Carsington Water Dam Construction and Reconstruction
Derbyshire, UK · 1979-1992 (Construction started 1979, failure 1984, reconstruction and opening 1992) · Unknown
The judgement call
Account-gated at launchThe failure led to significant advancements in geotechnical engineering and dam design practices in the UK. - Extensive forensic investigation involving 1,260 soil samples and various tests to understand the failure mechanism. - Reconstruction involved removing the failed embankment and using excavated soil to buttress the unfailed sections and strengthen bank foundations. - Relocation of the public road for improved protection and safety.
Key engineering challenges
Major slope failure of the dam embankment in 1984 during construction. - Geotechnical failure attributed to non-uniform strain distribution due to unusual clay core shape. - Brittle failure of foundation clay due to insufficient strength testing during initial design. - Progressive failure of the dam's upstream side.
Project facts
- Client / owner
- Severn Trent Water
- Lead contractor
- —
- Lead designers
- Sir Alec Skempton (led investigation and advised on repair/replacement); Babtie, Shaw and Morton (consulting engineers for investigation).
- Project type
- new build | upgrade
- Scale
- Reservoir capacity 35,412 megalitres; Dam height 35m; 6.5 miles (10km) of tunnel and aqueduct.
- Disciplines
- civil; geotechnical; soil mechanics
- Standards & frameworks
- Likely British Standards for dam construction and geotechnical investigations (not explicitly named in sources).
Sources: "Carsington Dam Reconstruction: Safeguarding Water Supply", Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), https://www.ice.org.uk/what-is-civil-engineering/infrastructure-projects/carsington-dam-reconstruction - "Case Study: The Carsington Dam Failure (Derby, UK, 1984)", Geo-Institute, https://www.geoinstitute.org/news/carsington-dam-failure - "Carsington Dam—The Near-Miss Which Became a Bulls-Eye", ASCE Library, https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/40482%28280%2912 - "Geochemical lessons from Carsington Dam failure of 1984", Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, 2018, https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsl/qjegh/article/52/4/414/569242/Geochemical-lessons-from-Carsington-Dam-failure-of