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Engineering geological characterization for evaluation of seepage and geomechanical properties of Chalchal Dam Site, Bale Zone, Southeastern Ethiopia

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Abstract

Ethiopia is currently developing irrigation schemes like micro dams to improve its food security. Chalchal Dam project is one of such dams to be constructed in the Bale Zone of Southeastern Ethiopia. However, this dam is subjected to engineering geological problems due to the presence of carbonate and shale rocks in this area. To address this problem, engineering geological mapping, discontinuity surveying, core drilling, geophysical surveying, in situ permeability, and laboratory testing were carried out. From these integrated investigations, the dam site is underlain by colluvial and alluvial soil deposits, sandstone, limestone with decomposed shale, shale, marly limestone, and massive limestone rocks with different degrees of weathering and fracturing. The Lugeon test conducted along the dam axis revealed the presence of potential seepage zones at the left abutment and river center in which the former is underlain by highly permeable rocks with Lugeon values as high as 39.58 and the latter with permeable rocks with a Lugeon value of 9. The geo-mechanical properties of rocks such as friction angle, cohesion, and modulus of deformation at the dam site, as determined using Hoek–Brown failure criteria, were in ranges of 21.52 to 32.06°, 0.123 to 3.006 MPa, and 0.747 to 9.308 GPa, respectively. The bearing capacity of the dam foundation was determined using empirical methods and the result pointed out that the allowable bearing capacity of the dam foundation ranges from 0.116 to 5.321 MPa. After the removal of colluvial and alluvial deposits along the dam axis, ground improvements were recommended along the dam axis mainly in terms of curtain grout and slurry trench or concrete cutoff.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Oromia Water Works Design and Supervision Enterprise (OWWDSE) and Oromia Irrigation Development Authority (OIDA) for providing the necessary data and for allowing us to work with them with a good sense of collaboration. We are also grateful to Addis Ababa Science and Technology University (AASTU), particularly, the Department of Geology and the Department of Civil Engineering for providing the necessary field equipment for field work data collection. Any contributions from journal papers, scientific reports and books have been cited and acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, College of Applied Sciences, Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, P.O.Box: 16417, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Tola Garo & Matebie Meten

  2. Department of Applied Geology, School of Applied Natural Science, Adama Science and Technology University, P. O. Box: 1888, Adama, Ethiopia

    Tola Garo

  3. Mineral Exploration, Exploitation and Processing Center of Excellence, Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, P.O. Box: 16417, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Matebie Meten

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  1. Tola Garo
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The first author has done the data collection, analysis, and draft write up of the manuscript. The second author commented and enriched in each phase of the manuscript writing. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Matebie Meten.

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Responsible editor: Zeynal Abiddin Erguler

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Garo, T., Meten, M. Engineering geological characterization for evaluation of seepage and geomechanical properties of Chalchal Dam Site, Bale Zone, Southeastern Ethiopia. Arab J Geosci 14, 2549 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-08881-8

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