Vol. 17 No. 1 (2022)
This study was intended to evaluate the risks of cascading dams in rural areas where they are commonly built to support irrigation, animal watering, or other purposes. These hydrological structures can cause significant damage when they collapse under heavy precipitation conditions. The figure shows the resulting classification from low to high Hazard Potential (DPA for its acronym in Portuguese) considering them isolated, under current Brazilian law, and the proposed Cascade Classification. The results emphasize the need for a preliminary safety assessment of the dam with special attention to small dams in cascade since accidents in the smaller dams are usually not reported even though they occur more frequently. And only a few countries have specific legislation or criteria for evaluating the safety of these structures.
Source: LIMA, D. A. de. et al. Application of a simplified methodology for classification of small dams in cascade. Rev. Ambient. Água, Taubaté, vol. 17 n. 1, p. 1-11, 2022. doi:10.4136/ambi-agua.2790