Water moving through the spillway of a dam contains a large amount of energy. This energy can cause erosion at the outlet which can lead to instability of the spillway. Failure to properly design, install, or maintain a stilling basin could lead to problems such as undermining of the spillway and erosion of the outlet channel and/or embankment material. These problems can lead to failure of the spillway and ultimately the dam. A stilling basin provides a means to absorb or dissipate the energy from the spillway discharge and protects the spillway area from erosion and undermining.

In the video, multiple rows of baffle piers on the chute prevent excessive acceleration of the flow and prevent the damage that occurs from a high discharge velocity. A portion of the baffled chute usually extends below the streambed elevation to prevent undermining of the chute.

Source:
Damsafety.org

#dam #spillway #waterworks

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