1.

3 DAM SITE SELECTION

Surveys have indicated that a large proportion of small dams fail because of poo
r
planning, unsatisfactory siting, faulty construction or lack of maintenance. Suc
h costly
failures can usually be avoided. The choice of a suitable dam site should begin
with
preliminary studies of possible sites. Where more than one site is available, ea
ch should
be studied separately with a view of selecting the one that proves most practica
l and
economical (DoA Vic, 1978; SRW, 1995).
From an economic viewpoint, a dam should be located where the largest storage
volume can be obtained with the least amount of earthworks. This condition will
occur,
generally, at a site where the valley is narrow, side slopes are relatively stee
p, and the
slope of the valley floor will permit a large deep basin. Such sites tend to min
imise the
area of shallow water. Except where the dam is to be used for wildlife, large ar
eas of
shallow water should be avoided due to the potential for excessive evaporation l
osses.
Value of the land flooded by the storage should also be considered.
Dams to be used for watering livestock should be spaced so that livestock will n
ot
have to travel more than 200 m to reach them in rough, broken country, nor more
than 1,000 m in smooth, relatively level areas; that is, the maximum spacing bet
ween
dams is 1 km. Forcing livestock to travel long distances for water is detrimenta
l to
both the livestock and the grazing area. Overgrazing near water, and unused feed
far
from water, are characteristics of inadequate water distribution.
Where water must be conveyed for use elsewhere, such as for irrigation, fire pro
tection
or stock and domestic use, dams should be located as close to the point of
use as practical. The economics of gravity flow compared with pumping must also
be
considered.
Pollution of small dam water should be avoided by selecting a site where drainag
e
from houses, piggeries, dairies, sewerage lines and similar areas will not reach
the dam.
Where this cannot be done practically, the drainage from such areas should be di
verted
from the dam.
The dam should not be located where sudden release of water due to failure of th
e
dam would result in loss of life, injury to persons or livestock, damage to resi
dences,
industrial buildings, railroads or highways, or interruption of the use or servi
ce of
public utilities. Where the only suitable site presents one or more of these haz
ards, a
more detailed investigation should be made.
Powerlines present a hazard to people constructing, using or desilting small dam
s.
Sites under such lines should be avoided. Permission from the electric supply co
mpany

is recommended before construction is commenced beneath powerlines.

10 Small Dams
1.3.1 Choosing a dam site
When choosing a dam site (Lewis, 1995b), the following points need to be conside
red:
i Storage yield from the catchment
Yield is the volume of water harvested from the dam catchment area. It depends o
n
rainfall, plant cover, slope, soil type, area and other factors (see Section 1.2
.1).
Three questions need to be asked when selecting a dam site:
1 what is the catchment area above the dam?
2 how much water will the catchment yield?
3 would the catchment yield be substantially reduced if another dam were to be b
uilt
in the same catchment?
If most of the catchment is outside the property and is eroded, a silt trap may
have to be built. This is usually a small dam above the main storage (Figure 1.6
). Its
function is to slow down the run-off so that silt is deposited before it is carr
ied into
the main dam. Silt traps have to be cleaned out periodically.
ii Increased catchment harvest
Often dams cannot fill because the catchment area produces insufficient run-off.
The
catchment, or source of water of a dam, should generate enough water each year t
o
fill it.
If the catchment is large enough, graded drains can be constructed to divert run
-off
from adjacent areas. Hard surface areas such as roads and roofs can also be used
to
increase the yield (see Section 1.2.4).
iii Choosing dam type for site
The larger the quantity of water stored for each cubic metre of soil to be moved
, the
larger is the cost-saving on construction. Wherever possible, a site with a good
storage
excavation ratio (S:E) should be selected. The average stock dam site would have
a
storage to excavation ratio of 2 or 3 to 1, that is, 1m3 of soil moved for each
2 to 3m3
of water stored (see Section 1.4).
iv Soil assessment and testing
Although clay soils are imperative to prevent leaking dams, it should be noted t
hat all
clays do not hold water. Physical and chemical properties can make some clay soi
ls
prone to seepage or tunnelling, both of which result in bank failure.
To test the suitability of the soil, samples should be taken from the borrow pit
(see
Section 2.1.2) and along the bank centre line using a soil auger, which penetrat
es at
least just below the proposed excavation depth. These tests show whether or not
the
soil contains clay. Further tests are needed to find if this clay is of a waterholding type.
If testing indicates that the soil is suitable in terms of clay content and type
, the
following points should be checked:

Are there any sand or gravel layers or seams? A dam should not be sited where
there are seams, fissured rock or soaks. A stream or soak is an indication that
the
Planning 11
water-holding layer has not been reached. Where this occurs, it will be necessar
y
to dig down to the impermeable layer and repack with a suitable clay to stop wat
er
leaking out along the original soak line.
Will the clay content of different soil samples be sufficient to seal the bank a
gainst
leaks? Soils from different locations should not be mixed to form a composite. T
est
results from such a sample can be meaningless because even though the mixture
may hold water, one of the soils in the mixture may leak. The dam will then leak
where this soil is exposed in the excavation.
Is there sufficient material with correct clay content readily available within
the
excavation area? Unless extra care and time are spent, there will almost certain
ly
be layers of unsuitable material in a borrow pit which will leak when placed in
an embankment. It is better to keep the soils separately zoned, as explained in
Section 3.1.1.
Is the layer of permeable topsoil overlying the clay soil too deep? If there is
more
than 1m of topsoil to be removed, costs should be estimated carefully. Removal
of topsoil may become a large proportion of the total costs.
If the dam is to be filled with groundwater, special care must be taken in testi
ng
soils. Some groundwater contains chemicals which react with clays and cause
leakage even though the soil is watertight to rainwater.
If you have any doubts, seek advice from an experienced soil/small dams engineer
.
v Planning outlet structures
Many dams fail because of an inadequate or incorrectly located spillway or insuf
ficient
freeboard. If a spillway is too small to cope with storm flood-flows, water will
flow
over the top of the bank which may then breach. A badly designed or constructed
spillway can cause erosion of the spillway and lead to complete failure of the d
am.
Therefore, the spillway should be large enough to handle and dispose of flood-wa
ters
safely, without damaging the dam bank or causing erosion of the spillway.
When planning to divert water a landholder should make sure it does not leave th
e
property in a different drainage line from its natural alignment. If it is advan
tageous to
do this then it would be wise to obtain permission from down-slope neighbours an
d, if
road works will be affected from the municipality. The permission for this diver
sion
should be in writing from all parties concerned to prevent future arguments.
In some cases, flows from the catchment are so great that there is no economical
way of constructing an in-stream dam with an adequate spillway. In these cases c
onsideration
should be given to an off-stream storage. Where it is anticipated that water
may flow over the spillway for a prolonged period, for example one week, problem
s
may occur due to deterioration of the vegetation cover on the spillway. This pro

blem
can sometimes be overcome with the installation of a trickle pipe to carry the
prolonged flow.
vi Legal considerations
Before constructing any dam across a gully or depression, it should be checked f
irst
that it is not a legally recognised waterway, and that it does not have an exist
ing
easement. This may be found on the land title or in the records of the local mun
icipality.
If the gully or depression does have either or both of these conditions, then
12 Small Dams
permission must be obtained from each responsible authority, agency, instrumenta
lity
or department. Permission should also be obtained from any neighbours who may be
affected.
In some States of Australia, the construction of a dam on a river, stream, water
course
or waterway, is governed by common law and/or legislation. In addition, a
separate licence may be required to take and use the water that is to be stored
in the
dam.
For details on owning a dam as an asset or a liability see Section 10.
vii Environmental issues
It is preferable to design and build in-stream dams in a manner that inherently
provides
for fish passage. However, where existing dams are to be modified, or where it i
s not
practical to modify the design of new structures to provide for fish movement, i
t will
be more appropriate to install some type of dedicated fish way (Lewis and O Brien,
2001). This decision will be based on a number of site-specific factors such as
the
fish species present, site topography, flow characteristics and the potentially
increased
costs. Over the years, a large number of in-stream structures have been built wi
thout
any provision for fish movement. Some of these are large dams and weirs that req
uire
a fully engineered device such as a fish lift or a vertical-slot fish way to fac
ilitate fish
movement. However, the vast majority of barriers are smaller structures for whic
h
other options, such as rock fish ways, are considered more appropriate. There is
also a need for those planning to install an in-stream structure to conform with
the
current legislative requirements and practices (Lewis et al., 1999 and O Brien et
al.,
1999).
Conditions regarding installations of in-stream structures have been formulated
over many years in Victoria to minimise the impact on aquatic biota and maintain
their natural environment. This Section does not discuss the legislative respons
ibilities
associated with providing fish passage, but does demonstrate graphically an in-s
tream
structure that assists fish passage (see photo 1.1).
viii Improving biodiversity and aesthetic values
Finishing touches to a dam include:
fencing the entire pond area to keep livestock out, and installing drinking trou
ghs

away from the dam. This minimises pollution entering the storage.
planting trees and shrubs to provide windbreaks which prevent wave action and
therefore soil erosion, while also providing shelter for wildlife (do not plant
trees
on the banks as it will create seepage through the banks).
stocking the dam with suitable fish which can provide food and recreation.