Dam and Reservoir: Geological Investigation

DAM AND RESERVOIR
GEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION
Dam
Dam may be defined as a solid barrier constructed at a suitable location
across a river valley that a view of impounding water flowing through the
river.
Dam are constructed for a achieving one or more of the following
objective.
i) Generation of hydropower Energy .
ii) Providing water for irrigation facilities;
iii) Providing water supply for domestic consumption and industrial uses;
iv) Controlling of flood;
v) Providing navigational facilities;
Additional benefits coming from dam are development of fisheries and
recreation facilities in reservoir created by them and also overall greenery
effect all along the reservoir.
Types of dam
• Design of construction ,whether the load of the body
of the dam is transmitted on the foundation or to the
abutment rock ; such as gravity dam , arch dam
buttress dam etc.
• Material of construction such as concrete ,rock fill or
Earthen dam;
• Size of construction such as small dam and large
dam.
• The well known main types of dam are the Gravity
Dam, Arch Dam and Embankment
GRAVITY DAM
• A Gravity dam is a solid masonry or concrete structure,
Generally of a triangular profile,
• Which is so designed that it can safely stand against a
precalculated volume of water by virtue of its weight.
• All the forces arising in such a dam –
As due to the thrust of the impounded water
and the massive weight of the dam material are assumed
to be directly transmitted on the foundation rock
Hence the strength of the foundation rock is the most
critical factor in their design .
• A gravity dam,when properly designed and carefully constructed,
is considered among the safest types .
• E.g.:- Buttress.
• Arch Dam :-
An arch dam as the name implies ,is an arch- shaped solid
structure mostly of concrete. Which is designed in such a way that
major part of the thrust forces acting on the dam are transmitted
mainly by the arch section.(and also cantilever action at the base )
The constant radius arch dam ,in which the radius of curvature
throughout the structure is constant and upstream face is vertical.
Selection of Site for Dam
• The following are the requisite of good sites for
various types of dam.
• Foundation:-
• Topography:-
• Site of Spillway :-
• Material:-
• Reservoir and catchment area:-
• Communication:-
• Locality:-
Geological characters for investigation
• For achieving the above object through and systematic
investigation of following Geological character.
• Geological of the area.
• Preliminary geological survey of the entire catchment area
followed by detailed geological mapping of the reservoir
• 1)Main Topographic Feature
• 2)Natural Drainage Pattern
• 3)General character and structure of the rock formation such
as their stratification ,folding and faulting and igneous
intrusion
• 4)The trend and rate of weathering and erosion in the area
• 2) Geology of the site
• a) Lithology :-
• The single most important feature that must be known thoroughly at
the site and all round and below the valley up to reasonable depth is the
lithology.
• b) Structure :-
• This involve detailed mapping of planes of weakness like bedding
planes ,chistosity ,foliation ,cleavage, joint, shear zone, fault and fault
zone ,folding
• i) Dip and Strike :-
• The strength of sound ,unfractured stratified rock is always greater
when the stresses are acting normal to the bedding plane than if applied
in other direction .As such gently upstream dipping layer offer best
resistance to resultant forces in a dam
• ii)Fault :-
• These structure can be source of danger to the dam in a number of ways
• iii) Folds:-
• The most notable effect of fold on rock are :shattering and
jointing along the axial planes and stressing of limb
• Iv) Joints :-
• No sites are totally free from jointing ,Hence sites cannot
be abonded ,even if proof usually jointed.
• However , the detailed mapping of all the aspect and character
of joining as loping in the rock of proposed site has to taken up
with greatest caution.
• The micro joint presented considerable difficulties in detention
and treatment.
Relative suitability of Different Rock
• Igneous rock
• Sedimentary rock
• Metamorphic rock
Reservoir
• Reservoir may be broadly defined as artificially
created water storage basin with storage capacity that
may range from few thousand cubic meter to few
thousand of million cubic meter.
• Depending on the purpose of storage ,reservoir are
classified into three group.
1)Storage and conservation reservoirs
2)Flood control reservoir
3)Distribution reservoirs
Pool level
• Pool the level, indicate the designed level up to
which the reservoir shall be full of water at a
particular point of time .
• Storage Capacity :-
• Useful Storage :-
• Dead Storage :-
• Surcharge Storage:-
Geological Investigation
• Topographically :-
• Ground water condition :-
• Permiability :-
• Structural constitution:-
• Liable to failure by sliding ,creep or subsidence.
• Trend and rate of weathering :-
• In catchment area is of considerable importance
Causes of failure of reservoir or dam
• Erosion below spillway:-
• A simple method for producing such
turbulence by creating the hydraulic jump
below the spillway .
• Providing sloping apron
Selection site of reservoir
• The river valley at the site should be narrow .
• The surrounding hill which constitute the rim of the
reservoir should be watertight.
• The site should be such that as per as possible land
and property is submerged in the reservoir .
• The site must be such that adequate reservoir capacity
is availability
• As far as possible dip reservoir must be formed
• The Quantity of water stored reservoir must be
satisfactory for its intended
Bridge
• A bridge may be defined as a structure built
over a river ,a dry valley, low land or any
depressed part of the land to provide a link
between the two opposite sides.
Geological consideration
• The depth of a bed rock
• The nature of the bed rock
• The structural deposition of rock

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