Civil works |
Damming in harsh climates
Andrea Balestra and Erich Schmid share insights into the challenges and solutions involved in building and upgrading dams in cold and mountainous environments
Author details
Andrea Balestra is Head of Division and Design Project Manager at Lombardi; Erich Schmid is General Project Manager at Axpo Power
Below: Site installations: Pictured here are two 48 t load capacity cranes on Gigerwald dam crest, the concrete batching plant, the sheltered aggregates deposit as well as the pre-cast elements in the background
Below right: Water diversion pipe installation in the existing bottom outlet shaft
THE MAIN ISSUES TO be tackled during the design and construction of hydraulic works in harsher climates are connected to the extreme climatic conditions. Among these, low temperatures and related issues for people, materials, as well as machinery must be considered and solved in advance through detailed planning.
Applying solutions for risk mitigation helps to avoid
delays and stops. Natural hazards such as avalanches and winter surges increase the risks for logistics and transportation on site and along site access roads, thus requiring solutions for independency and autarchy of the construction site during limited periods.
Climate change The relationship between climate change and its
impact on both hydrological patterns of alpine catchments as well as natural hazards has been scientifically demonstrated.
Warmer winter temperatures increase the probability of liquid precipitation even at higher elevations and in months where typically only snow was falling in the past, thus influencing the flow regime of alpine catchments. The flood seasonality could also experience a shift with events occurring more often in previously unexpected periods. Another issue related to higher temperature is the rapid melting of the snowpack in spring thus causing larger runoff values as in the past.
So what lessons can be learnt looking to the future? The spectrum of consequences related to
climate change spreads from modification of the precipitation patterns across the year and variation in the hydrology, while other natural hazards can also be influenced by climate change. A consequence of permafrost melting is the increase of rockfalls and rock avalanches with their related risks, as well as modified zones exposed to erosion and an increase in sediment transportation rate.
Worker safety There also considerations with regards to worker
safety within the dam environment when operating in such climates. In-depth site knowledge and painstaking
preparation for the worst-case scenario can help predict which situations one might run into. The creation of an interdisciplinary committee of natural hazards experts can help the construction management team in assessing changes in weather
32 | August 2025 |
www.waterpowermagazine.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45
