Dam Safety Overview

The primary goal of Dam Safety is to encourage and assist the advancement of dam safety practices that will help ensure operation of dams to their full capacities and intended purposes, and also to reduce the risk to lives and property from the consequences of both structural and operational dam incidents and failures.

To reduce the risk of dam failure, regular inspections, effective instrumentation, and diligent monitoring are needed to identify potential problems and take corrective actions to remedy those deficiencies before serious consequences develop. Construction deficiencies, earthquakes, and large floods are some of the reasons for dam deterioration that could lead to failure, but aging and inadequate maintenance are the main causes.

Geophysical methods are increasingly being recognized as essential tools in dam and dike projects worldwide, complementing traditional geotechnical investigations. Both approaches share the common goal of characterizing subsurface conditions—such as soil, rock, and groundwater—at potential dam sites, as well as identifying anomalies in existing structures.

They target similar mechanical properties, including shear modulus, bulk density, porosity, lithology, and fracture patterns, along with details like bedrock depth and fault locations. However, geophysical techniques offer distinct advantages, particularly in detecting water seepage, voids, or sinkholes at a lower cost. Common methods include Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT), Electromagnetic Profiling, Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), and various seismic techniques.