Scour

Smith Mountain Dam – Virginia

Engineering & Hydrosystems Inc. (E&H) analyzed foundation scour potential for Smith Mountain Dam, Virginia as part of a FERC re-licensing process. The dam is expected to overtop under Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) conditions and, in accordance with FERC regulations, required assessment of dam foundation scour. The 235 ft high double-curvature arch dam is founded on rock. The analysis required implementation of the Erodibility Index Method (Annandale 1995) that was developed by one of E&H’s principals to determine scour potential of the rock foundations. E&H also made use of recent research in Switzerland to conduct a fatigue analysis for determining the rate of scour.

Engineering - Science - Sustainable Solutions