Location:
2021 Annual Report
Accomplishments
1. Stilling basin design criteria applicable for stepped spillways adopted as standard. Roller compacted concrete (RCC) stepped spillways and associated stilling basins are commonly used to upgrade aging earthen dams. Traditional stilling basin design criteria was proven applicable as an outlet energy dissipator for RCC spillways. The USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is adopting the stepped spillway and associated stilling basin design guidance into their National Engineering Handbook. NRCS expects to apply the RCC spillway and stilling basin design criteria to 1,200 dams across the U.S. The total cost-savings anticipated by NRCS for use of this technology is $600 million to $1.2 billion when compared to other rehabilitation options. Furthermore, NRCS acknowledges this research assists with the preservation of $2.3 billion in annual benefits provided to the American public. Benefits include flood control, rural and municipal water supplies for economic growth, water for crop and livestock production, support for healthy ecosystems, and recreation and tourism. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers anticipates integrating the RCC spillway stilling basin research results in their revised hydraulic design of reservoir outlet works technical manual (EM 1110-2-1602). These design criteria have become an industry standard among architectural and engineering consulting firms across the U.S.
Review Publications
Hunt, S., Kadavy, K.C. 2021. Inception point for stepped chute designs with multiple sections of different step heights. American Society of Civil Engineers Journal of Hydraulic Engineering. 147(4): 06021001. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HY.1943-7900.0001848.
Ali, A.K., Hunt, S.L., Tejral, R.D. 2021. Embankment breach research: Observed internal erosion processes. Transactions of the ASABE. 64(2):745-760. https://doi.org/10.13031/trans.13701.
Hunt, S.L., Temple, D.M., Neilsen, M.L., Abdelfatah, A., Tejral, R.D. 2021. WinDAM C: Analysis tool for predicting breach erosion processes of embankment dams due to overtopping or internal erosion. Applied Engineering in Agriculture. 37(3):523-534. https://doi.org/10.13031/aea.14334.
Hunt, S.L., Kadavy, K.C. 2021. Lessons learned in stepped chute research instrumentation. Applied Engineering in Agriculture. 37(3):513-521. https://doi.org/10.13031/aea.14333.
Hunt, S.L., Kadavy, K.C. 2021. Types I, II, III, and IV stilling basin performance for stepped chutes applied to embankment dams. American Society of Civil Engineers Journal of Hydraulic Engineering. 147(6). Article 06021004. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HY.1943-7900.0001877.
