The chemical composition of water in cracks in concrete structures of the Irkutsk hydraulic engineering complex

1. The water in the reservoir is of the type with very low mineralization (106.1–109.3 mg/liter). According to the norms of Gosstroi SSSR, it leaches ordinary and sulfate-resistant Portland cements aggressively. 2. When reservoir water filters through cracks in the concrete structures at the Irkutsk hydraulic engineering complex, we observe two main processes — leaching of caustic alkalies (in nine of the 16 cracks) and silting up. 3. In the sections of the concrete structures which were investigated, there was little corrosion of the reinforcing rods.