RAPID: Field Data on Levee Breaches

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This is a RAPID award which is co-funded by the Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation Division, and the Office of International Science and Engineering. Levees are constructed along rivers and canals as a means to protection against flood. Well-designed and properly-constructed levees are generally effective against floods of shorter recurrence intervals. In recent years, though, there has been a spike of historic floods worldwide which may be linked to the phenomenon of global warming. Most levees are not designed to withstand floods of large magnitude and may breach during such events. Levee-failure often leads to extensive damage to properties, infrastructures, and casualties. Understanding and formulating the breach process is, therefore, necessary for emergency repair and breach closure in a timely manner. Laboratory-based research has contributed to some basic understandings of the breach process, and led to the development of a number of breach prediction models. However, small-scale laboratory experiments are influenced by the scale of the experiment, and models based on these data may not be reliable. In order to develop reliable breach models, it is necessary to understand the scale effects on physical model experiments. With funding from an NSF PIRE grant, we are currently conducting experiments at larger scales to understand the scale effect on observed breach processes. However, it is also essential to collect data at the field scale, when the opportunity arises. The ongoing flood in Pakistan has led to numerous levee breaches, both natural, and engineered. This RAPID project will allow us to quickly embark on collecting valuable breach and flood data at the field scale. These data will be useful for developing breach prediction models, for gaining clear insight into the breach evolution process, and understanding the effectiveness of engineered breaches for flood mitigation. This research will contribute to the better design and maintenance of levees, resulting in reduction in the loss of life and property during flood events. By partnering with the Center for Excellence in Water Resources (CEWRE), and the Punjab Irrigation Department, Pakistan that are experienced in field-based research, we will be able to collect valuable data during a short window between flood recession and the inception of levee repair.