A case study of the application of wedge-shaped block protection: the spillway of Barriga Dam (Spain)

The spillway of Barriga Dam (Burgos, Spain) may be considered a singular case study in dam engineering. The spillway has been working successfully for 10 years with seasonal discharges in winter and springtime. Its distinguishing features are its location, on the rockfill dam body, and the chute, composed of wedge-shaped concrete blocks (WSBs). In such a way, the design and construction of the spillway involved two years of applied research and international collaboration. As a result of that, two scaled physical models were developed at Colorado State University (Fort Collins, Colorado) and the Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil (Lisbon, Portugal). The conclusion of this experience is that WSBs technology is cost-effective, easy to install, and may be suitable for the appliance as auxiliary spillways, or service spillways of small dams, cofferdams or ponds. However, the technology is still immature and engineers have to be cautious about its risks. Therefore, more experience and additional research are needed in the future to consolidate the practical application of this technology.

The upper figure shows the construction of the WSB spillway of the Barriga Dam.

References

More information about this case may be found in the following references:

Balairón, L., López, D., Moran Moya, R., Ramos, T., & Toledo Municio, M. A. (2014). Avances en investigación aplicada mediante modelación física y numérica en el diseño de la ingeniería de presas.

Couto, L. T., Pinto Magalhães, A., Toledo, M. A., & Morán, R. (2006). A new solution for a concrete spillway over a rockfill dam. Hydraulic model study of Barriga Dam in Spain. In 5th International Conference on Dam Engineering. ISBN (pp. 978-981).

FEMA. (2014). Technical Manual: Overtopping Protection for Dams. U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Hepler, T. E. (2015). Technical manual: Overtopping protection for dams. Dam Protections against Overtopping and Accidental Leakage, 3.

Morán, R., & Toledo, M. A. (2008). Wedge-shaped blocks spillway upon Barriga Dam (Burgos). VIII Jornadas españolas de presas, Córdoba, Spain. SPANCOLD.

Moran Moya, R., Monteiro Alves, R. M., Toledo Municio, M. A., Salazar, F., Larese, A., & San Mauro, J. (2013). Protecciones de presas mediante repiés de escollera y bloques en forma de cuña.

Moran, R., Alves, R., Toledo, M. Á., Salazar, F., Larese De Tetto, A., & San Mauro, J. (2013). Protecciones de presas mediante repiés de escollera y bloques en forma de cuña. In Jornada Técnica Avances en Investigación Aplicada en Seguridad Hidráulica de Presas (pp. 7-25). Red de Laboratorios de Hidráulica de España (RLHE).

Morán, R., & Toledo, M. A. (2014). Design and construction of the Barriga Dam spillway through an improved wedge-shaped block technology. Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, 41(10), 924-927.

Morán, R., & Toledo, M. Á. (2015). Barriga Dam spillway: a case study of wedge-shaped blocks technology. Dam Protections against Overtopping and Accidental Leakage, 181.