2005 – Importance of Streamflow Monitoring for Sam Safety and Water Supply Security
Ian Cordery, Peter S. Cloke
Scientists advocate more hydrological monitoring but in most regions publicly funded monitoring is in
steady decline. The lack of measured data at dam sites means there are many designs for new dams and remedial work that are insufficiently supported by factual information. Unfortunately data –free modelling exercises will usually produce favourable results – favourable to the modeller’s purposes, but not necessarily favourable to the determination of physical reality or truth. In these days of the popularity of modelling it is common to find decisions being made based on model studies for which little or no local data were available for model calibration or verification. How can the ‘large dam’ fraternity encourage (ensure) more data use? Causes of lack of data are many. For example governments fund data collection but others need the data, and data collection is a long-term activity that produces few benefits in the short term. Some years ago it was shown that hydrological data collection and archiving provided benefits to the community of at least nine times the costs of the data.
The real costs of comprehensive data collection are not large but examples will be given of the huge
costs, mainly due to the need to allow for uncertainty, that result from unavailability of data. Those
who understand this problem need to explain it to their communities, politicians and CEOs in a clear,
unmistakably persuasive manner, and to demand an increase in data collection. If we do not, no one
else will.
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Papers 2005
2005 – RIPPABILITY: A Case Study – Wivenhoe Alliance
Learn moreThe Wivenhoe Dam Spillway Augmentation Project involved the construction of an additional spillway on the right abutment of the main dam. The right abutment is located in massive sandstones and siltstones of Jurassic and Upper Triassic age.
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Seismic refraction surveys and borehole drilling conducted at the design stage for the project
indicated that part of the spillway area was likely to be marginally rippable to unrippable using a
Caterpillar D9 bulldozer or equivalent. Further assessment and rock strength testing was conducted during the initial stages of excavation where D9 and D10 bulldozers were in operation. The results from this further work indicated that a section of the spillway extending from the proposed position of the ogee crest to approximately 100m further upstream were unlikely to be unrippable for a D9 dozer and marginally rippable for a D10.
Excavation options considered for this section included full scale blasting and load out, limited small scale ‘popping’ combined with ripping or the use of larger ripping equipment. Based on an
assessment of cost-benefit, and given the availability of larger ripping equipment, it was decided to
use a combination of D10 dozers and a Komatsu 475A bulldozer (D11 equivalent) equipped with
single tine ripping tools. The use of this equipment proved successful with better than anticipated
production rates being achieved. This resulted in significant cost and time savings for the project and reduced the likelihood of potential adverse impacts on the existing dam grout curtain, environment, travelling public and residents that may have occurred during blasting. -
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Papers 2005
2005 – Revised Extreme Floods in Tropical Regions
Learn moreR.A. Ayre and T. L. McGrath
SunWater as an owner of 25 major dams in Queensland has completed a programme to update the design flood hydrology of all of its referable structures in accordance with the latest methodology for estimating extreme design floods. This programme ensures the adequacy of existing spillways is included in an overall dam safety portfolio risk assessment in a consistent fashion.
This paper describes the methodology adopted in the re-assessment of the design flood hydrology of the storages. Principally this has meant the use of a design hydrograph approach utilising runoff-routing methods as described in Australian Rainfall and Runoff (1999). Design rainfall inputs have been based on generalised techniques derived by the Bureau of Meteorology such as the Revised Generalised Tropical Storm Method and the Generalised Short Duration Method for the estimation of Probable Maximum Precipitation. These estimates, coupled with the use of a regional design rainfall estimation technique known as CRC-Forge that is used for determining large to rare design rainfall estimates, have been used to derive a complete estimate of the inflow/outflow flood frequency curve for each dam.
The paper also provides an insight into the significant factors and relationships that are involved in the changes resulting from this process. Overall, there has been an increase in design rainfall depth estimates for the extreme events, and a general reduction to neutral change in the large to rare rainfall range. These changes plus the influence of temporal effects and the assignment of Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP) has led to substantial changes from previous estimates of design floods. The implication of these changes is profound for
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an organisation such as SunWater. -
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Papers 2005
2005 – BLOWERING DAM – SPILLWAY HYDRAULIC MODELLING
Learn moreBlowering Dam was constructed in 1968 by the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Authority, on behalf of the Water Conservation and Irrigation Commission. It is a large earth and rockfill embankment dam, approximately 112m high and 808m long, with a concrete chute spillway at the right abutment. The reservoir holds about 1,628GL of water that is mainly for irrigation and supplying an 80MW hydro-electric power station. The dam is owned and operated by State Water Corporation, NSW.
Revisions to the design flood estimate have highlighted the dam requiring an upgrade to cope with increased discharge rates. The NSW Department of Commerce has carried out feasibility studies of different upgrade options. The need to evaluate the hydraulic performance of the existing un-gated spillway was identified. Flow overtopping the chute walls can potentially erode the backfill behind the walls, and, the rockfill on the downstream toe of the embankment. Consequently, this may lead to significant damage of the spillway and may risk the safety of the dam.
Hydraulic analysis of the spillway using a 3-D computational fluid dynamics model was performed for various flood levels to determine the discharge coefficients and the discharge rating curve. It was also required to identify whether the chute walls need raising to contain the increased discharges. These results were compared with those calculated by other “standard” methods. Such verification provided a level of onfidence in the analysis results which were then used in the studies to assess available upgrade options.
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In order to have further confidence in the analysis, the computed results were validated against physical test data and some limited information from an actual discharge. Further verification against established theory was conducted by modelling a supercritical flow through a contraction in an open-channel in order to see if the computation could predict the shock wave effect that was observed in physical models as well as full scale channels. A reasonably good correlation was obtained from all validating tests.
This paper presents some background of the proposed dam upgrade, potential upgrade options considered and details of the hydraulic modelling of the spillway. Some interesting flow behaviour caused by the shock wave will be highlighted. -
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Papers 2005
2005 – Wellington Dam Investigation Techniques
Learn morePaul Hurst, Michael Smith
Wellington Dam is an extreme hazard concrete gravity dam located on the Collie River approximately 170km south of Perth. Originally constructed to a height of 19m in 1933, the dam was raised to its present height of 34m in 1960 by placing significant additional concrete against the downstream face of the original dam. To ensure a lasting bond along the interface between the original and secondary concrete, an open slot was formed and later grouted once the temperature of the secondary concrete was similar to that of the original dam.
A recently completed stability analysis identified that Wellington Dam falls well short of contemporary dam engineering standards for flood loading. Several assumptions were made during the preliminary analysis relating to concrete shear strength parameters, bonding between the original and secondary concrete and drain effectiveness that generated a significant range of results. On this basis, further investigation was carried out to define the concrete parameters and drain condition at Wellington Dam.
Exploratory drilling found that Wellington Dam is cracked from the upper gallery through to the downstream face. The drilling programme also confirmed that the interface between the original and secondary concrete has become unbonded and that the gravity dam is behaving like an unbonded short composite beam. The mechanism causing the observed behaviour of Wellington Dam can largely be explained by external temperature effects and Alkali Aggregate Reaction, (AAR).
This paper explores the techniques used to investigate the condition of the concrete and illustrates the relationship between concrete behaviour and temperature and AAR effects within a composite concrete gravity dam
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Papers 2005
2005 – Dam Safety Emergency Exercise for Eildon Dam, Goulburn Weir and Waranga Basin
Learn moreAndrew Evans, Michael Cawood, Jonathon Reid
Eildon Dam, Goulburn Weir and Waranga Basin in Victoria are owned and managed by Goulburn-Murray Water (G-MW). Eildon Dam and Goulburn Weir are situated on the Goulburn River, while Waranga Basin is an offstream storage supplied from Goulburn Weir.
In November 2004 a dam safety emergency exercise involving the establishment of a central Emergency Coordination Centre at Tatura as well as Emergency Operations Centres at each of these three dam sites was conducted. The exercise presented a variety of emergency situations in stepped time increments, including earthquake, mechanical failure, a hazardous material spill and a terrorism related incident. External agencies were not involved.
The exercise was part of an ongoing G-MW program designed to test and improve dam safety emergency planning and response systems for all of G-MW’s dams and highlighted areas where procedures, situational management and communications can be enhanced.
Outcomes aimed for in G-MW’s program are improvement in Dam Safety Emergency Plans and internal communications, together with clarification of roles, responsibilities and capabilities.
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The valuable experiences learned from this dam safety emergency exercise and plans for a larger scale exercise involving other emergency management agencies will be shared with others through this paper.