Stopping Seepage
by Virginia Fairweather, Editor;Serial Information: Civil Engineering—ASCE, 1987, Vol. 57, Issue 3, Pg. 44-46
Document Type: Feature article
Abstract:
The Navajo Dam in New Mexico has major seepage problems. The Bureau of Reclamation, which owns the Dam, conducted studies, verified by outside consultants, concluding that the combination of seepage, a jointed rock foundation and erodible core material meant the dam was in danger of failure. The solution at one abutment was a record-breaking concrete cutoff wall that will be 400 ft deep, the world's record so far. Construction is by the slurry wall method and new equipment has been developed for the unique project. At the other abutment, a similar wall was found to be too costly, and a system of drainage boreholes will be drilled from a tunnel. The cutoff wall is being constructed and due to be completed by June 1988. Contracts are due to be awarded in the spring of 1987 for the tunnel and drainage boreholes work.
Subject Headings: Seepage | Diaphragm walls | Dam foundations | Dam failures | Tunnels | Rockfill dams | Material failures
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