Research Article| August 01, 2010 How Geology Changed the Design of Cedar Springs Dam San Bernardino County, California ARTHUR B ARNOLD; ARTHUR B ARNOLD 1607 Acebo Road NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87124 1. During design of Cedar Springs Dam Arthur B. Arnold was Chief, Southern California Project Geology Group for California Department of Water Resources, California Aqueduct Project, Palmdale California. Frank C. Kresse led the East Branch Geology Unit. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar FRANK C KRESSE FRANK C KRESSE 21926 Page Court, Petaluma, CA 94954 1. During design of Cedar Springs Dam Arthur B. Arnold was Chief, Southern California Project Geology Group for California Department of Water Resources, California Aqueduct Project, Palmdale California. Frank C. Kresse led the East Branch Geology Unit. 2Corresponding Author Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information ARTHUR B ARNOLD 1. During design of Cedar Springs Dam Arthur B. Arnold was Chief, Southern California Project Geology Group for California Department of Water Resources, California Aqueduct Project, Palmdale California. Frank C. Kresse led the East Branch Geology Unit. 1607 Acebo Road NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87124 FRANK C KRESSE 1. During design of Cedar Springs Dam Arthur B. Arnold was Chief, Southern California Project Geology Group for California Department of Water Resources, California Aqueduct Project, Palmdale California. Frank C. Kresse led the East Branch Geology Unit. 2Corresponding Author 21926 Page Court, Petaluma, CA 94954 Publisher: Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1558-9161 Print ISSN: 1078-7275 Copyright © 2010 EEGS Environmental & Engineering Geoscience (2010) 16 (3): 291–298. https://doi.org/10.2113/gseegeosci.16.3.291 Article history First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation ARTHUR B ARNOLD, FRANK C KRESSE; How Geology Changed the Design of Cedar Springs Dam San Bernardino County, California. Environmental & Engineering Geoscience 2010;; 16 (3): 291–298. doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/gseegeosci.16.3.291 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyEnvironmental & Engineering Geoscience Search Advanced Search Abstract Cedar Springs Dam, San Bernardino County, CA, was first conceived as a zoned earth-fill dam, based on the use of on-site materials. Final design investigations revealed clear evidence of recent active faulting, trending approximately parallel to the dam centerline within the dam footprint. No appropriate alternative dam location was available. Therefore, a complete re-design of the dam was made to accommodate offset without catastrophic failure of the dam. This potential offset of 3 to 5 ft (1 to 1.5 m), either vertical or horizontal, was termed the Maximum Credible Accident. The re-design required an intense off-site search for suitable impervious construction materials. Among the several new design features was an impervious core that could deform plastically without excessive cracking. Filter and rockfill zones were provided for piping and downstream embankment erosion protection. All zones were made thick enough to accommodate 5 ft (1.5 m) of offset and to still maintain a substantial thickness. The dam was re-positioned so that potential offset would occur up the abutment instead of beneath the maximum section. A large downstream open-graded rock section was added, the crest was widened and paved, and additional freeboard was provided, all to add protection from overtopping. The spillway was re-positioned so that identified faulting would cross the downstream spillway weir. During the 40 years since construction, no significant nearby earthquakes and faulting have affected the dam. The dam continues to perform within the intent of the design, which was based on the recognition of geologic conditions. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.