Insights into the composition of Pennine type dams—experiences from two reservoir discontinuances

In recent years there has been an increased demand for a better understanding of the composition of our portfolio of 19^th century embankment dams, with work being carried out to safeguard these structures and the communities who live around them. During works to discontinue two of these dams, investigations were undertaken to better understand the composition of the dams and gain an increased understanding of the potential risk of internal erosion, particularly associated with conduits through the foundation and other defects that may be present. A comparison has been made against the model of a typical 19^th century Pennine type embankment dam.