Dam Engineering

Service Brief

Overview
GAI Consultants, Inc. (GAI) has provided dam engineering services since 1958.
These services are an important part of GAI’s overall engineering depth and
expertise. Dam engineering services at GAI include:

• Design and rehabilitation of • Seismic analysis

soil, rock, mine tailings, and • Materials testing
concrete dams
• Instrumentation design,
• Site, economic, and hydraulic installation, and monitoring
feasibility studies
• Construction monitoring
• Geotechnical investigations
• Inspection
• Structural design and analysis
• Inspection and safety training
• Hydraulic design and analysis
• Emergency warning plans
• Spillway hydraulic design
and remediation • Maintenance and operation plans

Feasibility Studies
Evaluating a site for a dam or reservoir involves studying the area’s hydrologic
balance and geotechnical conditions, and assessing the economic and
environmental impact of the facility’s construction and operation. Aided by
advanced computer programs, GAI analyzes detailed data from water quantity
and quality field-monitoring, evaluates historical data on rainfall and streamflow,
and determines probable maximum precipitation and runoff.

Geotechnical Investigations
A subsurface investigation reveals a site’s soil and rock characteristics for
foundations, underlying foundations leakage potential, aquifer recharge
potential, faults existence, and borrow material physical characteristics and
availability for embankment construction.

GAI investigates, evaluates, and designs dams in simple, flat-lying strata;

in complex, fractured and folded strata; and in metamorphic rock. Bedrock
conditions include cavernous limestones, sandstones, claystones, shales,
schists, phyllites, and granites. We design dams on sites requiring special
treatment such as in karst areas, overlying mines, or where there are naturally
occurring voids in the rock.
Structural and Hydraulic
Design and Analyses
GAI performs stability analyses for all
dam structure types and evaluates
the behavior of earth, rockfill, and
coal waste embankment slopes under
varying geohydrologic, seepage, and
loading conditions. We perform flood
routings, spillways sizing, components
structural design, and plans and
specifications preparation for permits
and construction.
Seismic Analyses
In designing a dam and its
appurtenances, GAI evaluates
site-specific seismic risk and selects
the operating basis and the maximum
credible earthquake with associated
ground movement, bracketed
duration, and response spectra.
Materials Testing
GAI provides design and quality
control testing during dam
construction and rehabilitation.
Using sophisticated testing methods,
we evaluate soil, rock, and concrete
construction material suitability in
our on-site mobile laboratories. We
also conduct material properties’
large-scale field tests.
Construction Monitoring
and Instrumentation Systems
Not only does GAI provide
construction monitoring services, but
our engineers design and monitor the
sophisticated instrumentation systems’
installation to evaluate embankment
fills, concrete structures, and dam
foundations post-construction
performance. We install piezometers
to depths of more than 400 feet and Emergency Warning Plans
establish survey controls to record the Using advanced computer analyses,
structures’ slightest movements. GAI creates inundation maps that
indicate areas that are affected
Inspection and Rehabilitation by an embankment breach. These
An inspection usually includes maps are incorporated into plans
hydrologic, hydraulic, and stability that include coordination among
assessments, as well as a structural owners, downstream residents, and
evaluation, geologic review, emergency response agencies to
and structure’s operating and assure timely notification in the
maintenance program evaluations. event of an emergency.
Our experts examine hundreds of
earth, mine tailings, and concrete Training Programs
structures constructed for private and To increase dam owners’ ability to
governmental concerns, including maintain facilities and lessen their
facilities regulated by the Federal dependence on consultants and
Energy Regulatory Commission. regulatory agencies, GAI provides
maintenance and operation training
Our rehabilitation capabilities range
programs, and dam inspection and
from simple investigations, evaluations,
safety fundamentals for technical
and design preparations for levees,
and non-technical personnel.
dikes, and earth and concrete dams,
to deteriorating slab and buttress dam
conversions, to gravity dams.