Dam Foundation Erosion

• The possibility of dam foundation erosion creates serious safety risks for which regulatory agencies such as FERC require scour analyses.
• E&H is a world leader in the field of scour assessment, specifically in scour of rock. Annandale's Erodibility Index Method has been extensively applied to dam foundation erosion.
• We have experience in developing mitigating designs, which include pre-forming (i.e. sizing of plunge pools), accommodating protection design, earth material enhancement (such as rock anchoring), hardening (e.g. providing concrete liners), methods to reduce the erosive capacity of plunging jets, and combinations of these approaches.
• Dam Foundation Erosion projects analyzed by E&H personnel:
  • San Roque Dam, Philippines
  • Kárahnjúkar Dam, Iceland
  • Smith Mountain Dam, Virginia
  • Eagle Nest Dam, New Mexico
  • Eildon Dam, Australia
  • Cogswell Reservoir, California
  • Burnett River Dam, Australia
  • Bartlett Dam, Arizona

Engineering - Science - Sustainable Solutions