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<br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />Geotechnical Engineering Investigation <br /> <br />within 7 days and within the core in 13 days. <br /> <br />The piezometer responses relative to the two dye migration tests indicate that peak <br />velocities, e.g. largest fracture apertures, are near the highest gauge heights recorded. Flow times <br />at peak reservoir level were 2.5 hours and 1 hour and 50 minutes respectively for the two tests <br />perfonned. <br /> <br />Attempts to plug the seepage intake zones were made by the staff of Santa Maria <br />Reservoir Company. Bentonite, cement and straw were used. At the same time, the reservoir <br />was lowered to gauge height 60.5 feet. These actions resulted in the draining of the upper <br />seepage zones. Testing and observations throughout July and August confinned that the seeps <br />progressively dry up as the reservoir water level drops. It should be noted that Hydro-Triad <br />reported that the abutment piezometer, CA-I, dried up on July 13th at gauge level 65.4 feet. The <br />piezometer, CE-2, located in the core dried up on July 17th at gauge height 62 feet. <br /> <br />Examination of Hydro- Triad's graph summarizing piezometer monitoring between May 30 <br />and August 2, 1993 indicates a rise in water level of2.5 feet in CA-l and 3 feet in CE-2 when the <br />reservoir was raised from elevation 10,261 (61 gauge height) to 10,268 feet (68 gauge height). <br />CA-l did not show any change in water level until the reservoir reached approximately 10,265 <br />feet, while CE-2 responded at a reservoir level of 10,266.8 feet. This suggests that there is a zone <br />of higher penneability in the fractured left abutment rock at about elevation 10,265 feet. CA-I <br />showed fluctuations in its water level between 10,265 and 10,267 feet, then showed a steady <br />increase as the reservoir level reached 10,268 feet. When the reservoir levels started dropping <br />below 10,268 feet, piezometer CA-I did not show any rapid change in its water elevations below <br />10,258 feet. The water level in CA-l stayed at El. 10,258 feet even though its base is at 10,251.8 <br />feet. Water levels in CE-2 stabilized at elevation 10,251 when the reservoir elevation was <br />lowered to 10,264 feet. When the reservoir was lowered from elevation 10,269 to 10,267 feet, <br />the CA-I water level dropped one and one-half foot. Then CA-l did not show any further <br />response and stabilized at El. 10,258 feet even though the reservoir further dropped from 10,267 <br />to 10,251 feet. CE-2 did not show any response to reservoir elevations when the reservoir was <br />lowered below elevation 10,264 feet. It should be noted that the base ofCA-l is 10,251.8 and <br />CE-2 is 10,247 feet, However they maintained a constant water level elevation of 10,258 and <br />10,251 feet, respectively. Hydro- Triad's monitoring data is included in Appendix E. <br /> <br />It appears that the seep and damp areas in the downstream shell of Continental Dam starts <br />to rise above the toe of the dam as the reservoir level rises above 10,260 feet. As the reservoir <br />level reaches gauge levels of 65 feet the seepage velocity increases and is measured in hours. <br /> <br />Continental Dam <br /> <br />Page 4 <br />