Geosynthetics Applications Five Case Histories

and Performance Reviews 6 Gardner Creek Dam, PA (downstream raise with

Select Case Histories
Debora J. Miller, Ph.D., P.E.;
Dean B. Durkee,
Durkee, Ph.D., P.E.;
Michael A. Morrison, P.E.,
David B. Wilson, P.E.,
and
Kevin Smith, P.E., Montana DNRC
geotextile-
geotextile-protected drain zone)
6 Tailings Dam Raise, AK (upstream raise using a
geocomposite underdrain)
underdrain)
6 Lynchwood Lake Dam, PA (upstream geotextile
seepage control)
6 Tongue River Dam, MT (upstream geosynthetic
seepage barriers)
6 Nilan East Dam, MT (upstream sinkhole
treatment using geosynthetics)
geosynthetics)

Tongue River Dam

Dam Gatehouse
Spillway

¾ Constructed 1937-
1937-1939
¾ 1,300 feet long
¾ 91 feet high
¾ 65,000 AF Storage

1
 Seepage Model – Seepage Model –
Without Seepage Barriers With Seepage Barrier

2
Steel Sheet Pile Installation GCL Layer

Geomembrane Layer Seam Testing

Batten Connection Batten Connection

3
 Geotextile and Riprap Bedding Riprap

Tongue River Seepage Barriers Tongue River Seepage Barriers

Performance Review Performance Review

Concrete Spillway Slab 1′ Riprap bedding

Geotextile 1%
2′ Riprap

Geomembrane
GCL Granular
Bentonite

RCC Spillway
Clay Sheet Pile
Foundation
Core
Fractured
Bedrock

VW 403 VW 404

Siltstone
Bedrock

Tongue River Dam - Piezometers Left Side of Spillway

Tongue River Seepage Barriers
3435

3430
Reservoir and Upstream VW 404 Performance Review
3425

3420
Downstream VW 403
Water Elevation (FT_MSL)

3415

3410

3405

3400

Fractured Rock
3395
Contact
3390

3385
01/01/00 07/19/00 02/04/01 08/23/01 03/11/02 09/27/02 04/15/03 11/01/03 05/19/04 12/05/04
Date

403-VW 404-VW RES_ELEV

4
 Tongue River Dam - Vibrating Wire Piezometers Right of Spillway

3440

3430 405A Upstream High Elevation

VW 405B 3420

Water Elevation (FT_MSL)

3410
VW 405A VW 406
3400

3390
405B Upstream Deep Elevation (near pile toe)
3380

3370
406 Downstream Near Negative pore
Fractured Rock Contact pressure
3360
1/1/00 7/19/00 2/4/01 8/23/01 3/11/02 9/27/02 4/15/03 11/1/03 5/19/04 12/5/04
Date

405A-VW 405B-VW 406VW RES_ELEV

Tongue River Seepage Barriers Nilan East Dam, MT

Performance Review
6 Piezometric data are inconclusive with regard to
barrier performance
6 “End-
“End-around” seepage into the fractured rock unit
from west causes rapid rise and fall in water levels as
the wedge clinker unit in front of spillway foundation
“fills up” then empties. This is being tracked by Piezo
403, and indicates a direct hydraulic connection with
the fractured rock unit.
6 One VW instrument downgradient from the barrier
east of spillway (406) may be malfunctioning and Nilan Project
needs to be replaced 6Constructed 1951
610,100 AF reservoir
62 dams: North and East
6Homogeneous embankments
650-55 ft high

Nilan East Dam, MT Partially Excavated “Pipe”

Depressions found near

upstream toe April 1999

5
Pipe Feature

6
 The natural Nilan East Dam, MT
reservoir “lining”
Interpretation from field investigations:
is very effective!
6 Glacial materials in dam and reservoir area
consist of low-
low-permeability clayey sands and
gravels near ground surface
6 Surficial soils are underlain to depths up to 60 to
70 feet by intermixed gravels, cobbles, and
boulders
6 Underlying the mixed surficial materials in the
dam foundation at depth is a very permeable 20- 20-
30 ft thick zone of clean sand and gravels (fluvial
outwash deposit).

Nilan East Dam, MT Selected Remedy,

Interpretation from field investigations:
6 Depression and piping features were caused by
downward erosion of fines from glacial soil
matrix into a pocket of openwork boulders and
cobbles
6 Surfical soils had provided an effective
impervious blanket over the area until
progressive wave action eroded the natural clay
“lining”.
6 The shallow boulder pocket in the right abutment
appeared to be limited in extent, based on the
drilling information.

7
8
 Nilan East Dam - Monitoring (Right Side of Outlet)

4450
Nilan East Dam, MT
4440
Performance Review
6 Rapid rise in piezometric levels in summer
Water Elevation (FT_MSL) Piezometers

4430

1999 following initial repair indicated that

4420
the piping features had broken through
4410 around the edge of the patch and
connected to the gravelly zone at depth
4400

6 After patch was extended in Nov-Nov-Dec

4390 Patch extended Nov-Dec 1999 1999, piezo monitoring indicates repair
4380
Breakthrough around end of first patch on first filling in July-August 1999
seems to be functioning well for past 6
Initial instrumentation and patch installed in April-May 1999
years
4370
04/01/1999 08/13/2000 12/26/2001 05/10/2003 09/21/2004
Date

3B 7B RES_ELEV

9
 Summary and Conclusions
6 3 examples of geosynthetics applications
upstream to control seepage:
6 Nilan East & Tongue River projects have been in
service for about 6 years
6 Lynchwood Lake (upstream geotextile designed to
clog to reduce seepage) is about 15 years old
6 All 3 applications appear to be functioning
adequately, although piezo data at Tongue River is
somewhat inconclusive, and additional or
replacement instruments may be needed
Summary and Conclusions
Downstream Filter/Drain Applications
6 Filter fabric at Gardner Creek Dam has been in
service since 1983, and appears to be
functioning well in the toe berm application.
There have been some problems noted in the
backfill areas behind the spillway walls, but
these may be due to settlement of the backfill
and not failure of the filter fabric.
6 The geocomposite drain system at the tailings
dam continues to operate well, although the pipe
outlet components have required periodic
cleanout maintenance.
Summary and Conclusions
6 2 examples of geosynthetics for downstream
filter and drainage functions:
6 Gardner Creek Dam in Pennsylvania - geotextile used
as the downstream filter layer beneath a rockfill zone
that was added to construct a downstream raise of
the embankment, and filter fabric was also used to
encase backfill drain zones behind the spillway walls.
6 Geocomposite drain used to as a critical blanket
drainage system to construct an upstream raise of a
tailings dam in Arkansas
Summary and Conclusions
6 These examples illustrate the variety of
geosynthetics and their potential
applications for remediating dam
problems.
6 These examples also underscore the
importance of adequate monitoring
following installation to allow evaluation of
their performance.
10