Interpretation of Internal Erosion Susceptibility in a New Zealand Canal Embankment

New Zealand has over 3,000 earth embankment dams and canals, many of which were constructed prior to the evolution of modern granular filter criteria for dam design in the mid-1980s. Tekapo Canal is one such structure, constructed from 1971 to 1977 as a 26 km long conveyance canal, linking two hydropower stations in the inland Canterbury region. Tekapo canal is constructed of widely-graded soils of glacial origin. Challenges with material compaction and constructability were reported during construction.

This paper is a case study that demonstrates the use of graduation-based empirical methods as initial screening tools to assess the susceptibility of soils to internal instability, filter compatibility, and segregation.

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