Rehabilitation of the Deep Creek Lake Dam

by J. Christopher Giese, Law Engineering, Inc, Chantilly, United States,
Richard T. Gallus, Law Engineering, Inc, Chantilly, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Geotechnical Practice in Dam Rehabilitation

Abstract:

This paper presents the rehabilitation design for upgrading the Deep Creek Lake dam. The Deep Creek dam is a rock fill dam, 92 feet (28 m) high and 1290 feet (393 m) long, and constructed in 1926. The dam is located in the mountains of western Maryland. An upstream concrete core wall controls the phreatic surface. Natural weathering within the embankment has resulted in almost 3 feet (0.9 m) of settlement of the crest. Ponding of water on the crest and benches has produced small surface depressions and the internal ravelling of fines. Minor erosion of the upstream embankment along the waterline has occurred. The embankment itself is a sound structure but because of the previous nature of the embankment materials, the dam is considered possibly subject to rapid internal erosion under flooding conditions or from a significant leak through the dam foundation or core wall. The remedial design includes restoring controlling infiltration through the use of clay liners, the use of filters and geotextiles, sealing of the concrete core wall and cap, replacement of monitoring devices, upstream erosion protection, channelization of surface water collected on the benches, and construction of an inverted filter along the downstream toe. Benefits of the rehabilitation include a reduction in infiltration and internal erosion and a significant increase in stability under flood conditions.

Subject Headings: Embankment dams | Rivers and streams | Dam foundations | Rehabilitation | Rockfill dams | Core walls | Concrete dams | Maryland | United States

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