European research on dambreak and extreme flood processes

SYNOPSIS. Effective risk management for dams requires an understanding of potential hazards and an assessment of the various associated risks. This requires analysis of potential impacts which, in the case of dambreak, requires an ability to reasonably predict conditions that may result through failure or partial failure of a dam. The IMPACT Project focuses research in five areas related to dambreak, namely breach formation, flood propagation, sediment movement, geophysical investigation and assessment of modelling uncertainty. This paper provides an update on this 3-year programme of work with an overview of some initial findings, particularly in relation to work on breach formation. THE IMPACT PROJECT The IMPACT Project (Investigation of Extreme Flood Processes and Uncertainty) is a research project running for 3 years from 2001-2004, funded by the European Commission and supported in the UK by Defra and the Environment Agency. The focus of work is directed at four process areas (breach formation, flood propagation, sediment movement, geophysical investigation) and assessment of uncertainty within modelling tools. These research areas were identified during earlier research (Morris, 2000) as areas where predictive ability was relatively poor, and hence ‘weak links’ in any risk assessment or emergency planning studies. Programme of work Research into the various process areas is undertaken by groups within the overall project team. Some work areas interact, but all areas are drawn together through an assessment of modelling uncertainty and a demonstration of modelling capabilities through an overall case study application. The IMPACT project provides support for the dam industry in a number of ways, including: