Engineeing Geological Studies for suitability of construction Material and Foundation Condition evaluation - with special emphasis on seepage studies, Tendaho Dam, Afar Region,Ethiopia

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Date

2006-07

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Addis Ababa Universty

Abstract

Tendaho Dam Project envisages a construction of a 42 m high embankment dam across Awash River. The site is located at coordinates 41o 00’ East and 11o 07’ North about 570 km from Addis Ababa in Afar Regional state. The main purpose of this dam project is to provide irrigation to sugar cane plantation covering a total area of 60,000 hectares. The success of this project will entirely depend on its safe functioning and the irrigation needs of the agricultural lands. Therefore, it becomes essential that the dam foundation must be stable against the loads imposed by the dam and the impounded water. Besides, to meet out the primary purposes of providing irrigation to the project site, it is necessary that the dam foundation is free from any excessive seepage. Further, the construction material used to form the various zones of the embankment must serve as a water barrier and should be resistant to the piping failure. Therefore, in the light of these important points the main objective of the present study were framed as; (i) to determine the suitability of the dam foundation and the embankment against seepage and (ii) to study the suitability of the construction material, to be utilized in the embankment. Thus, in order to achieve these objectives systematic surface and subsurface explorations were made. Representative samples were collected from the foundation and borrow areas, and laboratory tests were conducted to know index and engineering properties of the soils. Besides, secondary data has also been procured from the project Authorities. Later, an integrated analysis was made to know the foundation seepage conditions and to work out the suitability of the construction material for the embankment dam. Based on the findings a detailed evaluation of the seepage condition in the foundation area and through the embankment was carried out

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Tendaho Dam

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