ASDSO Dam Safety Toolbox

Uncontrolled Spillways

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A stepped chute spillway in England. (Wikipedia)

“A controlled crest is one that includes gates which are used to control the flow; the uncontrolled crest is one unencumbered by gates”.[1]

“Common to all uncontrolled spillways that are not integral with a concrete dam (i.e., located away from the dam on or through abutments, or on or through reservoir rim) is that existing topography must provide adequate space without excessive excavation. Also, the existing topography must allow appropriate orientation (alignment of the spillway between the reservoir and downstream river or stream) of the conveyance feature and terminal structure. Additionally, economics will come into play for all uncontrolled spillways”.[2]

Types of Uncontrolled Spillways

Best Practices Resources

Design Standards No. 14: Appurtenant Structures for Dams (Ch. 3: General Spillway Design Considerations), USBR, 2022

National Engineering Handbook: Chapter 50 - Earth Spillway Design, NRCS, 2014

Hydraulic Design of Spillways (EM 1110-2-1603), USACE, 1992

Trainings

On-Demand Webinar: Introduction to Earth Spillway Design and Evaluation

On-Demand Webinar: Dam Safety with 3D Weirs

On-Demand Webinar: Hydraulic Design of Labyrinth Weirs



Citations:


Revision ID: 5507
Revision Date: 12/13/2022