Performance of River Flood Embankments
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tr Performanceof RiverFlood Embankments R Bettess C E Reeve Report SR 384 April 1995 E"R Wattingford Addressand RegisleredOlfice: HR WallingfiordLtd. Houbery Park,Wallingford, O<on OX10 8BA Tel: + 44 (0)1491835981 Fax:+ 44 (0)149183223(1 R.fistorEd in Endmd No 2562099. HR Wdlingiord b a wtrclv m€d {bdda.y of HR Walhgbrd Grap Ltd. tr Contract The repoil describeswork commissionedby the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheriesand Foodto investigatelhe Performanceof Flood Embankments. The nominatedofficer was Mr J Goudie and the HR WallingfordProiect Directorwas Dr W R White. The HR job numberfor ihe projectwas QPS00 13/E The work was canied out by membersof the RiversGroup. Preparedby KKM n_ [1.r"r t+P*1 l,ta-15 Approvedby ......1......' v Dare....afsff.' @ Ministryof Agriculture,Fisheries and Food,1995 SR 384 200/Y95 tr Summary Performanceof RiverFlood Embankments R Bettess C E Reeve ReportSR 384 April 1995 Embankmentsare often used to protect land on flood plains from river flooding. When a flood eventpasses down a river,a high head of water is containedby the embankment,preventing the floodwater from inundatingthe floodplain. A surueyof the hydraulicperformance of flood embankmentsin the United Kingdomis described. Floodplains are commonlybuift up of highlypermeable river sand and gravel deposits,over lain by a low permeabilityoverburden of silt and clay alluvium. There is a potenlialfor groundwaterflow to take place within a flood plain aquifer,beneath the embankment.This can leadto sudaceponding due to exfihrationof groundwaterwithin the protectedarea. A descriptionof the groundwaterflow system is given. A methodfor making an approximate assessmentof the degree of groundwaterresponse to a given river hydrographin a particularflood plain is described. Remedialmeasures are discussedbriefly. The pore water pressureswithin flood embankmentsfluctuate as a resultof variationsin both river and groundwaterlevels. These fluctuationsin pore water pressurecan resuhin stabilityproblems and potentiallyembankment failure. The methodsavailable for the study of embankmentstability are described. Floodembankments are designedfor a particularflood returnperiod. For floodsgreater than the design flood, there is thedanger that the waterwill flow over the embankment.This can resultin floodingof the land behindthe embankmentand in some circumstancesit can be sufficientlysevere as to cause the embankmentto fail. The extent of this problem in the UK is assessedand methodsavailable for its studyare described. SR 384 1d0/Y95 tr Contents Title page Contract Summary Contents lntroduction Survey of hydraulic performance of f lood embankments 3 The groundwater system 4 3.1 GeneralDescription 4 3.2 Typesof Aquifer 4 4 Seepagebeneath flood embankments 4.1 ApproximateAssessment of groundwaterresponse to a flood event . 6 4.2 RemedialMeasures 7 Stabilityof flood embankments. 5.1 Fundamental factors affecting the stability of embankments. .. 7 5.1.1 Soilcharacteristics 7 5.1.2 Effectivestress 8 5.1.3 Soilstrength 8 5.1.4 Pore water pressureand groundwater . I 5.2 Stabilityanalysis of embankments 9 5.2.1 Factorof safety I 5.2.2 Methodsof stabilityanalysis 10 5.2.3 Procedurefor stability analysis 14 5.3 Computer software for stability analysis of embankments. .. 14 5.3.1 STABLE 14 5.3.2 CRISP(CRltical State Prognm) . 15 5.3.3 Softwaretesting 16 5.4 Comparisonof limit equilibriumand stress-strain methodsof embankmentstability 16 5.5 lmpactof changesin porepressure on embankment stability 17 5.5.1 Embankmentgeometry 17 5.5.2 Soilcharacteristics 17 5.5.3 Pore water pressures. 17 5.5.4 Programmeof analyses 17 5.5.5 Result 17 6 Flow over Embankments . 18 6.1 Descriptionof problem 18 6.2 CIRIAwork on useof grass . 19 SR 384 190/v95 tr Contents continued 6.2.1 Hydraulicroughness of grassedsurtaces 19 6.2.2 Protection from hydraulic action provided by grasscovered surtaces 20 6.2.3 Other forms af embankmentprotection 20 6.3 Descriptionof flow 21 6.3.1 Modular-flowdischargeequation 21 6.3.2 Flow on landwad face of embankment. 22 6.4 Acceptabledegree of ovefiopping. 22 6.4.1 Avoiding supercritical flow on the downstreamface . 22 6.5 Developmentof a breachin an embankment 24 6.6 Probabilisticapproach to flowover embankments and darnages 24 6.6.1 Probabilityof overtopping 25 6.6.2 Volumeof overtopping 25 6.6.3 Convertingthe volume of overtoppinginto a depth of fboding 26 6.6.4 Determinationof the damage cosfs . 26 6.7 Assessmentprocedure 27 6.7.1 Use of figures 27 6.8 Maintenance. 28 Concfusionsandrecommendations ...28 References .......31 Tables Table5.1 Soil characteristicsused in stabilityanalysis .....16 Figures Figure3.1 The groundwatersystem Figure3.2 Typesof aquifer Figure5.1 Cross-sectionof embankmentgeometry used in software testing Figure5.2 Piezometricsurfaces used in testingthe impactof pore pressureon embankmentstability Figure6.1 Frictional resistance of grass swards for various retardancecategories (after USSCS, 1954) Figure6.2 Recommendedlimiting velocities for erosionresistance of plain and reinforcedgrass against unidirectionalflow (afterHewfett et a|,1987) Figure6.3 Growthof a gap with widih b in the case of two dyke breaches Figure6.4 Maximumallowable depth of overtopping:Poor cover, shoft grass(<50mm) Figure6.5 Maximumallowable depth of overtopping:Poor cover, mediumgrass (50-250mm) S8384 t0/O/V95 tr Contents continued Figure6.6 Maximumallowable depth of ovefiopping:Poor cover, long grass(>750mm) Figure6.7 Maximumallowable depth of overtopping:Average cover, short grass(<50mm) Figure6.8 Maximumallowable depth of overtopping:Average cover, mediumgrass (50-250mm) Figure6.9 Maximumallowable depth of overtopping:Average cover, long grass(>750mm) Figure6.10 Maximumallowable depth of overiopping:Good cover, short grass(<50mm) Figure6.11 Maximumallowable depth of overtopping:Good cover, mediumgrass (50-250mm) Figure6.12 Maximumallowable depth of overtopping:Good cover, long grass(>750mm) Appendices AppendixA Returnedquestionnai res sR3&t 100lu95 tr 1 lntroduction Embankmentsare often used to protect land on flood plains from river flooding. When a flood event passesdown a river,a high head of water is containedby the embankment,preventing the floodwater from inundatingthe floodplain. Theseflood plainsare commonlybuih up of highlypermeable river sand and graveldeposits, over lain by a low permeabilityoverburden of silt and clay allwium. Thereis a potentialforgroundwater flow to takeplace within a flood plainaquifer, beneath the embankment.This can leadto surfaceponding due to exfiltrationof groundwaterwithin the protectedarea. The pore water pressureswithin flood embankmentsfluctuate as a resultof variationsin both river and groundwaterlevels. These fluctuationsin pore water pressurecan resuhin stabilityproblems and potentiallyembankment failure. The hydraulicsof the groundwatersystem associated with flood embankments should be consideredduring the design of flood embankmentschemes in orderto identifyareas at riskand to assessthe true degreeof flood protection provided. Flood embankmentsare designedfor a particularflood return period. For floodsgreater than the designflod, there is the dangerthat the waterwill overtopthe embankment.This can resultin floodingof the land behindthe embankmentand in some circumstancesit can be sufficientlysevere as to causethe embankmentto fail. 2 Surueyof hydraulic performanceof flood embankmenfs ln orderto examinethe hydraulicperformance of embankmentsin the UK a questionnairewas circulatedto the then RegionalManager responsible for flood defencein each of the NationalRivers Authority regions. They were askedto identifyproblems and examplesassociated with embankments. A copy of the questionnaireand a list of the correspondentsis includedin AppendixA. A total of 35 questionnaireswere retumedfrom 5 of the 10 NationalRiver Authorities contacted. General information was receivedfrom a further3 regions. The problemsassociated with embankmentswere : . Groundwaterseepage below or throughembankment . Flowover embankments . Sudaceerosion resulting from: - flowsover embankments - riverflood flows - wave action - operationof sluices,gates . Massfailure SR 384 .|00,1/95 tr . Landdrainage problems due to embankmentsand flap gates . Maintenance,control of vegetation Seepageduring periods of highflow was identifiedin manycases as a rnajor problem. Manyembankments are foundedon silt and peatsoils which permit seepageunder enrbankments during floods as a resultof the large applied hydraulichead. Methodsmentioned for preventingsuch seepageincluded sealingthe bankswith clay or insertionof a butylor bentonitemembrane in the embankment. Manyof the repliesreceived identified erosion endangering the stabilityof the embankmentsas a majorproblem. Erosionmay be due to the effectsof wind and waves;tides; wash from ship navigation;weathering and frost action; bunowingvermin and grazingstock; and high velocitiesduring flood flows. These effectswere exacerbatedby loss of vegetationon the banks due to differentialsummer ard winter levels in the river. Protectionmethods mentionedincluded revetments, gabions, stone batters,faggots and piles. Erosionof the inland face of the bank caused by ovedoppingwas also identifiedas a problem. This leadsto reductionin the suface wldth of the embankmentand furtherinstability. Duringa separateproject (NRA R & D project459/C06) vermin activity was cited as probablythe largestsingle cause of bank failure in the NorthWest region.Traditionalcontrol measures include removing the vermin and stepping up the holes,but this can leavea