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Seepage problems in the right abutment of the Shahid Abbaspour

dam, southern Iran
M.H. Ghobadi
a,
*
, G.R. Khanlari
a
, H. Djalaly
b
a
Bu-Ali Sina University, Geology Department, Hamedan, Iran
b
Abniroo Consulting Engineering, Tehran, Iran
Received 30 March 2005; received in revised form 13 September 2005; accepted 15 September 2005
Abstract
In this study, seepage phenomena through the right abutment of Shahid Abbaspour dam are investigated. The Shahid
Abbaspour dam is a 200 m high arch dam, which regulates the waters of the Karun River, serves power generation, and flood
control and irrigation needs. The dam site lies in the Zagros Mountains of southern Iran. This region presents continuous series of
mainly of karstic limestone, marl, shale and gypsum ranging in age from Jurassic to Pliocene. The region has subsequently been
folded and faulted. Seepage from the Shahid Abbaspour reservoir occurs mainly through the karstic limestone.
The basic foundation treatment of the dam consisted of consolidation grouting, a high-pressure grout curtain and a drainage
curtain. Moreover, a 144 m high and 30 m wide concrete cutoff wall was built to prevent reservoir seepage through a clay-filled
fracture zone in the right abutment. The grout curtain penetrates the bPrincipal Vuggy ZoneQ only beneath the central portion of the
dam and below the cutoff wall. In the right abutment fan curtains were constructed to reduce drainage flows, but the seepage
problem could not be solved. In order to determine the seepage direction and karstification pattern, hydrogeological studies have
been carried out. Additional investigation boreholes have been drilled to monitor fluctuations in groundwater level. Besides these,
water chemistry, dye tracer, pinhole and XRF tests have been carried out. As a result of these studies, seepage paths have been
identified in the karstic limestone in the right abutment of the dam.
D 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Karst; Asmari limestone; Seepage; Dispersive materials; Joint; Solubility; Hydrogeological monitoring; Springs
1. Introduction
The Shahid Abbaspour dam site is located on the
Karun River in the Khuzestan province of southwestern
Iran approximately 52 km northeast of the town of
Masjid-I-Solaiman (Fig. 1). The 200 m high arch dam
regulating the waters of the Karun River, also serves
power generation, flood control and irrigation needs
(Figs. 2 and 3).
First impounding commenced in December 1976.
The presence of large springs downstream of the right
abutment of the Shahid Abbaspour dam has been a
point of discussion ever since the site was selected.
Recently, the operating staff mentioned that it was
their impression that compared to earlier times; turbid-
ity is increasing not only in the springs but also in some
of the gallery drains. This gave rise to the following
questions.
1) Are the springs really substantially independent of
the reservoir as postulated by the dam design con-
0013-7952/$ - see front matter D 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.enggeo.2005.09.002
* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: amirghobadi@yahoo.com. (M.H. Ghobadi).
Engineering Geology xx (2005) xxxxxx
www.elsevier.com/locate/enggeo
ENGEO-02450; No of Pages 8
+ model
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sultants? If not, how much reservoir water reaches
the springs, how can it be monitored, and what
preventative measures are required?
2) Is there, in fact, increasing turbidity of the spring and
drain discharges? If so, what is the reason for it, and
what is the source of the suspended materials?
3) Is there some new leakage through the grout curtain
or below the cutoff wall in the right abutment?
Answers to these questions require the evaluation of
the available measurement data since the commence-
ment of geological engineering investigations and
hydrogeological monitoring. Therefore, this paper sets
out the nature and extent of the relevant data that could
be made available and develops conclusions to provide
answers to the above questions from their analysis.
Recommendations are also made for the acquisition
and management of future measurement data and for
the implementation of physical improvements.
The first detailed geological study of dam site was
performed by Harza Engineering Company (1969).
Hydrogeological field investigations and review of geo-
hydrology were made by Saines (1974, 1975, 1976) and
Harza Engineering Company (1977). After the dam was
completed, seepage problems were investigated by
Stucky-Electrowatt (1984), Mahab-Ghodes (1985),
Water Resources Research Institute (1987) and Khuze-
stan Water and Power Authority (1992, 2004). Similar
studies have also been undertaken on the Salman Farsi
dam in Iran (Fouladi and Golshan, 1999), the Kafrein
dam in Jordan (Malkawi and Al-Sheriadeh, 2000), the
Lar dam in Iran (Ghobadi, 1986; Djalaly, 1988; Uro-
meihy, 2000), and the Kalecik dam in Turkey (Turkmen
et al., 2001; Turkmen, 2003).
2. Geological setting
The dam site is situated in the Zagros Mountain in
southern Iran. This region presents continuous series of
sedimentary strata ranging in age from Jurassic to Plio-
cene. This sequence mainly consists of limestone, marl,
shale and gypsum (Fig. 4). The oldest units at the site are
the Eocene limestone, marl and shale, which are exposed
upstream of the dam site. Overlying these rocks is the
Fig. 1. Location of study area.
Fig. 2. The 200 m high arch dam, regulating the waters of Karun River, serves power generation, flood control and irrigation needs.
M.H. Ghobadi et al. / Engineering Geology xx (2005) xxxxxx 2
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Asmari Formation; a series of limestone units with marl,
dolomite and shale. The Asmari Formation is the major
ridge-forming rock in the site area and forms the entire
foundation of the dam. The dam is situated on the south
flank of an anticline on the low karstified middle Asmari
Formation. The lower Asmari limestone consists of a
relatively permeable bPrincipal Vuggy ZoneQ (PVZ),
which is overlain by an impervious shale (Fig. 5). The
upper Asmari limestone, just downstream of the dam, is
very karstified. The Asmari limestone is covered by the
very karstified overlying Gachsaran Formation, with a
number of sinkholes, caves and fissures.
A well-developed, locally clay-filled fracture zone
cuts through the right abutment, passing near the outlet
of a high-discharge karst spring (Big or Green Spring).
A few minor faults traverse the dam site. These faults
are the result of shearing stresses developed in the bed-
ding. Most of these faults are roughly parallel to the
strike of major joint sets and they dip steeply. Vertical
displacements along the faults are small, ranging from a
fewcentimetres to about 3 m. Fault surfaces, explored by
adits, were found to be slightly open at the surface but
closed in many cases at depth. Several joint sets cut the
Asmari limestone at the site. The rock mass is cut by two
major sets of joints. One major joint set strikes 0408and
dips 808NW. The other major joint set strikes 3408and
dips 808 NE. Most of the joints exhibit some calcite
filling, clay staining and weathering. Joint spacing
ranges from 15 to 100 cm. Bedding planes, in conjunc-
tion with these joints, control the natural solubility in the
Asmari limestone. Shearing along bedding planes was
evident from place to place in adits by clay gouge
between separated bedding surfaces. Fissures and cavi-
ties are often filled with erodible materials such as fine-
grained silty sand or clayey silt.
3. General hydrogeological situation
The most significant hydrogeological features at the
site are Big Spring and Powerhouse Spring. Both of
them represent the basal outlets of a widespread karst
system in the Asmari limestone where it discharges to
the Karun River (Fig. 6). Some 50 m upstream of its
main outlet, the Big Spring flow passes through a large
karst cavern. The average discharge of the Big Spring
before reservoir filling was approximately 4 to 5 m
3
/s
and the Powerhouse Spring discharge averaged about
0.25 m
3
/s. The natural catchment area of these springs
is thought to extend up to some 50 km to the north of
the dam location. After reservoir filling the estimated
discharge of Big Spring increased to 10 to 16 m
3
/s. The
Big Spring karst channel represents the base flow of the
present stage of a local karst aquifer evolutionary pro-
cess. A cave in the hillside above Big Spring indicates
an earlier stage of the aquifer evolutionary process. A
few deep piezometric boreholes monitor the fluctuation
of the water table that is related to rainfall and subsur-
face flow in the spring catchment area.
The most problematic fracture at the dam site is the
clay-filled fault zone, which cuts the right bank across
Fig. 3. A seepage connection between the reservoir and the Big (Green) Spring system operates through joints in the right abutment. Note the dip of
the beds in the right abutment providing bedding plane access for water to the spring systems.
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