FLOOD CONTROL AND RIVER TRAINING STRUCTURES

1. REVETMENT
 Constructed along river banks subjected to direct attack of the river flow and along levee slopes.
 Function of revetment is to protect the collapse of riverbank due to erosion, scouring and/or riverbed
degradation.

BERM
 If the height of revetment is more than 5.0 meters, berm must be
provided
• to separate the revetments into segments
• consideration of site and geological condition and structural stability
of the revetment.
 Minimum 1.0 meter in width
• for maintenance

Depth
 For a narrow river (less than 50 meters in width) the minimum depth of revetment foundation should be 1.0 meter
below the deepest riverbed elevation of the original riverbed or design riverbed
 In the case of a wide river where the velocity is generally mild and when the mainstream course is fixed and
flowing very far from the bank required for revetment, (more than 20 meters away) the foundation may be placed
1.0 meter below from existing toe of the bank

FREEBOARD
• Minimum of 0.60 meter above the level of the flood event
THICKNESS
• 300 mm minimum thickness for all types of revetments, except for reinforced concrete type.
SEGMENT LENGTH
 Maximum 50m length of one segment of revetment along the longitudinal direction
SIDE SLOPE
 standard slope is 1V:2H, but it depends on the natural slope of the ground before construction
 In case of rapid flow stretches, the slope shall not be necessarily gentle but shall be milder than 1V:0.5H
 For concrete revetment, a maximum slope of 0.3:1 shall be observed considering stability and the
resulting residual hydraulic pressure

DRAINAGE PIPE / WEEP HOLE

 should be provided in the revetment using 50~75 mm diameter PVC drainpipes
 staggerdly placed in the horizontal direction and spaced 2 meters center to center
 pervious materials consisting of crushed gravel or geo-textile is placed between the revetment and
original ground
 The lowest weep holes shall be installed just above the ordinary water level.

END PROTECTION
 The scouring causes the escape of backfill materials resulting to the
gradual damage of the revetment.
  A transition structure like gabions/boulders should be provided on both ends of the revetment.
TYPES OF REVETMENTS
Type of Allowable Slope Height Remarks Illustration
Revetment Maximum (H:V) (m)
Velocity
(m/s)
-built above the ordinary
1. Sodding with
Milder water level.
grass or some
<2 than - -For revetment lower than
other vegetation
2:1 the ordinary water level,
(natural bank)
use other type

Milder Preferably for rivers with

2. Wooden pile
<4 than 5 considerably few boulders
fence
0.6:1 in riverbed and bank

Milder Small vegetation can

3. Dry boulder
<5 than 3 grow in consideration to
riprap
1.5:1 environment

Not preferable for rivers

with saline water
4. Gabion Milder
intrusion. Not preferable
mattress, spread <5 than -
for rivers where large
type 1.5:1
boulders (>20cm
diameter) are present

Milder
5. Grouted riprap, If the height of bank is
>5 than 5
spread type higher, provide berm
1.5:1

For interim use

6. Gabion mattress, 1:1 to
< 6.5 - (Beginning/End
pile up type 1.5:1
protection works)

Steeper
7. Grouted riprap, Leaning wall type, rubble
>5 than -
wall type 1:1 masonry

Steeper
8. Rubble concrete >5 than - Gravity type
1:1
 Steeper
9. Stone masonry >5 than - Gravity type
1:1

Steeper
10. Crib wall >6 than - Gravity type
1:1

Minimum thickness of 20
11. Reinforced
cm. Provide temperature
concrete with Steeper
- - bars 12 mm diameter
concrete sheet than1:1
spaced not to exceed 40
pile foundation
cm on centers, both ways

When ordinary water

level is very high
Milder (affected by tidal
than fluctuation, i.e., Pasig
12. Steel sheet pile 1.5:1 River). Foundation depth
and reinforced
- but not - must be analyzed
concrete (segment
combination) steepe considering the flow
r than velocity, foundation
1.5:1* material and scouring
depth for keeping its
stability
Note: If the height of the bank is more than 5.0 meters and the slope is 1.5:1 or higher, provide berm to separate segment.
Berm may be constructed just above the ordinary water level whenever possible.

2. DIKE
 Dike (sometimes called levee) is a flood prevention structure from overflow into the inland ground that lets
the flood discharge flow confined within the river.
 Its purpose is to lead the flood flow into the downstream with no overflow that will be allowed into the
protected area, and keeping its stability, and safety of the people and cities.

Freeboard
 The freeboard of a dike is an allowance in height according to the design flood discharge.
 The freeboard can be 0.6 m or more even if the design flood discharge is 200 m3/s or more.
 Design flood discharge (m3/s) Freeboard (m)
Less than 200 0.60
200 and less than 500 0.8
500 and less than 2000 1.0
2000 and less than 5000 1.2
5000 and less than 10,000 1.5
10,000 and over 2.0
Crest
 Crest is also considered to cover various factors such as securing safety for patrolling against floods and
executing emergency flood prevention works.

Design flood discharge (m3/s) Freeboard (m)

Less than 500 3
500 and up to 2000 4
2000 and up to 5000 5
5000 and up to 10000 6
10000 and over 7

Slope
 The slope of a dike shall have a gentle gradient of 2:1 (Horizontal/Vertical) or less.

Embankment Height of Embankment Slope, equal to or gentler than (V:H)

Low Embankment < 6.0 m 1:2
High Embankment >6.0 m 1:3
Sand Embankment - 1:4
Berm
 Secure the stability of the dike, in view of the dike body material, duration of a flood, stability
to the seepage of flood, and the foundation ground of the dike
 A berm provided on the waterside is called a waterside berm and a berm provided on the landside is
called a landside berm.
3. SPUR DIKE
 Prevent bank scouring by reducing the river flow velocity.
 Redirect river flow away from the riverbank.
 River training structures constructed perpendicular the banks of rivers
and flood dikes.

TYPES OF SPUR DIKE

 Permeable Type
 made of piles and frames, preferably in series
 reduce the river flow velocity at the immediate downstream of the spur dike and induce
sedimentation.
 Suitable for small reductions in flow velocities on mild bends
 Impermeable/semi-permeable Type
 made of wet masonry (impermeable) or concrete blocks and loose boulder (semi-permeable),
preferably in series
 change the river flow direction away from the riverbank

1. Overflow
- To reduce the river flow velocity
2. Non-overflow Type
- To change the river flow direction away from the riverbank
Alignment
 The alignment of spur dikes deflected towards the upstream, should have an angle (θspur)
between 10° to 15° with the line perpendicular to the riverbank at straight sections and 0° to
10° at flow attack zones.

Length
 Length of spur dike is generally taken as 10% of the river width or less, but
not to exceed 100m.

Height
 Impermeable Spur Dikes should not exceed top of banks
Impermeable Type Height
Overflow Type 10% -40% of distance reckoned
from the average riverbed to DFL
Non-overflow Type 0.5m to1.0m above the OWL
during rainy season

Crest
  The width of the crest of spur dike ranges from 1 meter to 2 meters.
 In case where the design flood level has been identified, the height of spur dike shall be fixed within 10% to 40%
of the distance reckoned from the average riverbed to the design flood level.

Spacing

 The spacing of spur dikes shall be 1.4 to 1.8 times its length at flow attack zones and 1.7 to 2.3 times at straight
sections.

Longitudinal Slope

 1V:2H to 1V:1H towards the center of the river.

SIDE SLOPES

 Slopes are typically between 1V:1H and 1V:2H on the upstream side, downstream side, and the side towards the
center of the river.

Depth of Embedment

 For concrete and stone masonry type spur dike, a minimum embedment depth of 0.5m is recommended
 For gabion-type, boulder type and concrete block type spur dikes, only a provision of about 0.2m layer of gravel
before placement of the main body is sufficient.

4. GROUNDSILL

 Fix the riverbed elevation in order to prevent riverbed degradation resulting to local scours under forces of turbulent flow during
floods.

The groundsill is classified into two types, drop structure type and sill type. It is constructed for the following purposes to
stabilize the riverbed:
a) To moderate the bed slope, decreasing the scouring force of the river water, for stabilization of the riverbed in the
upper reach (generally, with head)
b) To prevent turbulent flow, fixing the flow direction (mostly, with head).
c) To prevent scouring and drop of the riverbed (generally, without head)

Location and Alignment

 The direction shall be at right angles to the direction of river flow in the lower reaches in principle, considering the
direction of river flow on the occasion of flood flow.
 Groundsills should be constructed as straight as possible.
The relationship between the plane form of groundsill and flow direction:
1. Linear form at right angles to the flow direction
2. Linear form at an angle to the flow direction
3. Polygonal form with a vertex at the center of river
4. Curved form with a vertex at the center of the river
 Height
 The crest height of a groundsill shall coincide with the design bed height in general, and the standard height shall be
within 2 m.
 Both ends of the groundsill body shall be anchored sufficiently in the dike or revetment.

5. SLUICEWAY
 Flood control structure that connects the culvert passing through the dikes and its gate
 Purpose of sluiceway:
 to drain the inland water into river,
 to draw the water (as an intake structure) from the river for irrigation use or some other purposes.
Sluiceway for drainage:
 The gate of sluiceway is usually opened even during rainy days to drain the inland water.

Sluiceway for water intake:

 Generally, there is a dam structure (weir) at the downstream reach of the intake sluiceway to draw
water easily.

Selection of Location

 A sluiceway's location depends on its purpose (irrigation, drainage, or both).

 It should not be placed in unstable river sections.
 The number of sluiceways should be minimized to maintain dike integrity and reduce maintenance costs.

Opening Level

 The opening level for irrigation should consider intake needs and potential riverbed changes.
 Drainage sluiceways must account for riverbed height and channel foundation height to prevent
sedimentation and ensure drainage efficiency.
 Proper balance is required to avoid excessive intake for irrigation or reduced drainage capacity.

Sectional Profile
  Irrigation sluiceways should have sufficient cross-sections to provide adequate water intake even during dry seasons.
 Minimum sluiceway diameter: 60 cm.
 Design velocity:
o 1–2 m/s for normal conditions.
o Up to 3.5 m/s for peak discharge conditions.
o 2.5 m/s recommended to prevent sedimentation.

6. WEIR

Selection of Location

 Weir location depends on its function (intake, diversion weir, tide control).
 The ideal site has a straight channel with stable riverbeds and minimal velocity changes.
 Although narrow sites reduce costs, they should be avoided as they complicate flood control.

Form and Direction

 The weir should be linear and placed perpendicular to the river flow downstream to maintain efficiency during high water
levels.

Crest Height (Fixed Weirs) & Foundation Height (Mobile Weirs)

 Typically set below the existing or designed riverbed to ensure smooth water flow.
 If a higher crest is necessary, the cross-sectional area should still accommodate floodwaters.
 In mountainous areas, a higher crest may be allowed if it does not impact flood control.

Ponding Level

 Should not exceed 50 cm above inland ground height unless proper embankments are built.
 Excessive ponding can cause drainage inefficiencies and groundwater rise, which should be considered in selecting location.

Span Length

 Span length must allow free flood flow while following limits based on design flood discharge:

Design Flood Discharge (m³/s) Max Span Length (m)

< 500 15
500 - 2,000 20
2,000 - 4,000 30
> 4,000 40

 Other Cases:

(a) If the total mobile section is < 30 m and flood discharge is < 500 m³/s, the minimum
span is 12.5 m.
(b) For weirs ≤ 2 m high with a mobile roof section, the span-to-height ratio should be ≤ 1/10 (or 15 m minimum if less than 15 m).
(c) If a span ≥ 50 m is needed, use the closest lower value from the table. If the average span is ≥ 30 m, the non-midstream spans
should be ≥ 30 m.
(d) If a sediment way is included:

 For flood discharge ≥ 2,000 m³/s, the span must be at least half of the table value (or 15 m if less than 15 m).
 For flood discharge ≤ 2,000 m³/s, the span must be at least 12.5 m, ensuring the overall average meets table values.

(e) For flood discharge ≥ 4,000 m³/s, spans outside the midstream must be ≥ 30 m, and the overall average must be ≥ 40 m.

Questions:
1. How does climate change impact the effectiveness of flood control systems?

 Climate change leads to more frequent and intense rainfall, rising sea levels, and unpredictable weather
patterns, making traditional flood control systems less effective. Engineers must adapt designs to handle
larger flood events and integrate sustainable solutions.

2. Why is freeboard important in flood control structures, and how is it determined?

 Freeboard is an extra height added to flood barriers to account for waves, surges, and unpredictable flood
levels. It is determined based on historical flood data, climate conditions, and safety factors.

3. What are the key challenges of flood control in highly urbanized areas?

 Limited space for flood structures, increased runoff from impermeable surfaces, outdated drainage systems,
and rapid population growth.

4. What are the common causes of flood control structure failure, and how can they be prevented?

5. What factors influence the selection of locations for flood control structures?

The selection of locations for flood control structures depends on factors such as flood risk, topography, soil
stability, and environmental impact. Areas with frequent flooding, low elevation, or poor drainage are prioritized to
minimize damage. The stability of the soil and riverbed is essential to prevent erosion and structural failure. Structures
should be placed where they do not disrupt natural water flow or sediment transport, ensuring long-term effectiveness.
Environmental considerations are also crucial, as flood control measures should minimize harm to ecosystems and wildlife.
Additionally, proximity to urban areas, infrastructure, and existing water management systems is important to protect
communities and optimize efficiency. Climate patterns, cost feasibility, and legal regulations further influence site selection,
ensuring that flood control structures provide sustainable, long-term protection against flooding.