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COLORADO <br />Division of Water Resources <br />Department of Natural Resources <br />State Engineer Standard Plans and Specifications for Construction of <br />Livestock Water Tank and Erosion Control Dams <br />• Site Selection <br />- Foundation soils should be firm to provide adequate support for the embankment and should have low permeability <br />to allow for water retention. Site selection should consider potential downstream property damage in the event of <br />a dam failure. Construction of dams in boggy areas, areas with non -uniform fractured rock, or sands/gravels is not <br />recommended and an engineer should be hired to evaluate the site conditions. Any part of the reservoir basin <br />excavated below grade cannot expose groundwater. <br />Embankment Design <br />- Backfill material to be used for construction of the cutoff trench and embankment should be a suitable clay material <br />and contain no material larger than 6 inches in diameter. <br />The upstream slope should be constructed with a slope no steeper than 3:1, and the downstream slope should be <br />no steeper than 2:1 (see cross section below). The dam crest should have a minimum width of 10 feet and the <br />surface should be graded with positive drainage toward the reservoir basin. <br />It is recommended that rock rip rap or other suitable material be placed on the upstream slope of the embankment <br />to protect it from wave action. A suitable gravel or geosynthetic material should be placed under the rip rap to <br />prevent fine material from washing out from behind the larger rock. <br />The embankment should be fenced to restrict livestock from accessing the dam since they damage the protective <br />vegetation and increase erosion. <br />Embankment Construction <br />The topsoil and all organic material should be removed from the foundation of the proposed dam site. Organic soil <br />should only be reused for placement on the completed embankment to promote the re -growth of vegetation. <br />- A cutoff trench should be excavated under the full length of the centerline of the dam with sloping sides (1:1 min.), <br />a minimum bottom width of 3 feet and a depth of 3 feet. <br />The foundation of the dam should be scarified/ripped to a depth of 6-inches to provide proper contact between <br />the native foundation and embankment. This surface should then be moisture treated before placement of fill. <br />Fill material should be placed in layers not exceeding 12 inches in thickness prior to compaction. Suitable backfill <br />material should have enough clay and moisture content to roll a small ball by hand. If this cannot be done, the soil <br />is likely too dry or does not have adequate clay content. <br />- Each lift should be thoroughly compacted using a sheeps foot compactor. Care should be taken not to allow the top <br />layers of the soil to dry out between placement of lifts. <br />- Fill should be placed in uniform lifts that cover the entire embankment length andwidth. <br />• Outlet <br />- A minimum diameter of 12 inches is recommended and should be protected at the upstream end by a trash rack. <br />• Emergency Spillway <br />The spillway should have sufficient width to provide capacity to route the runoff from the drainage basin above the <br />dam during rainfall/runoff events. <br />A minimum of 3 feet of freeboard is required from the bottom of the emergency spillway to the top of thedam. <br />• Examole Plan View and Cross Section <br />- it Abutmerx <br />Reservoir <br />Dowatstream Aare <br />------ Outlat Cenautt Throw Darn <br />Toe <br />Upstream Skye - V <br />Right abutment <br />SPIU-Y <br />3 Feet Freeboard <br />Minimum from Dam <br />Reservolr Water <br />Crest to Spillway Crest <br />Surface <br />----v------- <br />---------------- <br />i— <br />Natural <br />��, Ground/ /— Outlet Conduit <br />�ICrest Width <br />(10 Foot Min) <br />to Drain <br />Spillway Crest <br />,*--- Centerli ne of dam <br />Plan View Cross Section <br />DWR (10/11 /2019) <br />