San Roque Dam

Raymund Mariano1

The state-of-the-art international standards and practices used in designing, constructing,

operating, maintaining and monitoring the San Roque Dam substantially minimize the
risk of failure. Nonetheless, abnormal, unusual or emergency circumstances could arise
that may affect the integrity and safety of the Dam.

An emergency may be caused by a sudden, significant or extreme event or events that

occurs at or near the Dam. An earthquake is an example of such a sudden extreme event.
Emergencies may also develop over an extended period of time. For example where long-
term settlement lowers the Dam crest so as to increase the probability or risk of
overtopping to an unacceptable level.

Timely detection, evaluation and classification of emergencies are in place in the San
Roque Dam to insure the safety of the Dam.

Description and location

The San Roque Dam is a multipurpose, zoned earth and rock-fill dam with a central core
across the Lower Agno River in the Province of Pangasinan, Luzon, Philippines (Figure
1). It has a height of 200 m above the existing river valley floor with a compacted fill
volume totaling nearly 40 million cubic meters. At its nominal crest of El. 295.0 m, the
Dam length is 1,130 m.

The construction of the Dam started in March of 1998 and the first filling of the reservoir
started in August of 2002.

Dam Ownership and Management

The Dam is owned by the Government of the Philippines under National Power
Corporation (NPC) and is being operated and maintained by the San Roque Power
Corporation (SRPC) over a 25 year Built-Operate-Transfer arrangement that commenced
on May 1, 2003.

The design, review, and construction of the Dam were undertaken by multiple and
recognized dam experts, namely:
• United Engineers International/Washington Group Incorporated (Designer)
• Raytheon Ebasco Overseas Ltd. (Constructor)
• Harza Engineering (SRPC’s Engineer)
• Panel of Consultants (Independent Review)
• R.W. Beck (NPC/Lenders’ Independent Engineer)
• Sembenelli Consulting (Original Dam Designer)

Currently, the Consultant for SRPC, the Operator of the Dam, in assessing the
performance of the Dam is Kansai Power International Corporation (KPIC).
1
Facilities Engineer, San Roque Power Corporation

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 San Roque Dam

Ambuklao Dam/1956
CA = 617km2
Volume = 125.5 MCM

Binga Dam/1960
CA = 860km2
Volume = 22 MCM

San Roque Dam/2002

CA = 1250km2
Volume = 835 MCM

Figure 1 – Location of the Dam

Structural Safety

The San Roque Dam and its appurtenant structures were designed to withstand the
Maximum Credible Earthquake (MCE) having an acceleration of 0.60 g or a magnitude
of 7.8. Should an MCE occur, the Dam may be subject to limited settlement and minor
cracking, but will remain secure and intact.

The Dam was also designed so that high reservoir inflow conditions alone cannot cause
the dam to overtop or otherwise fail, because the Dam spillway is capable of passing in
excess of the Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) – a flow greater than a flood event that
has a return interval of 10,000 years.

The Dam consists of combined earth/gravel fill and rockfill shell zones, filter, drain and
transition zones. The impermeable core is a clay gravel blend. Three grouting/drainage
galleries are provided for inspection and maintenance purposes which are located in the
dam foundation. The majority of the 1,200 meters of gallery length are 3 m wide by 4.5
m high with a shotcrete lining. The section located at the lowest level of the foundation is
reinforced with a formed concrete lining to accommodate potentially higher ground water
pressures. Access to the galleries is provided by four adits, two on each side of the
downstream abutments.

Prior to the placement of the dam materials, the dam foundation received extensive
treatment including the stripping of unsuitable base materials, careful cleaning,

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investigation and geotechnical mapping and other surface preparation procedures.
Surface and subsurface grouting (from within the galleries) form a grout curtain that
extends more than 80 meters below the foundation. This curtain consolidates the rock
structures below the dam to form an effective barrier to seepage.

The functions of the various zones of the dam are presented in Table 1 and Figure 2.

Table 1 - Zones of the Dam and their Functions

Zone Material Function

Core Clay, sandy gravel mix Impervious barrier
Filters (u/s and d/s of Fine and coarse sand Transition/protection of core
core)
Drain (d/s of core) Coarse sand Collect any core seepage
Shell (u/s and d/s) Pit run earth, sand-gravel, Structural support for inner
small boulders and random zones
rocks to 50 cm
Outer shell Rip-rap rock Wave and erosion protection

Safety Monitoring

The San Roque Dam Safety Program focuses on preparedness actions taken both prior to
and following development of emergency conditions. Preparedness actions involve the
installation of warning systems or establishment of procedures for:

• Preventing emergency conditions from developing, if possible, or warning of the

development of emergency conditions;
• Operation of the Dam to limit impacts in an emergency situation; and
• Minimizing the impacts resulting from any emergency condition that may
develop.

An important factor in the effectiveness of emergency response actions is the prompt

detection and evaluation of information obtained from physical inspections and from
instrumentation monitoring.

Dam Instrumentation

During construction, first reservoir filling, and subsequent operations, the performance of
the Dam and its foundation has been continually monitored to verify that the as-
constructed dam is performing according to design.

An Instrumentation Monitoring and Inspection Manual (IMIM) provides the guidelines

for conducting effective instrumentation monitoring and visual inspections.

The main objectives of the instrumentation monitoring and visual inspections are:
• Analytical assessment
o Verify design assumptions and construction techniques

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 o Analyze adverse events; and
o Verify satisfactory performance of the dam

• Prediction of future performance

o Deviations of data trends; and
o Identification of unusual data.

The parameters that are monitored are: water levels and pore-water pressure within the
dam and its foundation; quantity, sources and turbidity levels of seepage; total and
differential movements and overall dam movement. Dam instrumentation includes
piezometers, settlement survey monuments, internal settlement cells, flow measuring
weirs, and rainfall and turbidity measurement devices (Table 2 and Figures 3 - 7).

In addition, strong motion/micro-seismic stations are installed at locations around the

reservoir, on both dam abutments, on the dam crest, and at the toe of dam. These
measure seismic motions during construction and operation (Figure 8). The Philippine
Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) evaluates the data from these
stations.

The San Roque Dam instrumentation monitoring schedule is shown on Table 3.

Table 2 – Various Instrumentation at the San Roque Dam

Measurement Instrument Number of instruments

installed
Pore water pressure Vibrating Wire 27
Piezometers
Pressure Guage 25
Piezometers
Pneumatic Piezometers 7
Open Stand Pipe 8
Piezometers
Settlement Settlement cells 11
Surface monuments 66
Surface deformation Surface monuments 66
Seepage Weirs 13
Temperature Temperature device on 27
Piezometer
Rainfall Rainfall gauge 2
Turbidity Turbidity meter 1
Seismic Motions Strong Motion 5
Accelerometer
Micro Seismic Sensors 4

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 Table 3 –San Roque Dam Monitoring Schedule

During During First Operation Operation

Instrument/Inspection
Construction Filling Years 1 - 10 Long Term
Piezometers Weekly Daily Biweekly Monthly
Biweekly or
every 20
Survey Monuments Weekly meter change Monthly Quarterly
in reservoir
elevation
Weirs Weekly Daily Weekly Monthly
Rainfall Gauge Daily Daily Daily Daily
Turbidity meter Weekly Daily Bimonthly Monthly
Accelerometers/Micro
Monthly Monthly Monthly Monthly
Seismic Sensors
Visual Inspection Weekly Daily Daily Daily
Independent Dam
Conducted annually by specialist dam safety consultants
Safety Inspection

Emergency Preparedness

The Emergency Action Plan (EAP) is a plan of action to be taken to reduce the potential
for property damage and loss of life in an area affected by a dam failure or large flood. It
provides the Operator (SRPC) with a systematic procedure to notify:
1. The Government of the Philippines (GOP) agencies responsible for emergency
responses to “dam related” emergencies;
2. The five nearby municipalities located immediately downstream of the Dam.

During an emergency, the EAP contains a pre-determined methodology used to

implement the required Notification to the emergency response agencies. The EAP
standardizes the Notification Procedure so that once the Operator determines an
emergency condition exists, a fully defined, up-to-date list of contacts authorized to
receive the Notification is readily available.

A Dam Break Scenario is now part of the Disaster Preparedness Plan of the Province of
Pangasinan. Public Information Drives and Tabletop Emergency Situation Drills using
the Notification Procedure are conducted regularly with the emergency response
agencies.

San Roque Dam Performance

Based on the seven years of data collected to date, there are no concerns on the
performance and safety of the Dam and its foundation. The Dam’s performance is
actually exceeding the expectations of the Designer. Figures 9 shows the San Roque
Reservoir’s Operation Status. Figure 10 shows the San Roque Dam’s Total Seepage
Trend.

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Over the seven year life of the dam, some instruments have already stopped functioning
but this is no problem due to the redundancies of the instruments installed.

The dam itself is now in the period of transition to the long-term stable condition and the
frequency of monitoring will eventually be revised at longer intervals.

The Emergency Action Plan (EAP) for San Roque Dam is the first of its kind in the
Philippines. EAPs are now being formulated for the older dams in the country.

References

1. San Roque Dam Emergency Action Plan, Version 1.5. January 2007
2. San Roque Multipurpose Project Instrumentation Monitoring and Inspection Manual.
2006.
3. KPIC’s Annual Report for Civil Works. 2006.
4. San Roque Dam Emergency Management Contingency Plan. 2003.
5. San Roque Multipurpose Project. SRPC Consulting Panel Meeting No. 14. 2003.

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 Figure 2 - Cross Section of the Dam

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Figure 3 – Plan view of instrument locations

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 Figure 4 – Instrumentation Section - Sta. 9+25

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 Figure 5 – Flow Measurement Stations in Galleries

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Figure 6 – Detail of Gauge and Vibrating Wire Piezometers in Galleries

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Figure 7 – Movement Survey Monuments over the Dam

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 STATION TYPE LOCATION
Master Station Hub O&M Office
Station 1 Micro Seismic Abandoned NPC/Old Repeater Station
Station 2 Micro Seismic Daynet
Station 3 Micro Seismic Island Station (in the Reservoir)
MicroSeismic
Strong Station 4 Micro Seismic Abandoned NPC Station
MabuhaySat
Station 5 Strong Motion Left Abutment of Dam
2 Station 6 Strong Motion Toe of Dam
Station 7 Strong Motion Left Dam Crest
Station 8 Strong Motion Center Dam Crest
Station 9 Strong Motion Right Abutment of Dam
3
Dam Axis

9
8
1
6 7 4
5

Master Station at
Administration Building

Figure 8 – Micro/ Strong Motion Seismic Stations

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 Reservoir Elevation (m) .
.

0
25
50
75
100
125
150
175
200
225
250
275
300
325
350
375
400
1-Jan-03
31-Jan-03
2-Mar-03
1-Apr-03
1-May-03
31-May-03

TO
30-Jun-03

8-AUG-02

15-0CT-03
PERIOD 1
30-Jul-03
29-Aug-03
PERIOD 1

28-Sep-03
28-Oct-03
27-Nov-03
27-Dec-03
26-Jan-04
25-Feb-04
26-Mar-04

TO
25-Apr-04

30-JUN-04
PERIOD 2
16-OCT-03
25-May-04
PERIOD 2

24-Jun-04
24-Jul-04
23-Aug-04
22-Sep-04
22-Oct-04

14 of 15
TO
21-Nov-04
1-JUL-04

28-DEC-04
PERIOD 3

21-Dec-04
20-Jan-05
19-Feb-05
PERIOD 3

21-Mar-05
20-Apr-05
20-May-05
TO

19-Jun-05
26-JUL-05

19-Jul-05
29-DEC-04
PERIOD 4

18-Aug-05
17-Sep-05
17-Oct-05
16-Nov-05
PERIOD 4

16-Dec-05
15-Jan-06
TO

14-Feb-06
16-Mar-06
5-JUL-06
27-JUL-05
PERIOD 5

15-Apr-06
15-May-06
14-Jun-06
14-Jul-06
13-Aug-06
PERIOD 5

12-Sep-06
RESERVOIR ELEVATION

12-Oct-06
11-Nov-06
11-Dec-06

9/17/2009
10-Jan-07
TO

9-Feb-07
Figure 9 – Reservoir Operation Status

11-Mar-07
7-AUG-07
6-JULY-06
PERIOD 6

10-Apr-07
10-May-07
9-Jun-07
PERIOD 6

9-Jul-07
8-Aug-07
7-Sep-07
7-Oct-07
6-Nov-07
6-Dec-07
5-Jan-08
4-Feb-08
TO

5-Mar-08
PERIOD 7

4-Apr-08
8-AUG-07

16-JUL-08
PERIOD 7

4-May-08
3-Jun-08
3-Jul-08
2-Aug-08
1-Sep-08
1-Oct-08
31-Oct-08
30-Nov-08
PERIOD 8

30-Dec-08
TO

29-Jan-09
17-JUL-08

16-APR-09
PERIOD 8

28-Feb-09
30-Mar-09
29-Apr-09
29-May-09
28-Jun-09
TO

28-Jul-09
DATE

27-Aug-09
PERIOD 9

17-APR-09
PERIOD 9

26-Sep-09
 Seepage, l/s .

0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
220
240
260
280
300
320
340
1-Aug-02
1-Oct-02
1-Dec-02
1-Feb-03
1-Apr-03
RAINFALL

1-Jun-03
1-Aug-03
1-Oct-03
1-Dec-03
1-Feb-04
1-Apr-04
1-Jun-04
1-Aug-04

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1-Oct-04
1-Dec-04
1-Feb-05
1-Apr-05
RESERVOIR ELEVATION (m)

1-Jun-05
1-Aug-05
1-Oct-05
1-Dec-05
1-Feb-06
1-Apr-06
1-Jun-06
1-Aug-06
TOTAL SEEPAGE

TOTAL SEEPAGE

1-Oct-06
TOE DRAIN & GALLERIES

1-Dec-06

9/17/2009
1-Feb-07
1-Apr-07
1-Jun-07
Figure 10 – San Roque Dam Total Seepage Trend

1-Aug-07
1-Oct-07
1-Dec-07
1-Feb-08
TOE DRAIN FLOW

1-Apr-08
1-Jun-08
1-Aug-08
1-Oct-08
1-Dec-08
1-Feb-09
1-Apr-09
1-Jun-09
1-Aug-09
GALLERY SEEPAGE

1-Oct-09
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
220
240
260
280
300
320
340

RESERVOIR ELEVATION (m)

RAINFALL (mm)
 SAN ROQUE DAM
San Manuel, Pangasinan, Philippines
 RESERVOIR VOLUME

EL. 295.00m 955 x 106 cu. m.

PMF 290.00m 835 x 106 cu. m.
NWL 280.00m

LWL 225.00m 310 x 106 cu. m.

Flood Cushion = 120 x 106 cu. m. (Elev. 280 – 290 masl)

EL. 100.00m
Capacity = 835 x 106 cu. m. (Elev. 100 – 280 masl)
Active Storage = 525 x 106 cu. m. (Elev. 225 – 280 masl)
Dead Storage = 310 x 106 cu. m. (Elev. 100 – 225 masl)

San Roque Power Corporation

San Roque Power Corporation
 SRMP TECHNICAL FEATURES

Spillway
¾ Type : Open Chute - gated
¾ Crest Level : 270 m.a.s.l.
¾ Design Capacity : 12,800 m3/sec

San Roque Power Corporation