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Technical Manual: Conduits through Embankment Dams (FEMA 484)

Technical Manual: Conduits through Embankment Dams (FEMA 484)

Technical Manual: Conduits through Embankment Dams (FEMA 484)

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Appendix B—Case HistoriesFigure B-57.—View of upstream dam crest nearing completion of breach.possible threat of loss of life was averted along with extensive damage to propertyabutting the streambed.Lessons learnedAn examination of the failed conduit <strong>through</strong> the embankment dam revealed it to beof poor quality with minimal reinforcing. What reinforcing was provided, consistedof misplaced, steel cable rather than conventional deformed bars. Given theconstruction of the conduit, it is remarkable that it functioned for over 30 years.This failure reinforces the concern that conduits have a definite service life,measured in decades. At the end of that service life, they require retrofitting for theircontinued satisfactory functioning. A failure to do so, risks a failure of theembankment dam. Proper care taken in the design and construction can materiallyincrease the conduit service life. Conversely, poor workmanship may reduce it.Periodic inspection of conduits is required to confirm that they are structurallysound, and to provide timely notice of a developing problem with age.ReferenceWashington State Department of Ecology, Project file.B-71

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