Safety of dykes and dams

Abstract

This paper describes two actions, asked by the French Ministry for the Environment and carried out by Cemagref, whose common objective is the safety of hydraulic works, presenting high hazards in case of rupture. Concerning dams, a national investigation, leaded from 1990 to 1994, revealed some lacks in the monitoring (by the owner) and in the control (by the Water Policy Authority) of dams under the Ministry's authority. So, Cemagref was asked to contribute to the reinforcement of a comprehensive plan based on training of engineers, appraisal of dams at the time of decenial visit and development of date bases to gather available information. Levees for flood protection are, as for their safety, at the crossing of a technological hazard (rupture) and a natural hazard (inundation). To get a better knowledge of those works, Cemagref was asked to build an inquiry from dealing with levees, owners and protected eras. This inquiring was, in a first step, tested locally with a paper form. Based on the return of experience, a soft ware was developed for the national inquiry and data exploitation.