Overtopping Brochure.

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embankment dams has become more fully developed and

accepted. Performance can be further improved by the
use of geotextile fabrics, meshes, or reinforcement mats
through which the grass can grow, but will be dependent
upon good grass cover.

Geomembrane liners and geocells

A geomembrane liner can be placed on a smooth
subgrade with the sides and upstream and downstream
ends trenched and buried beneath a granular soil cover
for overtopping protection of low embankments.
Geocells backfilled with concrete, and fabric-formed
concrete can also provide protection.

Case histories of overtopping protection projects

Selected case histories of various types of overtopping
protection alternatives for both embankment and concrete
dams are included in appendix to this manual, with
references. Overtopping
Conclusion
Some of the overtopping protection systems included in
the technical manual may not be considered appropriate
Protection for
for use on significant or high hazard potential dams by
some regulatory agencies, at least until more performance
data are collected. The designer of any overtopping
Dams
protection project must clearly understand all aspects
of its design, construction, and anticipated future Best Practices for Design,
performance, and must determine whether there are any
regulatory requirements or constraints that may limit
Construction, Problem Identification
the types of overtopping protection systems available for and Evaluation, Inspection,
further consideration.
Maintenance, Renovation, and
How can you obtain a copy of the technical Repair
manual?
The Technical Manual: Overtopping Protection for Dams is
available in DVD format. The DVD format includes
hyperlinking, search capabilities, and PDF copies of cited
references in the technical manual from Government
websites and available for public use.

For information on how to obtain the DVD version of this FEMA P-1014
technical manual, go to the FEMA website at: May 2014
www.fema.gov/resource-document-library
Notice: Any use of trade names and trademarks
in the technical manual is for descriptive
purposes only and does not constitute
endorsement. The information contained therein
regarding commercial products or firms may not
be used for advertising or promotional purposes
FEMA P-1014 and is not to be construed as an endorsement of
Catalog No. 14134-2 any product or firm.
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Reinforcement can be incorporated into rockfill dams

Introduction to hold the surface rock particles in place during
Inadequate spillway capacity is a common problem overtopping and flow-through conditions. Improvement
with many dams. Thousands of dams throughout North to the mass slope stability is also a benefit, but is
America have been determined to have inadequate considered secondary. The reinforcement is composed
spillway capacity and would be overtopped during the of a surface mesh to hold the rocks in place, and anchor
inflow design flood (IDF). Dam failure from overtopping bars attached to the mesh and embedded deep within the
can lead to a potential for loss of life and significant rockfill to hold the mesh securely in place. Reinforced
downstream damages. rockfill is commonly associated with new construction.
An example is the Pit No.7 Afterday Dam in California
There are many potential methods available for after many years of overtopping flow.
accommodating larger design floods. However, some
of the more common methods, such as increasing
reservoir storage by raising the dam crest or increasing
release capability by increasing the spillway discharge
capacity, can often be cost prohibitive or impractical.
To address this situation, new design approaches have
been developed that may allow for the dam to be safely
overtopped. The design and construction of overtopping
protection for dams is increasingly being viewed as
a viable alternative to larger spillways as developing
watersheds or changing hydrology produce higher peak
flows.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

National Dam Safety Program sponsored the development Riprap has long been used for embankment dams to
of a technical manual, in conjunction with the Bureau prevent rill erosion of slopes due to surface runoff
of Reclamation, to collect and disseminate useful and and to prevent wave erosion at the interface between
relevant information regarding the design, construction, embankment slopes and standing water. Riprap has been
and performance of overtopping protection alternatives widely used in arid areas and on steeper embankment
for embankment and concrete dams. slopes (up to about 1.5:1) where vegetation is difficult to
establish and maintain.
When should dam overtopping protection be
considered? In recent years, riprap has been specified for the
Overtopping protection may be an attractive alternative protection of small, low hazard dams with flatter slopes
for an existing dam because of its potential economic during small overtopping events of short duration. The
advantages, and may offer an economical solution to use of riprap for high flow rates and steep slopes generally
a hydrologic deficiency that would otherwise not be becomes cost-prohibitive due to the large size of rock
addressed. Maintaining the existing hydraulic conditions required.
at a dam to the extent possible is also increasingly
important as downstream river corridors are developed in Vegetation and reinforced turf
close proximity to the channel. Although vegetative protection has long been provided
on embankments, it was not until the mid 1980s that
The decision to pursue overtopping protection for an engineers began to accept that it could have value beyond
existing dam must give strong consideration to the the purpose of weather protection. Research to determine
potential risk of failure of the protection system, which the limits of vegetation performance in earth spillways
could quickly lead to a full breach of the dam. This is led to methods for predicting the thresholds of vegetation
especially true for embankment dams, in the sense that failure. Further testing in steep channels showed that
a small defect or design flaw could lead to catastrophic vegetation can provide significant protection against the
failure once the embankment is exposed to the onset of headcut erosion. In recent years, the concept of
overtopping flow. An evaluation of this type of risk an allowable amount of limited overtopping flow for
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value, and cost. It is important to select a product that has must be incorporated into the decision-making process,
been tested under the flow conditions expected during whether qualitatively or quantitatively.
overtopping. Examples include cable-tied ACBs for Strahl
Lake Dam in Indiana, (below) A decision to use overtopping protection in place of
improving the service spillway, imposing a reservoir
restriction, raising the dam crest, or constructing an
auxiliary spillway cannot be made lightly. Overtopping
protection should generally be reserved for situations
with some combination of very low annual probability
of occurrence (e.g. 1 in 100), physical or environmental
constraints on constructing other methods of flood
conveyance, and prohibitive cost of other alternatives; or
where the downstream consequences of dam failure are
demonstrated to be low. A careful analysis of all potential
failure modes for the dam and appurtenant features
and tapered wedge blocks for Friendship Village in must be performed. Overtopping protection is generally
Missouri (below). discouraged for use on new embankment dams due to
settlement concerns, unless they can be addressed in the
design and no practical alternatives exist.

What overtopping protection alternatives are

available?
Alternatives for overtopping protection for dams
may utilize a variety of different materials, such as
roller-compacted concrete, cast-in-place concrete,
precast concrete blocks, gabions, vegetative cover, turf
reinforcement mats, synthetic turf revetments, flow-
through rockfill, reinforced rockfill, rock reinforcement,
Rock systems – gabions, reinforced rockfill, and riprap, and various types of geosynthetic materials
riprap including geomembranes, geocells, and fabric-formed
concrete. Not all materials are applicable in every
Gabions are rectangular-shaped baskets or mattresses situation. Many are applicable only to embankment dams.
fabricated from wire mesh, filled with rock, and
assembled to form overflow weirs, hydraulic drops, and Significant research and hydraulic testing has been
overtopping protection for small embankment dams. conducted on many of these materials, but since most
Gabion baskets are generally stacked in a stair-stepped overtopping protection is designed to function at an
fashion, while mattresses are generally placed parallel to a infrequent recurrence interval, practical experience
slope. Gabions have advantages over loose riprap because on constructed projects that have been subjected to
of their modularity and rock confinement properties, overtopping flows is limited to date. New materials
thus providing erosion protection with less rock and with and methods of analysis are always being developed,
smaller rock sizes than loose riprap. so designers may need to rely upon manufacturers’
design recommendations for these new materials, always
Gabions can conform to ground movement, can be mindful of the limitations of product testing and analysis.
easily constructed and repaired, can dissipate energy Independent analysis should always be considered as
from flowing water, and can be designed to drain freely. appropriate.
However, permeability may reduce over time as the
voids in the rockfill become progressively filled with silt, The Technical Manual: Overtopping Protection for Dams
promoting vegetation growth. The wire mesh may be assumes that a hydrologic deficiency exists at a dam and
subject to abrasion and corrosion damage, requiring more that traditional approaches to safely accommodate a larger
frequent maintenance and repair than other protection design flood have first been investigated. The manual
systems.
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describes the types of overtopping protection systems the downstream face of the dam. Training walls are
that have been considered or used for embankment normally required at the sides to contain the overtopping
and concrete dams, including a historical perspective flows and to protect the abutments. Defensive measures
of their development and use, design and analysis are required to prevent or minimize the passage of water
guidance, construction considerations, maintenance, and through joints and cracks.
a discussion of their potential vulnerabilities and risks,
including summaries of their performance to date. Conventional or mass concrete can be used to provide
overtopping protection for concrete dams in the form
Cast-in-place concrete systems – RCC and CRCS of concrete overlays that protect the underlying rock
Roller-compacted concrete (RCC) has been widely used foundation at the downstream toe of the dam and along
as overtopping protection for both embankment and the downstream abutments. The overlays protect the rock
concrete dams for a wide range of dam heights, flow from overtopping flows that could pluck rock blocks
depths, and velocities. RCC overtopping protection for from the foundation or scour and remove weaker material
embankment dams was first applied in the early 1980s along shears or faults within the dam foundation. Splitter
at projects where rapid construction and/or budget piers are often added to the concrete dam crest to aerate
constraints were driving forces in identifying alternative the overflow jet. An example of concrete overtopping
designs. The cost effectiveness of RCC overtopping protection is Coolidge Dam in Arizona (below).
protection was proven in these early projects where
the relatively high hauling, placement, and compaction
production rates yielded lower unit costs than for
conventional concrete spillways. The RCC is commonly
placed in horizontal lifts, with either formed or
unformed steps. It remains a popular alternative today
for embankment dams where a hard armor solution is
desired. Examples include Vesuvius Dam in Ohio (cover
photo) and Tongue River Dam in Montana (below).

Precast concrete systems – ACBs and tapered

wedge blocks
Precast concrete blocks can be used on embankment
dams to provide a hard surface for overtopping flows to
pass safely without eroding the underlying surface, and
The most common use of RCC for overtopping protection are commonly referred to as articulating concrete blocks
of a concrete or masonry dam is to provide a massive (ACBs) when used for this purpose. An ACB system is
buttress for the structure to improve sliding stability. RCC comprised of a matrix of individual concrete blocks
may also be used to protect the dam foundation from placed together to form an erosion-resistant revetment
erosion and headcutting from an impinging jet, but with specific hydraulic performance characteristics. The
would not lend itself to the protection of steep abutments. term “articulating” implies the ability of the matrix
to conform to minor changes in the subgrade while
Overtopping protection for embankment dams utilizing remaining interlocked or interconnected using cables,
conventional concrete relies on a continuous layer of pins, or anchors.
concrete to serve as the flow surface for overtopping
flows. This normally consists of a smooth, continuously- There are many types of precast concrete blocks used,
reinforced concrete slab (CRCS) constructed over a filtered including cable-tied, interlocking, and overlapping (or
drainage layer on the downstream face of the dam. The tapered wedge) blocks. Each has its own geometry,
concrete slab and drainage layer protects the underlying useful application based upon hydraulic performance and
embankment from high velocity flows discharging along erosion prevention, installation procedures, aesthetic