“Constitución” dam behavior conclusions after 30 years of operation

Abstract

The Constitución Dam and Power Plant is the third stage in the global hydroelectric development of the Negro River.The dam was built between 1978 and 1981, and after the first impounding of the reservoir, started being operated and maintened by UTE, who is also his owner. The dam was designed according to the typical criteria of the ´70s, by a brazilian consulting firm. The main structures are two embankment dams, and in the central zone, a concrete gravity dam, the spillway and the power-house. The maximum height is 40 m. The dam was founded on the less altered levels of the basalts (geologically “Formación Arapey”). The
structures, both, embankment and concrete dam, disposed of a complete instrumentation system, included in the original project. This was the first dam with this kind of solution in our country. This article is dedicated to describe the observed behavior after 30 years of instrumentation data. Also it presents some ideas about the critical parameters which summarize in a better way the control of the dam. Finally, the paper suggest the use of some models to predict settlements and piezometers levels, which have been applied successfully in this case.