Auxiliary Spillways
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| Learn more about the importance of spillway design criteria at DamFailures.org |
“An auxiliary spillway is infrequently used and may be a secondary spillway (augmenting a service spillway discharge capacity). During operation there could be some degree of structural damage or erosion to the auxiliary spillway due to releases up to and including the maximum design discharge. Auxiliary spillways may be less robust, erosion-resistant structures consisting of some cast-in-place reinforced concrete, riprap channel protection and/or unarmored excavated channels”.[1]
In the past, auxiliary spillways were commonly referred to as "emergency spillways". This practice should be discontinued. Media references to flow through “emergency spillways” often leads to a misconception by the public that an emergency condition exists at a dam when the dam is safely functioning as designed. [2]
Life Cycle of Auxiliary Spillways
Examples
Learn more about the importance of spillway design criteria at DamFailures.org
Best Practices Resources
Technical Release 210-60: Earth Dams and Reservoirs (Natural Resources Conservation Service)
Hydraulic Design of Spillways (EM 1110-2-1603) (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
Design of Small Dams (Bureau of Reclamation)
Trainings
On-Demand Webinar: Introduction to Addressing Inadequate Conveyance Capacity at Dams
On-Demand Webinar: Inspection and Assessment of Spillways
On-Demand Webinar: Inlet and Outlet Hydraulics for Spillways and Outlet Structures
Citations:
Revision ID: 4861
Revision Date: 12/02/2022