Seepage problems in the right abutment of the Shahid Abbaspour dam, southern Iran

In this study, seepage phenomena through the right abutment of Shahid Abbaspour dam are investigated. The Shahid Abbaspour dam is a 200 m high arch dam, which regulates the waters of the Karun River, serves power generation, and flood control and irrigation needs. The dam site lies in the Zagros Mountains of southern Iran. This region presents continuous series of mainly of karstic limestone, marl, shale and gypsum ranging in age from Jurassic to Pliocene. The region has subsequently been folded and faulted. Seepage from the Shahid Abbaspour reservoir occurs mainly through the karstic limestone.The basic foundation treatment of the dam consisted of consolidation grouting, a high-pressure grout curtain and a drainage curtain. Moreover, a 144 m high and 30 m wide concrete cutoff wall was built to prevent reservoir seepage through a clay-filled fracture zone in the right abutment. The grout curtain penetrates the “Principal Vuggy Zone” only beneath the central portion of the dam and below the cutoff wall. In the right abutment fan curtains were constructed to reduce drainage flows, but the seepage problem could not be solved. In order to determine the seepage direction and karstification pattern, hydrogeological studies have been carried out. Additional investigation boreholes have been drilled to monitor fluctuations in groundwater level. Besides these, water chemistry, dye tracer, pinhole and XRF tests have been carried out. As a result of these studies, seepage paths have been identified in the karstic limestone in the right abutment of the dam.