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Design and performance of a novel multi-function debris flow mitigation system in Wenjia Gully, Sichuan

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Abstract

The post-earthquake debris flows in the Wenjia Gully led to the exposure of the shortcomings in the design of the original conventional debris flow mitigation system. A predicament for the Wenjia mitigation system is a large amount of loose material (est. 50 × 106 m3) that has been deposited in the gully by the co-seismic landslide, providing abundant source material for debris flows under saturation. A novel design solution for the replacement mitigation system was proposed and constructed, and has exhibited excellent performance and resilience in subsequent debris flows. The design was governed by the three-phase philosophy of controlling water, sediment, and erosion. An Early Warning System (EWS) for debris flow that uses real-time field data was developed; it issues alerts based on the probabilistic and empirical correlations between rainfall and debris flows. This two-fold solution reduces energy of the debris flow by combining different mitigation measures while minimizing the impact through event forecasting and rapid public information sharing. Declines in the number and size of debris flows in the gully, with increased corresponding rainfall thresholds and mean rainfall intensity-duration (I-D) thresholds, indicate the high efficacy of the new mitigation system and a lowered debris flow susceptibility. This paper reports the design of the mitigation system and analyzes the characteristics of rainfall and debris flow events that occurred before and after implementation of the system; it evaluates the effectiveness of one of the most advanced debris flow mitigation systems in China.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the Fund for Creative Research Groups of China (Grant No.41521002), Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China (Grant No.20135122130002), and the Open Research Fund from the State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironmental Protection (Grant No. SKLGP2015K001). Authors are grateful to the field work and data collection by L. Chen and G.L. Yin.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, Sichuan, China

    F.Z. Liu, Q. Xu, X.J. Dong, B. Yu & H.J. Li

  2. School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA

    F.Z. Liu & J.D. Frost

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  1. F.Z. Liu
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  2. Q. Xu
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  3. X.J. Dong
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  4. B. Yu
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  5. J.D. Frost
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  6. H.J. Li
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Correspondence to Q. Xu.

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Liu, F., Xu, Q., Dong, X. et al. Design and performance of a novel multi-function debris flow mitigation system in Wenjia Gully, Sichuan. Landslides 14, 2089–2104 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-017-0849-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-017-0849-0

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