Seepage and Stability of a Dam in an Artesian Setting

Sean A. Parks, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Date of this Version
12-2012
Comments
A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska
In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Science, Major: Civil
Engineering, Under the Supervision of Professor John R. Rohde. Lincoln, Nebraska:
December 2012
Copyright 2012 Sean Parks
Abstract
Willow Creek Dam is located in a unique region on the boundary of a confined aquifer,
where artesian conditions exist. Recently, groundwater levels have exceeded the
elevation of the downstream berm well above anticipated piezometric elevations. It was
presumed from limited evidence that these high piezometric levels resulted from
pressure in the aquifer rather than from seepage out of the reservoir. The purpose of this
investigation was to determine the relative contributions of the reservoir and the regional
groundwater to observed piezometric levels and how these levels affect seepage exit
gradients and slope stability of the dam.
Comparing the head levels in shallow and deep piezometers at the dam, the seepage is
shown to originate from the regional aquifer and to flow upwards. The head in the
groundwater exceeds the reservoir elevation, and the reservoir elevation has little
influence on local phreatic elevations. The largest annual fluctuations in the groundwater
levels result from local irrigation pumping. Influences of irrigation wells were quantified
using a well influence statistic derived for this study. This statistic was found to be the
best predictor of variation in groundwater elevations at the dam.
Using a finite element analysis program, it was shown that the regional aquifer provides
all the flow into the relief well system and solely contributes to the exit gradients long the
downstream toe. Flow rates in the dams 27 pressure relief wells were found to be less
than the flow rates when the reservoir was first filled, even though piezometer levels are
much higher now. This points to a need to redevelop the pressure relief wells. Resulting
higher relief well flow will decrease the piezometric levels at the dam and will result in
reduced exit gradients. Local and global slope stability was not found to be in jeopardy
with local seepage failure occurring well before stability failures.
Advisor: John R. Rohde