SURVEILLANCE - THE CORNERSTONE OF DAM RISK MANAGEMENT

摘要

Surveillance is an important risk management and control component of any dam safety program. There is a growing awareness within the dam profession that surveillance activities should be keyed to failure modes, and performance based. Well established risk analysis tools such as failure modes and effects analysis can be utilized to provide a sound framework to develop a comprehensive understanding of all potential failure modes. When the modes and associated key performance indicators for the dam have been identified, it is then possible to optimize the surveillance program for a specific dam, and identify existing surveillance gaps. Automation of selected instruments can greatly improve the value of surveillance by improving the potential for timely reaction to changing conditions in the dam, never before practical by human observation alone. Two case examples, WAG Bennett Dam and Coursier Dam, are presented to highlight the exceptional value of automated monitoring as an effective dam risk management measure for potential internal erosion and piping failure modes in embankment dams.