Dams

RB&G Engineering has performed foundation investigations and design for more than 50 earth and rockfill dam projects in the Intermountain West, including for dams exceeding 100 feet in height. Our dam design projects typically focus on the water storage and flood control needs of our clients; however, some of our reservoir projects have also become prime recreation destinations. RB&G has provided engineering services, often as the lead designer and Engineer of Record, in all phases of the design process, including site selection, hydrologic studies, foundation and borrow investigations, foundation recommendations, embankment analysis, design of appurtenant structures, instrumentation recommendations, preparation of construction documents (plans, specifications, and bid/contract requirements), and preparation of post-construction documents, including initial filling plans, Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), and Emergency Action Plans (EAP). RB&G has the in-house expertise to complete hydrologic, seepage, static and seismic stability, seismic, hydraulic, and structural design of dams and appurtenances.

Our geological and geotechnical expertise and experience provides clients with essential insight during conceptual and preliminary design, since the foundation design is dependent upon the subsurface materials at the dam site. Foundation cutoff and seepage mitigation and other foundation construction considerations can equal or exceed the cost of a dam embankment. RB&G has designed foundations for high hazard dams with hard rock, soft rock, and soil foundations.

RB&G Engineering’s first priorities in the design and construction of every dam are the safety and resiliency of the facility. Our designs focus on the selection and implementation of proven, constructible, and economical solutions to the unique constraints and challenges presented by each individual site and project.

RB&G has extensive experience designing appurtenant structures such as control gates, intake structures, outlet conduits, discharge/dissipation structures, pressurized pipelines, and spillways, to meet the needs of project owners/operators and the requirements of regulatory agencies. Our experience includes remediating existing appurtenances, designing outlet systems to discharge into pressurized or open channel systems, and designing spillways to meet regulatory requirements. Our experiences with spillway design includes open channels excavated in earth and rock materials, traditional weir structures, box inlet structures, and labyrinth weir structures. RB&G Engineering designed the first labyrinth weir spillway to be constructed on a dam in the state of Utah, and has since designed three other labyrinth spillways to pass design discharges up to 27,000 cfs.