means the proposed two-phase flow algorithm is reasonable and reliable.

Numerical Evaluation of Static Liquefaction–Induced Flowslide Causing the Edenville Dam Failure, Michigan

Numerical Evaluation of Static Liquefaction–Induced Flowslide Causing the Edenville Dam Failure, Michigan

Quantifying landscape change following catastrophic dam failures in Edenville and Sanford, Michigan, USA

AbstractDam failures due to changing hydroclimate and ageing infrastructure pose a significant threat to downstream river systems and communities. The detailed geomorphic effects of catastrophic dam failures are not well known because of a lack of high‐resolution topographic data before and after failures. On 19 May 2020, the 17‐m‐tall Edenville and 11‐m‐tall Sanford dams near Midland, Michigan, USA, failed as a result of significant rainfall over the preceding 2 days. We analysed the geomorphic impacts of these failures using a pre‐failure airborne lidar dataset and three uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV)‐based lidar surveys collected 2 weeks, 3 months and 11 months after failure. Our survey following the dam failure revealed 47 100 ± 11 900 m3 of net floodplain erosion and 17 300 ± 4200 m3 of net deposition downstream of the Edenville and Sanford dam breaches, respectively. Over the year following failure, most geomorphic change was confined to new knickpoints migrating slowly through underlying glacial till substrate, with little change to riverbanks or surrounding floodplains. A lack of impounded reservoir sediment and antecedent downstream topography, including valley width and the location of the breaches relative to the river below the dams, contributed to relatively modest geomorphic changes despite the magnitude of water released. We provide insight into how landscapes are shaped by catastrophic floods, which are likely to become more common with ageing dams and a changing hydroclimate.

Influence of the Atlantic inflow on trace metal enrichments in sediments and particulate matter of the NW Alboran Sea (SW Mediterranean)

Trace metal contents and fluxes in downward particulate matter and dated sediment cores of the NW Alboran Sea are analysed in this study with the aim of assessing the role of the Atlantic inflow on their transport. Increases in Zn, Cu and Pb were detected in downward particulate matter collected by sediment traps after river flooding events and after the Aznalcollar mining spill. Their arrival coincided within the recently estimated time range for river particles discharged into the Gulf of Cádiz to reach the Alboran Sea, indicating that their transfer is enhanced during events of increased river inputs of contaminated particulate matter. This also suggests that the effects of potential tailing dam failures in the Gulf of Cádiz watersheds could reach the Alboran Sea. These trace metals also increased in the sediment cores from the continental rise since the second half of the 19th century, suggesting that contaminated particles have been continuously transferred towards the Mediterranean Sea since that time, when mining concessions and production increased in the SW Iberian Pyrite Belt.

Sensor Technologies for Safety Monitoring in Mine Tailings Storage Facilities: Solutions in the Industry 4.0 Era

The recent tailings storage facility (TSF) dam failures recorded around the world have concerned society in general, forcing the mining industry to improve its operating standards, invest greater economic resources, and implement the best available technologies (BATs) to control TSFs for safety purposes and avoid spills, accidents, and collapses. In this context, and as the era of digitalization and Industry 4.0 continues, monitoring technologies based on sensors have become increasingly common in the mining industry. This article studies the state of the art of implementing sensor technologies to monitor structural health and safety management issues in TSFs, highlighting advances and experiences through a review of the scientific literature on the topic. The methodology applied in this article adheres to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and utilizes scientific maps for data visualization. To do so, three steps were implemented: (i) a quantitative bibliometric analysis, (ii) a qualitative systematic review of the literature, and (iii) a mixed review to integrate the findings from (i) and (ii). As a result, this article presents the main advances, gaps, and future trends regarding the main characteristics of the sensor technologies applied to monitor TSF structural health and safety management in the era of digitalization. According to the results, the existing research predominantly investigates certain TSF sensor technologies, such as wireless real-time monitoring, remote sensors (RS), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned survey vessels (USVs), artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing (CC), and Internet of Things (IoT) approaches, among others. These technologies stand out for their potential to improve the safety management monitoring of mine tailings, which is particularly significant in the context of climate change-related hazards, and to reduce the risk of TSF failures. They are recognized as emerging smart mining solutions with reliable, simple, scalable, secure, and competitive characteristics.

Uncertainty Estimation in the Modeling of a Flood Wave Caused by a Dam Failure in a Hydropower System with Pumped Hydro Energy Storage

Future global sustainability depends heavily on the development of renewable energy. The object of this study is a system of two plants (Kaunas hydropower plant (HP) and Kruonis pumped-storage hydropower plant) and upper and lower reservoirs. A possible dam failure accident in such an important system can endanger the population of Kaunas City. The methodology for estimating dam-failure-induced flood wave uncertainty included scenarios of the upper reservoir embankment failure hydrographs, modeling flood wave spreading (MIKE 21 hydrodynamic model), and estimating wave heights. The GRS methodology was selected to assess the uncertainty of flood wave modeling results and the sensitivity of hydrodynamic model parameters. The findings revealed that the discharge values of the Nemunas inflow and outflow through the HP outlets are the most important parameters determining the greatest height of the flood wave. Therefore, by correctly managing the amount of water in the upper reservoir, it would be possible to prevent the lower reservoir dam from breaking.

Socio-environmental tragedies from mine tailings dam failures: Capital prevailing over the state and citizen

Peripheral countries with an abundance of mineral wealth are victims of exploratory capitalism based on neo-extractivism. Production of profit is based on the predatory exploitation of mineral commodities, which corrupts the agents of the State and belittles local populations and their traditional values. This establishes what has been called the coloniality of life, i.e. a process of domination, exploitation, and submission, under the pretext that this will be the path to development. This study aims to show the social cost of this development at any price giving rise to onerous liabilities that trample on human dignity and cause environmental disasters. The consequent alterations to quality of life in populations that have become vulnerable through socio-economic conditioning factors have led to emergencies that must be dealt with, onto which bioethics may throw light, in terms of health, ethics, and the environment. Implications of ethics responsibility and absence of social responsability are discussed based on the tragedy resulting from the failure of two iron ore tailings dams in Brazil.

Improved general unit hydrograph model for dam-break flood hydrograph

Dam breaks pose significant risks, necessitating simple and effective predictive models for disaster management. This study aims to enhance the understanding of dam-break flood hydrographs, an aspect less emphasized in traditional research focusing mainly on peak discharge and flow depth values. Employing a series of experiments, an improved general unit hydrograph model was used to analyze both discharge and flow depth hydrographs. This model is then critically compared with the standard gamma and log-normal asymmetric distribution models. The results reveal that the improved unit hydrograph model significantly outperforms these traditional models, particularly in predicting the rising stage of discharge hydrographs, evidenced by a 65 % reduction in root mean square error. Comparison of this model with real dam failures in natural river valleys shows its potential to be applied to changes in river slope and different dam-break rates. These advancements present a more precise methodology for predicting dam-break flood hydrographs, offering benefits for disaster management strategies.

Probabilistic modeling of dam failure scenarios: a case study of Kanlikoy Dam in Cyprus

One of the most perilous natural hazards is flooding resulting from dam failure, which can devastate downstream infrastructure and lead to significant human casualties. In recent years, the frequency of flash floods in the northern part of Nicosia, Cyprus, has increased. This area faces increased risk as it lies downstream of the Kanlikoy Dam, an aging earth-fill dam constructed over 70 years ago. In this study, we aim to assess potential flood hazards stemming from three distinct failure scenarios: piping, 100-year rainfall, and probable maximum precipitation (PMP). To achieve this, HEC-HMS hydrologic model findings were integrated into 2D HEC-RAS hydraulic models to simulate flood hydrographs and generate flood inundation and hazard maps. For each scenario, Monte Carlo simulations using McBreach software produced four hydrographs corresponding to exceedance probabilities of 90%, 50%, 10%, and 1%. The results indicate that all dam breach scenarios pose a significant threat to agricultural and residential areas, leading to the destruction of numerous buildings, roads, and infrastructures. Particularly, Scenario 3, which includes PMP, was identified as the most destructive, resulting in prevailing flood hazard levels of H5 and H6 in the inundated areas. The proportion of inundated areas in these high hazard levels varied between 52.8% and 57.4%, with the number of vulnerable structures increasing from 248 to 321 for exceedance probabilities of 90% and 1%, respectively. Additionally, the number of flooded buildings ranged from 842 to 935, and 26 to 34 km of roads were found to be inundated in this scenario. These findings revealed the need for authorities to develop comprehensive evacuation plans and establish an efficient warning system to mitigate the flood risks associated with dam failure.

Risk Assessment of Mamak Dam Based on The ICOLD Modification Method and Risk Index Method

The Mamak Dam has the risk of damage and the need for evacuation at an extreme downstream level. Risk considerations are based on the potential natural disasters of the dam, the impact of dam failure, design loads, and safety coefficients. The Risk Index method results in a score with parameters such as spillway capacity adequacy, safety factor adequacy against slopes, disaster factor (hazard), and all parameters analyzed to determine the Dam Safety Index (Idam). The drawback of the Risk Index method is neglecting downstream failure analysis. The ICOLD modification method for parameters is the same as the Risk Index method, but the ICOLD method considers downstream analysis. The modification involves adding parameters, such as the condition of the dam slope cover layer, based on the Mamak Dam Large Inspection results. In the Risk Index method, the Idam calculation value is 262.5. The total risk index value for Mamak Dam is 51.73, with a dam safety value of 92.337. In the ICOLD method, the Idam calculation value is 245, with a total risk index value for Mamak Dam of 48.28 and a Dam Safety value of 92.848. Meanwhile, using the Modified ICOLD method, the Idam calculation value is 245, with a total risk index value for Mamak Dam of 49.93 and a Dam Safety value of 92.603. Based on these results, the Dam Safety value with the Modified ICOLD method has decreased but still falls within the satisfactory classification (>75). Therefore, it can be concluded that Mamak Dam is currently at a safe level against normal loads and extraordinary loads (design floods and design earthquakes).

Breach Analysis of Earthen Dam

Failure of a levee or dam breach can result in severe economic losses and loss of human life. To minimize these consequences, it's imperative to assess the risks associated with levee breaches. This involves accurately predicting the volume of water released during a breach and simulating the propagation of flood waves across the floodplain to create inundation maps. Despite extensive observation and research into representing dam breaches and deriving crucial breach parameters like width, height, and side slope, there is no universally accepted method for determining these parameters. This study aims to evaluate existing methodologies for dam breach analyses, highlighting their advantages, limitations, and the challenges that lie ahead in this field. Earthen dams play a crucial role in water resource management and flood control. However, breaches in these structures pose significant risks to surrounding communities and infrastructure. This study explores the causes of earthen dam breaches, focusing on hydraulic, geotechnical, and structural factors. Through a comprehensive analysis of historical case studies and numerical modeling techniques, we elucidate the underlying mechanisms leading to dam failures. Furthermore, this research investigates effective mitigation strategies to enhance the resilience of earthen dams against breach incidents. By identifying key vulnerabilities and implementing targeted interventions, we aim to minimize the likelihood and impact of future breaches, ensuring the safety and sustainability of earthen dam infrastructure. Keywords— Breach analysis; Geotechnical Engineering; Earthen dam and Gangapur Dam