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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #66161
Title: EARTH SPILLWAY DAMAGE SUMMARY (MODIFIED TO SHOW POSTING TO WWW AS JOURNAL/EQUIVALENT)

Author
item Temple, Darrel

Submitted to: World Wide Web
Publication Type: Government Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/31/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Over a period of approximately 10 years beginning in 1983, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service collected information from earth spillways subjected to flood flow conditions. The information about erosion in these spillways, including color photographs, was placed in a computer database and used to improve the basis for design and analysis of this type of spillway. Becaus the physical processes by which these spillways erode are complex, it is anticipated that future research will generate a need for re-analysis of this information for the purpose of refining and calibrating future models of these processes. Therefore, elementary software for viewing the computerized information was developed and packaged with the information for reference by scientists and engineers.

Technical Abstract: Data describing the performance of vegetated earth auxiliary spillways were gathered by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service over a period of approximately 10 years beginning in 1983. These data, including photographs, were entered in a computer database and used in the development of the spillway erosion prediction technology incorporated into the NRCS SITES software. The data were entered into the computer in a simplified two-material model format with entries separately describing both the overall erosion experienced and specific damaged areas. Photographs were cross-referenced to damage descriptions, and comments identifying limitations of the data were included. To assist others in utilizing these data an elementary viewing package was prepared to assist in interpretation of the tabulated data. This viewing software operates under WINDOWS (TM) on IBM (TM) compatible desktop computers. The data require approximately 70 Mb of space on either a CD-ROM or hard drive. Because color photographs are an integral part of the data, a color printer is needed to obtain suitable printed copies of the data.