SECTION 4: RISK ASSESSMENT
4.5 HAZARD PROFILES, ANALYSIS, AND VULNERABILITY
4.5.1 DAM FAILURE HAZARD BACKGROUND
A dam is a barrier constructed across a watercourse that stores, controls, or diverts water. Dams are usually constructed of earth, rock, concrete, or mine tailings. The water impounded behind a dam is referred to as the reservoir and is measured in acre-feet. One acre-foot is the volume of water that covers one acre of land to a depth of one foot. Dams can benefit farmland, provide recreation areas, generate electrical power, and help control erosion and flooding issues. A dam failure is the collapse or breach of a dam that causes downstream flooding. Dam failures may be caused by natural events, manmade events, or a combination. Due to the lack of advance warning, failures resulting from natural events, such as earthquakes or landslides, may be particularly severe. Prolonged rainfall and subsequent flooding is the most common cause of dam failure. Dam failures usually occur when the spillway capacity is inadequate and water overtops the dam or when internal erosion in dam foundation occurs (also known as piping). If internal erosion or overtopping causes a full structural breach, a high-velocity, debris-laden wall of water is released and rushes downstream, damaging or destroying anything in its path. Overtopping is the primary cause of earthen dam failure in the United States.
Dam failures can also result from any one or a combination of the following:
• Prolonged periods of rainfall and flooding;
• Inadequate spillway capacity, resulting in excess overtopping flows;
• Internal erosion caused by embankment or foundation leakage or piping;
• Improper maintenance, including failure to remove trees, repair internal seepage problems, replace lost material from the cross-section of the dam and abutments, or maintain gates, valves, and other operational components;
• Improper design, including the use of improper construction materials and construction practices;
• Negligent operation, including the failure to remove or open gates or valves during high flow periods;
• Failure of upstream dams on the same waterway; or
• High winds, which can cause significant wave action and result in substantial erosion.
Water released by a failed dam generates tremendous energy and can cause a flood that is catastrophic to life and property. Dam failures are generally catastrophic if the structure is breached or significantly damaged. A catastrophic dam failure could challenge local response capabilities and require evacuations to save lives. Impacts to life safety will depend on the warning time and the resources available to notify and evacuate the public. Major casualties and loss of life could result, as well as water quality and health issues. Potentially catastrophic effects to roads, bridges, and homes are also of major concern. Associated water quality and health concerns could also be issues. Factors that influence the potential severity of a full or partial dam failure are the amount of water impounded; the density, type, and value of development and infrastructure located downstream; and the speed of failure.
Dam failure can occur with little warning. Intense storms may produce a flood in a few hours or even
Wake County, NC Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan
WSP June 2024 Page 86
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