Dams, Levees & Basins

In the U.S.,

15,600

Dams Are Classified as High-Hazard Structures

More than

2,300

High-Hazard U.S. Dams Are Considered Deficient

How do you effectively assess feasibility, design, construction, and performance risks for dams, levees, and basins?

The American Society of Civil Engineers' (ASCE) 2021 Infrastructure Report Card stated that the U.S. has approximately 15,600 dams that are classified as high-hazard structures, meaning their failure could result in the loss of human life. Of these high-hazard dams, over 2,300 are considered deficient dams. The ASCE 2021 Infrastructure Report Card also reports seventeen million people live or work behind the nearly 40,000 miles of levees across the U.S. Up to 97% of all levees in the U.S. are made of earthen embankments, many of which were built using outdated engineering standards (U.S. levees are, on average, 50 years old).

Dam and levee failures pose one of the most significant hazards to human safety, wildlife, and property, and Exponent's multidisciplinary team of geotechnical, civil, structural, and mechanical engineers, geologists, and surface hydrologists provides a complete and thorough evaluation of feasibility, design, construction, and performance as well as rehabilitation studies or root cause failure analysis of dams, basins, and levees.

services

For 50+ years, we’ve thrived on solving unstructured problems that require bespoke solutions. Some of our services include:

• Site characterization through field and laboratory studies, geologic mapping, and fault studies

• Embankment design, construction, and performance

• Performance of mine and ash tailings

• Embankment monitoring (slope inclinometers, settlement surveys, piezometers, tiltmeters, remote sensing, etc.)

• Determination of root cause(s) of failure mechanisms, such as slope instability and base sliding stability, overtopping, and soil piping

• Material degradation, including operation issues, and structural component failure

• Earthquake, flood, and drawdown loading

• Hydraulic analysis, including watershed delineation, storage capacity, and outflow design capacity; and seepage flow analysis, both steady-state and transient

• Characterization of minerals and concrete using scanning electron microscopy

• Seismic safety and stability evaluations

• Filter criteria selection and evaluation

Our Capabilities Are Unparalleled

With expertise in over 90 disciplines and hundreds of capabilities, tools, and methodologies — we get to the root of even the most complex challenges and give you the objective answers you need.

Polymer earth stabilization grid installed to prevent hillside erosion. Exponent civil engineering support for earth engineering.

Experts

Our global and comprehensive expertise across industries gives us a deep understanding of current challenges, best industry practices, and the implications of emerging technologies.