Location: Agroclimate and Hydraulics Research Unit
Project Number: 3070-13000-014-022-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 15, 2026
End Date: Aug 14, 2027
Objective:
This Agreement provides Phase 1 funding to the cooperator in support the ARS project plan titled: “Development of a Monitoring Network, Engineering Tools, and Guidelines for the Design, Analysis, and Rehabilitation of Embankment Dams, Hydraulic Structures, and Channels”. The Cooperator will assist ARS with the following objectives:
Develop new and/or enhance design guidance, engineering tools, software, and best management practice standards to monitor and assess the performance of dams and hydraulic structures as erosion control measures.
Specifically, the cooperator will investigate soil erodibility of embankment dams through laboratory bench studies and/or large-scale testing. Phase I of this project will include 1) literature review of the embankment dam failure and use of fiber optic instrumentation for measuring erosion of embankment dams due to overtopping and/or internal vulnerabilities, 2) assistance with the development of experimental plan for research, 3) conducting market research on instrumentation and equipment needed to carry out the experiments, and 4) conducting laboratory bench soil tests including but not limited to soil erodibility if necessary. Phase 2 of this project is constructing large-scale embankment dam to initiate testing on embankment dam performance. These tests will include but not limited to collecting data on soil parameters, discharge, and bed and water surface elevations using appropriate instrumentation including but not limited to fiber optic instrumentation, unmanned aerial vehicles, and GPS survey equipment. Phase 3 will include continuation of data collection, data analysis, and publication of research outcomes that will support the development of new algorithms or enhancements to current algorithms within software like WinDAM. This research is expected to provide improved tools for the performance analysis and prioritization of aging embankment dams that support American farmers daily through flood protection to ensure food is delivered from farm to table to millions of Americans daily, water supply for crop and livestock production and food and feed processing plants, and quality water delivered to kitchen sinks to millions of American daily.
Approach:
The Cooperator will partner with ARS and other collaborators to assist with the defined objectives. Specifically, the Cooperator will provide technical expertise in soil erosion, sediment transport, geotechnical engineering, and instruments and controls as it relates to embankment erosion processes and headcut erosion. Phase I of this project will include 1) literature review of the use of fiber optic instrumentation for measuring erosion of embankment dams due to overtopping and/or internal vulnerabilities and general literature review of the state of the art in evaluating erosion processes of embankment dams, 2) assistance with the development of experimental plan for research, 3) conducting market research on instrumentation and equipment needed to carry out the experiments, and/or 4) conducting laboratory bench soil erodibility tests. Phase 2 of this project is constructing large-scale embankment dam to initiate testing on embankment dam performance. These tests will include but not limited to collecting data on soil parameters, discharge, and bed and water surface elevations using appropriate instrumentation including but not limited to fiber optic instrumentation, unmanned aerial vehicles, and GPS survey equipment. Phase 3 will include continuation of data collection, data analysis, and publication of research outcomes that will support the development of new algorithms or enhancements to current algorithms within software like WinDAM. Appropriate ASTM or other industry standards will be followed for all soil testing. Partnering collaborators will be trained in the deployment of the fiber optics sensing network, data acquisition, and data processing.