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ARS Home » Plains Area » El Reno, Oklahoma » Oklahoma and Central Plains Agricultural Research Center » Agroclimate and Hydraulics Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #423485
Research Project: Development of a Monitoring Network, Engineering Tools, and Guidelines for the Design, Analysis, and Rehabilitation of Embankment Dams, Hydraulic Structures, and Channels

Location: Agroclimate and Hydraulics Research Unit

Title: Wet versus dry stability berm erosion embankment overtopping research

Author
item Heiner, Bryan
item Livsey, Daniel
item Hunt, Sherry
item Selvey, Tyler

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/21/2025
Publication Date: 9/23/2025
Citation: Heiner, B.J., Livsey, D.N., Hunt, S., Selvey, T.A. 2025. Wet versus dry stability berm erosion embankment overtopping research [abstract]. Association of State Dam Safety Officials.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Scientists with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Oklahoma and Central Plains Agricultural Research Center (OCPARC), Agroclimate and Hydraulic Engineering Research Unit (AHERU) conducted two overtopping embankment tests in the fall of 2024. The two embankments were approximately 8 ft tall with an upstream reservoir leading to a 10-ft-wide broad crested weir and an embankment section. The downstream embankment section was constructed with a 3(H):1(V) slope vegetated with Bermuda grass. A stability berm was constructed at each embankment toe. One embankment represented a dry state condition, and the other embankment represented a saturated state created by three days of heavy simulated rainfall. Both embankment overtopping tests were conducted with a continual discharge of approximately 80 cubic feet per second. Tests were considered complete four hours after the initiation of vegetal failure (defined by major material erosion at some location on the embankment. Both embankments failed at downstream toe berm. This presentation will discuss the lessons learned and the implications of having a saturated toe berm versus a dry toe berm in the event of embankment overtopping. Design engineers, construction engineers, dam owners, municipalities, and maintenance personnel can apply this understanding to their workflows to better account for potential overtopping erosion. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.