DESIGN PROCEDURES FOR SMALL DAMS

I. Introduction

Small dams are hydraulic structures that may be constructed to meet a variety of needs,
including flood control and flood mitigation, creation of fresh water storage for the
provision of clean water, generation of power through hydro-electric schemes,
establishment of recreation areas, or combination of the aforementioned functions (DGCS
Vol. 3, 2015).

It is imperative to know what type of dam to be constructed. The selection of the type of
dam requires cooperation among experts representing several disciplines-including
planners; hydrologists; geotechnical, hydraulic, and structural engineers; and engineering
geologists-to ensure economical and appropriate designs for the physical factors, such as
topography, geology and foundation conditions, available materials, hydrology, and
seismicity. Dams may be classified into a number of different categories, depending upon
the purpose of the classification. This manual considers three broad classifications: (1)
according to use, (2) their hydraulic design, or (3) materials comprising the structure
(USBR, 1987).

A. Classification according to use

Dams may be classified according to the broad function which they are to serve, such
as storage, diversion or detention. Refinements of classification can also be made by
considering specific functions involved which include flood control, hydropower
generation, water supply, etc.

B. Classification by hydraulic design

Dams may also be classified as overflow or non-overflow dams. Overflow dams, usually
composed of concrete, are designed to carry discharge over their crests or through
spillways along the crest. On the other hand, non-overflow dams are those designed
not to be overtopped. This type of design extends the choice of material to include
earthfill and rockfill dams.

C. Classification by materials
The most common classification of dam is according to the material used in
construction. This classification also usually recognizes the basic type of design. The
most common types of dams constructed based on the material classification are the
earthfill, rockfill and concrete gravity dams.

Another factor to consider in line with the type is the location of the proposed dam.
Although the selection of a suitable site is essentially a field exercise, the use of aerial
photographs and large-scale maps can provide a useful assessment of the local
topography and hydrological conditions before any site inspection takes place. This is
especially important on larger sites and catchments where much field time can be saved
by allowing the poorest sites to be excluded and a list of the more promising sites to be
drawn up. It is important to identify where the water to be stored is to be used: irrigation,
for example, involves the conveyance of large quantities of water and, if the dam-site is a
long distance away from the cultivated area, much expenditure on pipelines and pumping
 may be required. Other factors, such as access, availability of materials, land tenure issues,
environmental concerns, community needs, the distance to the nearest power source and
inundation of roads, bridges, and buildings should all be considered at this stage so that
costly investigation work is not wasted.

II. Data Requirements and Considerations

The following are the necessary data for the design of a small dam.

1. Hydrologic and meteorologic data (rainfall intensity, run-off, streamflow

discharges, wind analysis, etc.)
2. Engineering Surveys (topographic survey and hydrographic survey)
3. Geotechnical and geological investigation (topographic condition, catchment area,
tributaries, surface and subsurface exploration, ground water conditions, land use,
fault line location, hazard maps, proposed borrow site information, etc.)
4. Ecological and environmental considerations (forests and protected areas, wildlife,
riparian zones, etc.)

Hydrologic and Meteorologic Data

Hydrologic studies play a great role in examining the purpose of a dam especially storage
dams. There is a close relationship between the hydrologic and economic factors
governing the choice of the type of dam and appurtenant structures. Streamflow
characteristics and precipitation may appreciably affect the cost of construction by
influencing the treatment and diversion of water and extending the construction time.

Engineering Surveys

In defining the scope of the survey that is required, it is important to understand the
requirements of the design that is being undertaken and define the area, detail and
accuracy of the survey appropriately. Topographic and hydrographic survey
requirements are discussed in Chapter 5 – Surveying Requirements for Water
Engineering Projects in DGCS 2015, Volume 2B – Engineering Surveys.
Geotechnical and Geological Investigation

The geological and geotechnical characteristics of the site often dictates the type of dam
to be constructed. Availability of suitable soils as embankment materials is always
considered for a more convenient and economic design and construction. Thorough
foundation investigations and the interpretation of the data obtained are required to
ascertain whether a safe and economical structure can be built at the selected site.

Ecological and Environmental Considerations

Construction and operation of the dam may bring eventual or immediate detrimental
effects on wildlife and aquatic creatures due to the alteration of the natural ecosystem.
Because of the complexity of fish and wildlife resource problems that, on the surface,
appear simple, it is imperative that professional fish and wildlife biologists be actively
involved in project planning and design. Tangible measures to mitigate the possible
effects should be considered in design phase, i.e. fish ladders/ways and fences.
 A detailed discussion of the data requirements and considerations in designing small dams
can be found in the Design of Small Dams, United States Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Reclamation (USBR).

Figure 1. Cross-section of a typical zoned dam

III. Design Procedures

Catchment Yield

It is important to estimate the catchment yield and evaluate how much water is intended
to be stored or attenuated by the proposed dam. The catchment yield is based on the
expected annual runoff and size of the catchment which is an important factor in
assessing the feasibility of a dam and in determining the required height of the
embankment. The latter is important to allow the dam designer to size the dam to suit
expected inflow and estimate the area that can be irrigated or supplied with water.
Catchment yield can be computed as follow:
𝒀𝒊𝒆𝒍𝒅 = 𝑨𝒓𝒆𝒂 × 𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒓𝒖𝒏𝒐𝒇𝒇

Storage Capacity

The formula in estimating the storage capacity is given below where L is the length of the
dam wall at full supply, T is the throwback (straight line perpendicular to the wall) and H’
is the maximum height of the dam.

𝟏
𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝑪𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒚 = 𝑳𝑻𝑯′
𝟔

By estimating the storage capacity and comparing it with the catchment yield, the amount
of water to be stored or attenuated by the structure can be preliminarily designed. The
capacity estimated in this way is accurate to within about 20 percent, but it must be
revised by a more detailed survey when the site has been approved for possible
construction.
Peak Flood

The peak flood is the probable maximum flood (PMF) to be expected from a catchment
following a rainfall of estimated intensity and duration for a designed return period taking
into account the hydrological characteristics of the catchment. Where the designer cannot
use a hydrologist, or detailed hydrological information is unavailable, the Rational Method
– based on catchment area and an assumed uniform rainfall intensity and runoff – is a
useful tool for the estimation of peak floods on small catchments. Calculation of design
discharge using the rational method is discussed in Chapter 3 – Hydrology of the DGCS
2015 – Volume 3, Water Engineering Projects. The peak flood or design discharge
computed will be the basis for the design of spillway or other control structure that will
manage the excess water.

Dam Main Body

At the conceptual stage, a trial section of the dam is established considering the design
criteria discussed above and in the DGCS 2015 Volume 3 – Water Engineering Projects
regards the height of the dam, the crest width, the slopes of the upstream and
downstream faces, etc. (Note: The design procedure that will be discussed below will only
consider the main body (embankment) of the dam. Special parts of the dam, i.e. spillway,
intake structure, outlet works, gates, among others, shall be referred to the Design of
Small Dams, USBR)

1. Using the conceptual cross section and considering a unit length of the dam, compute
for all the forces acting on the dam, such as the weight of the dam, hydrostatic
pressure, uplift pressure, silt pressure, including forces due to earthquakes, wind
pressure and wave actions, as may be required. Analysis will vary depending on the
type of dam to be constructed and additional factors and forces might be required to
be considered.

Figure 2. Forces acting on the main body of the dam

 𝟏
Passive Force, 𝑭𝒑 = 𝟐 𝑲𝒑 𝜸𝒔𝒐𝒊𝒍 𝒉𝟐
𝟏
Hydrostatic Force, 𝑭𝒘𝒑 = 𝟐 𝜸𝒘 𝒉𝟐𝒘

Weight of Body, 𝑾𝒏 = 𝑨𝒏 𝜸𝒔𝒐𝒊𝒍

Surcharge, 𝑺 = 𝑷𝒔 × 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒅𝒕𝒉

𝟏
Uplift Force, 𝑭𝒖𝒑 = 𝟐 (𝒉𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒖𝒔 + 𝒉𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒔 )𝜸𝒘 𝑩
𝟏
Wind Force, 𝑭𝒛 = 𝒄 𝝆 𝑨 𝒗𝟐
𝟐 𝒅 𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆

2. Determine the location of the resultant force, i.e., the point where it acts at the base,
to check whether it lies within the middle third of the base of the dam for greater
stability and for sound structural design, in the case of concrete dams.

𝑹𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑴𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕−𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑴𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕

Location of Resultant from point of moment, 𝒙 = ∑ 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒔

3. Check the stability of the trial section against overturning by computing the
corresponding factor of safety and find out if they are within the acceptable limit.

𝝁𝜮𝑭𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍
𝑭𝑺𝑺𝒍𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 =
𝜮𝑭𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒛𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍

𝜮𝑹𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑴𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔
𝑭𝑺𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 =
𝜮𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝑴𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔

𝒄 × 𝑩 + 𝜮𝑭𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 × 𝒕𝒂𝒏𝝓 + 𝑭𝒑
𝑭𝑺𝑩𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝑺𝒍𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 =
𝑭𝒂𝒉

4. For concrete gravity dams, compute the maximum compressive and shearing stresses
and check if they are within the maximum allowable values for concrete.

𝜮𝑭𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝟔𝒆
𝒒𝒎𝒂𝒙/𝒎𝒊𝒏 = [𝟏 ± ]
𝑩 𝑩
𝟐 × 𝜮𝑭𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍
𝒒𝒆 =
𝟑 × (𝟎. 𝟓𝟎𝑩 − 𝒆)
𝒆 = 𝟎. 𝟓𝟎𝑩 − 𝒙
5. For earth dams, draw the line of seepage or phreatic line on the dam body to check
against piping of the embankment material as well as seepage thru the same
underneath the embankment. Slope stability analysis for the embankment slopes
should also be undertaken using the Swedish slip circle method or any other acceptable
method. Check also if berms will be needed for erosion and greater stability of the
embankment slopes. Shown below is the formula for factor of safety against slip where
c’ is the effective cohesion intercept, L is the length of arc of slip circle, ∅′ is the
effective angle of internal friction, N is the summation of normal forces along the arc,
U is the summation of uplift forces caused by pore water pressure along the arc and
T is the algebraic summation of tangential forces along the arc.
𝒄′ 𝑳 + 𝒕𝒂𝒏∅′(𝑵 − 𝑼)
𝑺𝒂𝒇𝒆𝒕𝒚 𝑭𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓 =
𝑻
When the slip circle section is typically large, it is recommended to use the method of
slices. Method of slices analyzes failure by dividing the critical region into slices as
shown below.

Figure 3. Diagram for Method of Slices

6. Check for possible settlement of the dam by analyzing the bearing capacity of the
foundation and comparing it with the bearing stresses on the same as caused by the
dam. In no case should the bearing capacity be less than the bearing stress in order
to avoid settlement of the dam.

Spillway

There are two types of spillway: the primary and the emergency spillway. Primary spillway
is designed to convey water on the downstream side in excess to the intended water to
be stored or attenuated and vary depending on the hydraulic design of the dam if over
flow or non-over flow. For over flow type dams, the crest is designed with a weir while
an intake structure with a conduit pipe is designed for non-over flow type dams.
Emergency spillways, on the other hand, are designed to carry water in excess to the
capacity of the primary spillway, especially during extreme flooding conditions.
The formula below can be used to compute for the required length of a weir on a spillway,
where Q is the discharge, m is the weir constant (1.84 for sharp crested weirs)H is the
total head over the spillway crest, n is the number of end contractions, K is the coefficient
of end contraction (usually 0.10) and L is the length of weir.

𝑸 = 𝒎 (𝑳 − 𝑲𝒏𝑯)𝑯𝟏.𝟓

Sediment Control Structure

All reservoirs formed by dams on natural water courses are subject to some degree of
sediment inflow and deposition. The problem confronting the project planner is to
estimate the rate of deposition and the period of time before the sediment will interfere
with the useful functioning of the reservoir. Complete loss of dependable storage has
resulted from sediment deposition and several sediment control methods are introduced
and, in many cases, construction has been completed on upstream sediment traps,
bypass channels, special outlets for sluicing sediment, and mechanical dredging
techniques. Sediment control structure shall be made an integral part in planning and
designing a dam to prolong its serviceability.
 Start

Gathering Data
Hydrologic and Meteorologic Data, Engineering Surveys, Geotechnical and
Geological Investigation and Environmental and Ecological Considerations
General
Analysis
Procedure
Water Estimate

Catchment Yield Peak Flood

Trial Section
Create a preliminary/ conceptual design in accordance with the No
design criteria, guidelines and standards.

Storage Capacity Is the dam height

sufficient fort the
Using the trial section, estimate the storage capacity. Compare intended volume of water
the computed value with the catchment yield. to be stored or
attenuated?

Detailed Design Yes

Main Body, Spillway, Other appurtenant structures (intake,
outlet structures, sediment control dam, etc.)
No

Analyses and Simulation Are the design details of

the structure including the
Hydrologic and Hydraulic Analyses, Structural Analysis, appurtenances satisfy the
Stability, Foundation and Settlement Analyses, etc. design and serviceability
requirements?

Design Approval
Yes
Detailed Engineering Design is approved

End
End
Sample of Design Computation of a Check Dam

Given Data:

Catchment area = 15.68 sq. km

Nature of Catchment = Good

Catchment Yield = 2.93 MCM

Design Flood Discharge = 110.37 m3/s

Stage – Discharge Table

Discharge (m3/s) Water Level (m)

50 89.98
60 91.59
70 93.21
80 94.83
90 96.45
110 99.69
115 100.50

Design of Sharp Crested Weir

Q = 1.84 (L − KnH) H3/2

Where,

L = Length of weir

K = Coefficient of end contraction (adopted 0.1)

n = Number of end contractions (in this case = 2)

H = Total head over spillway crest

Q = Discharge

Providing a total head (including velocity head of 0.05) = 1.05 m

110.37 = 1.84 (L – 0.1x2x1.05)1.051.5

L = 55.95 m say 56 m

Discharge Intensity, q = 110.37/56 = 1.97 m3/s/m

Normal Scour Depth = 1.35 (q2/f)1/3 = 1.35 (1.972/1)1/3 = 2.12 m below the maximum
flood level
Computed flood level at weir site corresponding to the design discharge of 110.37 m3/s
is 99.75 m.

Keeping the crest level = 99.00 m

Maximum water level = 99.00 + 1.05 = 100.05 m

Thus, there will be a net flood lift of (100.05 – 99.75), i.e. 0.30 m at the weir site

Depth at the downstream cutoff = 1.50 x Normal Scour Depth = 1.50 x 2.12 = 3.18 m

Desired river level of cutoff = 100.05 – 3.18 = 96.87 m

Average bed level of deep channel is 97.30 m

Providing a minimum depth of 1 m for cutoff

Actual river level of cutoff = 97.30 – 1.00 = 96.30 m (against desired level of 96.87)

Design of Weir Floor

Design flood = 110.37 m3/s

Length of weir = 56 m

Height of weir above the bed = 99.00 − 97.30 = 1.7 m

Bottom width of weir = 1.6 m

Total maximum head, H = 1.7 m

Required Creep Length, L’ = C x H (adopting C = 4)

L = 4 x 1.7 = 7.22 m say 7.25 m

Length of Downstream Floor, Ld = 2.21C sqrt (H/13) = 2.21 (4) x sqrt(1.7/13) = 3.19 m
say 3.20 m
 Provide a length of 6.0 m and provide wearing coat for 3.20 m

Bottom level of downstream cutoff = 96.30 m

Assuming bottom level of U/S cutoff = 96.90

Provide floor thickness = 0.30 m

Actual creep length = 1.0 + 0.50 + 1.60 + 3.20 + 2.80 + 1.0 = 10.40 m against 7.25
m required

Hence, ok!

References:

Department of Public Works and Highways – Bureau of Design (2015). Design Guidelines,
Criteria and Standards, Volume III – Water Engineering Projects. Department of Public
Works and Highways – Head Office, Port Area, Manila.

Government of Meghalaya – Public Health and Engineering Department (2017). Design

example of check dam. Retrieved from http://megphed.gov.in
Shaver, Earl (2009). Hawke’s bay waterway guidelines: small dam design. Hawke’s Bay
Regional Council: Napier.

Stephens, Tim (2010). Manual on small earth dams: A guide to siting, design and construction.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.

United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation (1987). Design of small dams
(3rd ed.). U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C..