Preview

Ka-Loko Dam Failure Essay

Best Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1560 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Ka-Loko Dam Failure Essay
Failure Analysis of the Ka-Loko Dam Break Disaster
Name
Institution
Course
Instructor
Date

Failure Analysis of the Ka-Loko Dam Break Disaster
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Overview
Dams are control or water storage structures. Dams are considered as reservoirs when used for impounding water from streams. Generally, dam failures are known to pose catastrophic disasters to economic development, the environment and to human lives. In order to reduce the risk of disaster occurrence, it is imperative to investigate causes of dam failure. Concerns over the structural safety of dams have drawn the attention of municipal authorities. In densely populated regions, dam failures can lead to devastating engineering disasters, loss of property and lives. …show more content…
237). The high sediment deposition load might have gradually aggravated erosion and deformation of the embankment beyond the bearing capacity of the foundation. Furthermore, high rates of degradation might have increased the sediment load along the catchment area. Generally, excessive sediment deposition in earthen dams reduces their storage capacity as well as the recharge capacity of aquifers. The primary sediments reported at the site were highly erodible silts that would have been swept away by the flush floods (Zimmerman, 2007, p.2).
3.2.3 Effects of Differential Settlement, Loading and Reservoir Leakage
Another item of consideration is increased settling of the earthen dam under sustained loading. This can be partly attributed to the weight of water and the structure that account for cracking (West, 2010 p. 259). However, cracking was less likely to have caused the failure since the tunnel underneath the spillway remained intact. In addition, earthen dams are fairly tolerant and flexible to the effects of differential settlements (Zimmerman, 2007, p.2). Thus, failure hypotheses such as differential settlement, reservoir leakage, and seismic loading can be discarded.
3.2.4 Effects of Hydraulic …show more content…
(1977). Teton Dam Failure: The Evaluation of Dam Safety. Engineering Foundation Conference Proceedings, ASCE, New York, New York, 61-71
Leone, D. (2009, April 02). Ruling leaves state among defendants in Kaloko suit | The Honolulu Advertiser | Hawaii's Newspaper. Retrieved April 07, 2017, from http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2009/Apr/02/ln/hawaii904020335.html
Oxford Dictionary (n.d.) Disaster. Retrieved April 07, 2017, from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/
Schuster, R.L. (2006). Interaction of Dams and Landslides: Case Studies and Mitigation. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1723, 107 p. 7-13
West, Terry R. (2010). Geology Applied to Engineering. New Jersey: Waveland Press Inc. p. 202-544.
Zimmerman M. (2007, January 22). Godbey Report: Roadmap to Prevent Kauai's Ka-Loko Dam Breach Disaster from Ever Happening Again. Retrieved April 07, 2017, from http://www.hawaiireporter.com/godbey-report-roadmap-to-prevent-kauais-ka-loko-dam-breach-disaster-from-ever-happening-again-key-witnesses-speak-out-for-the-first-time-dams-owner-james-pflueger-goes-on-the-record-with-hawaii-re-2/123
Zumrawi, M. M. (2015). Failure Investigation of Tawila Dam in North Darfur, Sudan. International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), 6(4), 963-967. Retrieved March 7,
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Colonialism in Kenya Essay
    • 287 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Colonialism in Kenya Essay

    4. How can building up natural levees with stone and concrete often make flooding worse downstream?…

    • 287 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Senior Science Exam
    • 956 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Senior Science Exam

    The area of the landslide suffered significant environmental damage including loss of top soil and vegetation. This resulted in an increase in the level of erosion in the area. Following the landslide there was a considerable amount of money spent in the recovering the area, this was to reduce the chance of a further landslide .(Ylvisaker, 2003)…

    • 956 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Elwha Dam Research Paper
    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Elwha Dam Research Paper

    When the Elwha Dam was demolished it was the largest controlled sediment release in a dam removal project anywhere in the world. Because of the amount of sediment behind large dams like the Elwha, the demolition must be done gradually over time to ensure that there is not an overflow of sediment rushed down the river which could cause significant damage to the landscape and the organisms which inhabit it. At the time of the dam removal the Elwha was holding behind it 15,000,000 cubic yards of silt. Sediment buildup isn't the only thing that dams can change about the soil. Many geological occurrences have been blamed on dams.…

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Grand Coulee Dam Analysis
    • 369 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Grand Coulee Dam Analysis

    This documentary is narrated by a man named Ben Knight. He is a directed and cinematographer for many film. This film is about the importance and consequences in which dams will provide. Dams are very expensive, take years to build and they are also can be very deadly during the construction phase. However, the cost of removing a dam is just as expensive for tax payers and city legislatures. Dams do provide hydropower energy to generate mills and also provide water storage. Two of the most common dam are: Hoover Dam in Arizona and Grand Coulee Dam in Washington. The Elwha Dam is located in Washington and is the home of the Elwha River. Salmon habitats are a pride and joy in the Elwha River but in 1910 when construction began the habitats were destroyed.…

    • 369 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Geology Study Guide
    • 2510 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Geology Study Guide

    * building water level affected groundwater level, and walls of dam, accelerating downward movement of mountainside was filling the reservoir…

    • 2510 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Best Essays

    Deteriorating U.S. Roadways
    • 2026 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Deteriorating U.S. Roadways

    Cited: 1. Gillan, Maria Mazziotti. “Watching The Bridge Collapse.” Prairie Schooner 84.1 (2010 Vol. 84 Issue 1.): 90-91. Academic OneFile. Web. 13 July 2013.…

    • 2026 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Best Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Increasing Water Security: Large Scale Water Management Projects
    • 794 Words
    • 23 Pages

    Increasing Water Security: Large Scale Water Management Projects

    Using named examples, assess the contribution of large scale water management projects in increasing water security. 15 Water security means having access to sufficient, safe, clean and affordable water. Theoretically, the world’s poorer countries are the most water insecure, suffering from both physical and economic water scarcity. One solution to tackle water insecurity is through large scale water projects for example the Three Gorges project in China, the South-North transfer project also in China and the restoration of the Aral Sea. However there is much controversy over whether these schemes are actually sustainable and therefore beneficial in the long run. The Three Gorges da project in China blocks the Yangtze River; it cost $50 billion just for the construction, and was fully operational on the 4th of July 2012. This cost doesn’t account for the environmental and social costs that also came with the scheme. The dam drains 1.8million km2 and will supply Shanghai’s population of 13 million along with Chongqing’s population of 3 million with sufficient supplies of water. Not only has it provided people with water but it’s also the worlds’ largest hydroelectric scheme generating 18000MW of electricity, instead of using 50 million tonnes of coal each year. As well as this, it is seen as a flood protection and can save many lives and cut financial costs created by flood damage. When the operation is looked at from this perspective, it is seen to be a success and suggests that large scale projects increase water security, however when analysed from a different view, many problems being to arise. An example of these costs are factors such as the dammed waters drowned 100,000 hectares of arable land, along with 13 cities, many smaller settlement and 13 factories. 1.9 million people have been displaced from their homes and land because of reasons. As well as social impacts, many environmental issues were raised such as ecological impacts on fisheries, biodiversity…

    • 794 Words
    • 23 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Mississippi River Levees Essay
    • 535 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Mississippi River Levees Essay

    They installed even more levees, spillways, and damns to ‘prevent’ flood losses, but by doing this they encouraged more people to move into a place that was not safe to inhabit. This issue became to be known as the ‘levee effect.’ The project was supposed to be a 13 year and 85 million dollar deal, but when Katrina hit 740 million dollars had been spent, and the project was still 10 years from being finished. There were a vast number of problems in the system that was being created. In 1984, a storm-surge modeler at the National Weather Service named Wilson Shaffer told the officials in charge of the project that the hypothetical storm that was used to test levee designs was too small to correspond with the threat that would be…

    • 535 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    I-35w Bridge Essay
    • 989 Words
    • 4 Pages

    I-35w Bridge Essay

    In conclusion the I-35W Bridge’s design had some flaws which led to the collapse of it in August 1, 2007 and in this paper we spoke about the structural form of the I-35W bridge, some circumstances that led to the collapse, why the bridge fell and some post-effects of the collapse. If the construction company have calculated that the bridge was already in enough stress and not placed the construction material above the design flaws, which were the gusset plates, the collapse would have been…

    • 989 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Flood Insurance During Hurricane Katrina
    • 196 Words
    • 1 Page

    Flood Insurance During Hurricane Katrina

    Flooding has been a continual issue since the first settlers arrived in America. Using methods to deter and/or collect water protects the communities living in that area, but proper maintenance to those barriers must be ensured. Without proper maintenance to these infrastructures, levees can break, dams can crack or collapse leaving disaster behind. Hurricane Katrina’s faulty levees reveal the extreme consequences of neglecting these protectors in places where people depend on them (Wenger, 247). There were many devastating disasters that prompted new analysis and evaluation on flooding conditions and methods to reduce damage and cost. Flood insurance was established for areas that are located within the floodplain (302), as well as the…

    • 196 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Best Essays

    Hurricane Katrina
    • 2150 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Hurricane Katrina

    Cited: Association of State Floodplain Managers. National Flood Policy Challenges Levees: The Double-edged Sword. ASFPM White Paper. 2007. Print.…

    • 2150 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Best Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Johnstown Flood
    • 1335 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Johnstown Flood

    You may be wondering how the dam burst in the first place. Well according to McCullough there were many factors. The dam itself had many internal flaws, like the fact that it sagged a bit in the very middle of the dam where it needed to be the strongest, it would not have been noticeable to the regular eye though. The dam was part of the South Fork Hunting and Fishing Club, which was a prestigious summer, mountain club. It had members such as Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick. The dam created a lake for the members of the club to go boating (which was very rare, especially in the mountains), but when the dam was being rebuilt for this club many things were overlooked. For example the fact that there was no way of controlling the amount of water it held, this meant that once they raised the level of the water there was no way to go back. There were also many small leaks that were overlooked, passed off as, “springs that came from near the ends of…

    • 1335 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Hoover Dam
    • 1616 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Hoover Dam

    The Hoover Dam is one of America¡¦s greatest civil engineering marvels (Hernan 22) and ¡§has become a magnet to those fascinated by human ingenuity at its best¡¨ (Haussler 30). With its enormous size and construction during the Great Depression, it was an interesting topic to me. I would like to major in civil engineering and, at first, I was researching this topic. I was looking for salary and job descriptions. Then, I discovered the name John L. Savage, the engineer who supervised the design of the Hoover Dam and many other dams in the United States. Savage worked on the Minidoka irrigation project in Idaho after joining the United States Reclamation Service in 1903. His future of building dams first began "When I first went out to the Snake River Valley,¡¨ he said, ¡§I saw only a river and a lot of wasteland. After the dam was up the land changed. It got water. Farmers moved in to work the soil. Crops grew. Then came villages and towns. That's why I think this is the happiest, most thrilling work in the world¡¨ (qtd. in McCann). The characteristics he describes are evident to me, as well as other people in this field. All of the great buildings and projects of the World were overseen by civil engineers. These water resources projects, such as the Hoover Dam, not only disturbed the flow of rivers but created towns, industries, and even developed a desert region. Unfortunately, the dams can also cause adverse effects.…

    • 1616 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Three Gorges Dam Essay Example
    • 543 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Three Gorges Dam Essay Example

    Do you consider the Three Gorges Dam to have been a good thing or a bad thing - is it a success or a failure? In my opinion i believe the Three Gorges Dam is a success, simply because of the millions of lives it will save, by flood control. Having said that, the Three Gorges Dam does have many negative aspects. The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric dam that spans the Yangtze river in Sandouping, Hubei province, China. It is the largest hydroelectric power station in the world. Construction began in December 1994 and the dam was fully operational by the late 2011, its a costly situation as it cost $26 billion. The dam was built for three main reasons; to produce clean electricity, to control flooding and to improve shipping along the Yangtze. Resettlement is one of the greatest negative effects of the dam, around 1.4 million people have had to move because their villages and towns have been lost beneath the rising waters. However, one of the most worrying consequences of the project has been the sharp increase in landslides around the dam. These landslides are being caused by the huge weight of water behind the dm and fluctuations in the water level. The reservoir has already collapsed in 91 places and a total of 36km have caved in. The Three Gorges Dam also has a devastating impact on the environment; of the 3,000 to 4,000 remaining Siberian Crane, a large number currently spend the winter in wetlands that have been destroyed by the dam. The Dam also contributed to the extinction of the Yangtze river dolphin. In addition, populations of the Yangtze sturgeon are guaranteed to be negatively affected by the dam. Many people will benefit from the Three Gorges Dam. Massive economic growth will be allowed by the new navigable waterways along the Yangtze which will provide mass transit of raw materials to the area. This combined with the significantly reduced transportations costs provides an attractive location for industry seeking a cheap labour force. In addition, and…

    • 543 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Dam Construction
    • 3697 Words
    • 15 Pages

    Dam Construction

    Of the main categories of dams listed above, all have been built since ancient times although many refinements were developed in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries with improved engineering technology. Dams that leak have failed to do their job, either because they simply can't hold water or because the water seeping through them eats materials away from the inside of the dam causing it to fail structurally. In modern times, most fill dams are also built with zones including a clay center or core, filter and drainage layers, coarser materials sandwiching the clay core, and rock on the upstream (water) face to prevent erosion. These zones can be seen clearly when a cross section is cut from the upstream to the downstream side of the dam. All fill dams depend on weight to remain stable.…

    • 3697 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More

Related Topics