Earth dams

• 13.1.

  Introduction

• 13.2.

  Use of conventional materials

• 13.3.

  Use of geosynthetics

• 13.4.

  River bed and bank protection

• 13.5.

  Design considerations

• 13.6.

  Summary of main points

• 13.7.

  Some common questions and their answers

• References

Earth dams are normally constructed using locally available soils and rocks. They provide a sustainable source of water to meet agricultural, municipal and industrial demands, and often play a major role in flood protection and control. As a result of ageing, material deterioration, internal erosion, piping and desiccation of upstream surface of the dam, the seepage losses through the dam section increase dramatically and may cause structural instability of the dam structure. In this chapter an attempt is made to provide an overview of the application of both conventional and geosynthetic materials to minimise the seepage losses and to improve the overall performance. The chapter also highlights the role of the ageing mechanism and the durability of individual geosynthetic components with regard to accomplishing the required overall performance of the earth dam.