2015 National Dam Safety Program Technical Seminar No.

22:

Dam Breach Modeling

and Consequence Assessment

Overview of Failure Modes

Jay N. Stateler

Embankment
Dams

Riprap
Slope
Protection
Earthfill

Foundation Soil

Riprap
Slope
Protection

Earthfill Zones

Toe
Drain
Filters
Foundation Soil

Grout Curtain

Foundation Rock

Potential
Failure Mode
Seepage through
dam
Erodes earthfill
Carries earthfill
downstream
Eventually
breaches dam

Riprap
Slope
Protection
Earthfill

Foundation Soil

Riprap
Slope
Protection

Earthfill Zones

Toe
Drain
Filters
Foundation Soil

Grout Curtain

Foundation Rock

Hadlock Pond
New York
Constructed: 1896
Modified: 2004-2005
Failed: July 2, 2005
Seepage Failure
0 Fatalities

Baldwin Hills Dam

Los Angeles, California
Constructed: 1947-1951
Failed: December 11, 1963
Seepage Failure
5 Fatalities

San Francisco Dam

New Mexico
Constructed: 1960s
Failed: May 24, 2003
Flood Seepage Failure
No Fatalities

Delhi Dam, Iowa

Constructed: 1929
Failed: July 24, 2010
Flood Some overtopping,
but failed due to seepage
0 Fatalities

Potential
Failure Mode
Seepage through
dam
Erodes earthfill
Carries earthfill
downstream
Eventually
breaches dam
Filter lets water
through, but not
earthfill carried by
seepage
Stops failure mode
development

Riprap
Slope
Protection
Earthfill

Foundation Soil

Riprap
Slope
Protection

Earthfill Zones

Toe
Drain
Filters
Foundation Soil

Grout Curtain

Foundation Rock

Potential
Failure Mode
Seepage through
foundation soil
Erodes soil
Carries soil to a
downstream exit
point
Eventually creates
a dam breach

Riprap
Slope
Protection
Earthfill

Foundation Soil

Riprap
Slope
Protection

Earthfill Zones

Toe
Drain
Filters
Foundation Soil

Grout Curtain

Foundation Rock

Arthur V. Watkins Dam

Constructed: 1958-1964
Nearly Failed: November, 2006
Seepage

20 feet high

Foundation soil
deposits in South
Drain

Potential
Failure Mode

Riprap
Slope
Protection
Earthfill

Seepage through
foundation soil
Cutoff trench, grout
curtain, cutoff wall,
etc. limit seepage
through foundation
Downstream filters
and toe drain collect
(and filter seepage)
Potential for failure
mode development
is reduced

Foundation Soil

Riprap
Slope
Protection

Earthfill Zones

Toe
Drain
Filters
Cutoff Trench

Grout Curtain

Foundation Soil
Foundation Rock

Into Coarse Layers in Foundation Soil

Potential
Failure Mode
Seepage carries
earthfill into
foundation
Erodes earthfill
Carries earthfill
downstream
Eventually breaches
dam

Into Joints, Openings, Etc. in Foundation Rock

Teton Dam, Idaho

Constructed: 1975
Failed: June 5, 1976
Seepage Failure
During first filling
11 Fatalities

Quail Creek Dike

Constructed: 1984
First Filling: 1985
Failed: January 1, 1989
Seepage Failure
During first filling
No Fatalities

Into Coarse Layers in Foundation Soil

Potential
Failure Mode
Seepage carries
earthfill into
foundation
Filter protects against
earthfill being carried
by seepage into
foundation soil
Foundation treatment
seals openings in rock
no seepage into rock

Filter
Protection

Into Joints, Openings, Etc. in Foundation Rock

Foundation Treatment
(slush grouting, dental
concrete, etc.)

Potential
Failure Mode
Seepage along
conduits through dam
embankment
Erodes earthfill
Carries earthfill
downstream
Breaches dam

Filter material
needs to be
completely wrapped
around the conduit
stops development
of the failure mode

Lawn Lake Dam

Colorado
Constructed: 1903
Failed: July 15, 1982
Seepage
3 Fatalities

Isabel Myron Dam

Colorado
Constructed: Unknown
Failed: 1978
Wind Tree Toppling
Overtopping (?)
or Seepage (?)
0 Fatalities (believed)

Slope Instability

Potential
Dam overtopping in a flood
Failure Mode The capacity of the spillway(s) is
Embankment
Dams

exceeded by flood flows

Water flows over the dam crest
The overtopping flow erodes the
dam embankment
Dam breaches

Auxiliary
spillway

Rainbow Dam
Michigan
Failed: 1986
Flood - Overtopping

Erosion Begins

Dam is Breached

Ka Loko Dam
Hawaii
Constructed: 1890
Failed: March 14, 2006
Flood Overtopping
7 Fatalities

Brazil
Failed: 1980s
Flood Overtopping
Spillway gates not opened

Noppikoski Dam, Sweden

Constructed: Not known
Failed: September 6, 1985
Flood Overtopping Could not
remove stoplogs in time
0 Fatalities

El Guapo Dam
Venezuela
Failed: December 16, 1999

Spillway
failure in
a flood
event

Potential
Failure Mode

Earthquake causes strength loss in

foundation soil leads to instability
and failure by dam overtopping

The dam slides in the

downstream direction on
the weak layer

The liquefied soil is

more like a fluid
has little shear
strength

Foundation soil that is saturated

and loose (not very dense)

Earthquake shaking causes

it to lose strength (liquefy)

Embankment Dams Earthquake-Related Failure

Potential
Failure Mode

Earthquake causes strength loss in

foundation soil leads to instability
and failure by dam overtopping

Dam failure occurs

almost immediately after
the earthquake

Embankment Dams Earthquake-Related Failure

Sheffield Dam
California
Constructed: 1917
Failed: June 29, 1925
Earthquake Liquefaction
No Fatalities

Lower San Fernando

(Van Norman) Dam
Los Angeles, California
Constructed: 1912, Raised 1921
Nearly Failed: February 9, 1971
Earthquake
No Fatalities

Potential
Failure Mode

Earthquake-caused cracks and/or

damage that leads to seepagerelated dam failure

 Mostly rock, rather

Major Types of Dams than soil
Thin impervious core
Potential failure
Embankment
modes and monitoring
Rockfill
are similar to
Central Core
embankment dams
Impervious Upstream Face Filter protection for
the core is key

Concrete

Gravity
Arch
Buttress

Masonry
Composite

Filtering
Transition
Zones
Impervious
Earthfill
Core

Rock

Rock

Rockfill Dam
Impervious
Upstream
Face

Could be:
Geomembrane
Concrete
Asphalt
Steel
Clay

Rock
Should be free draining

Settlement of rockfill and/or earthquake shaking

could cause damage to the upstream face and
leakage
If the rockfill is free-draining (as it should be), this
would not be an issue (except for the lost water)
If the rockfill is not free-draining, then water
pressure buildup could cause slope instability and
dam failure

Rockfill Dam
Impervious
Upstream
Face

Could be:
Geomembrane
Concrete
Asphalt
Steel
Clay

Rock
Should be free draining

 Overtopping flow in a flood could result in

erosion at the downstream slope and toe area
Competent rockfill and foundation material
should not suffer much damage, but significant
erosion could occur in poorer materials
Erosion Oversteepened slope Slope
Failure

Rockfill Dam
Impervious
Upstream
Face

Could be:
Geomembrane
Concrete
Asphalt
Steel
Clay

Rock
Should be free draining

Taum Sauk Dam, Missouri

Constructed: 1962
Failed: December 14, 2005
Overtopping operational
issues
0 Fatalities

Key Issue for all Concrete Dam Types:

Foundation Support of Structure

Loads on the dam ultimately are transferred and carried

by the foundation (and abutments for arch dams)
Problems with foundation support have been the cause
of the majority of concrete dam failures

Bayless (Austin) Dam

Pennsylvania
Constructed: 1909
Failed: September 30, 1911
Failed by Sliding in Flood
78 Fatalities

St. Francis Dam

California
Constructed: 1926
Failed: March 12, 1928
Sliding of Abutment
in First Filling
~450 Fatalities

St. Francis Dam

California
Constructed: 1926
Failed: March 12, 1928
Sliding of Abutment
in First Filling
~450 Fatalities

By: J. David Rogers, Professor of

Geological Engineering, Missouri
University of Science and Technology

By: J. David Rogers, Professor of

Geological Engineering, Missouri
University of Science and Technology

By: J. David Rogers, Professor of

Geological Engineering, Missouri
University of Science and Technology

By: J. David Rogers, Professor of

Geological Engineering, Missouri
University of Science and Technology

By: J. David Rogers, Professor of

Geological Engineering, Missouri
University of Science and Technology

By: J. David Rogers, Professor of

Geological Engineering, Missouri
University of Science and Technology

By: J. David Rogers, Professor of

Geological Engineering, Missouri
University of Science and Technology

By: J. David Rogers, Professor of

Geological Engineering, Missouri
University of Science and Technology

By: J. David Rogers, Professor of

Geological Engineering, Missouri
University of Science and Technology

Malpasset Dam
France
Constructed: 1959
Failed: December 2, 1959
Abutment Movement
in First Filling
421 Fatalities

Camara Dam
Brazil
Constructed: 2002
Failed: June 2004
Foundation Movement
in Essentially First Filling
5-25 Fatalities

Gibson Dam
Montana 1964 dam overtopping
Overtopping flow could erode foundation material

Gibson Dam
Montana 1964 dam overtopping
Overtopping flow could erode foundation material

To protect against
a future possibly
larger flood event
Overtopping protection
provided after the event

Cascade Dam
Colorado
Failed: July 15, 1982
Overtopping due to failure of
upstream Lawn Lake Dam
2 Fatalities
Lawn Lake Dam
Colorado
Constructed: 1903
Failed: July 15, 1982
Seepage
3 Fatalities

Masonry
Dams

Most potential
failure modes
similar to
concrete gravity
dams
Good foundation
support is
crucial

Castlewood Dam, Colorado

Constructed: 1890
Failed: August 3, 1933
Failed in Flood Erosion at toe of dam
7 Fatalities

Leakage
May, 1990

Virginia Kendall Dam, Ohio

Constructed: 1930s
Overtopped: July 21, 2003
Did not fail

Delhi Dam, Iowa

Constructed: 1929
Failed: July 24, 2010
Flood Overtopping, but failed due to seepage
0 Fatalities

Frozen Lake Dam

Washington
Constructed: 1930
Failed: Hopefully Never

A. Embankment Dam
Seepage Failure
Unconstrained
Development

B. Embankment Dam
Seepage Failure
Constrained
Development

Sudden
Failure

Sudden
Failure

Large Flow

Large Flow

Large Dam
Failure Flood?

Not Sudden Failure

Very Large Flow

C. Embankment Dam
Overtopping in Flood
E. Embankment Dam
Earthquake
Delayed
Failure

D. Concrete Dam
All Failure Types

Sudden Failure?

Maybe
(Limited Warning Time)
No Water
Released

Not Sudden
Failure

F. Embankment Dam
Earthquake
Immediate Failure

Sudden Failure
Large Flow

Maybe No
Water Released

Sudden Failure