Introduction

• The previous lessons dealt with storage reservoirs built by impounding a river with a dam and the common types of dams constructed by engineers. However, in rare cases only it is economical or practical for the reservoir to store the entire volume of the design flood within the reservoir without overtopping of dam. Hence, a dam may be constructed to that height which is permissible within the given topography of the location or limited by the expenditure that may be possible for investment. The excess flood water, therefore, has to be removed from the reservoir before it overtops the dam. Passages constructed either within a dam or in the periphery of the reservoir to safely pass this excess of the river during flood flows are called Spillways. 

• Ordinarily, the excess water is drawn from the top of the reservoir created by the dam and conveyed through an artificially created waterway back to the river. In some cases, the water may be diverted to an adjacent river valley. In addition to providing sufficient capacity, the spillway must be hydraulically adequate and structurally safe and must be located in such a way that the out-falling discharges back into the river do not erode or undermine the downstream toe of the dam. The surface of the spillway should also be such that it is able to withstand erosion or scouring due to the very high velocities generated during the passage of a flood through the spillway. 

• The flood water discharging through the spillway has to flow down from a higher elevation at the reservoir surface level to a lower elevation at the natural river level on the downstream through a passage, which is also considered a part of the spillway. At the bottom of the channel, where the water rushes out to meet the natural river, is usually provided with an energy dissipation device that kills most of the energy of the flowing water. These devices, commonly called as Energy Dissipators, are required to prevent the river surface from getting dangerously scoured by the impact of the outfalling water. In some cases, the water from the spillway may be allowed to drop over a free overfall, as in Kariba Dam on Zambezi River in Africa, where the free fall is over 100m. 

• In some projects, like the Indira Sagar Dam on River Narmada, two sets of spillways are provided – Main and Auxiliary. The main spillway, also known as the service spillway is the one which is generally put into operation in passing most of the design flood. The crest levels of the auxillary spillways are usually higher and thus the discharge capacities are also small and are put into operation when the discharge in the river is higher than the capacity of the main spillway. Sometimes, an Emergency or Fuse Plug types of spillway is provided in the periphery of the reservoir which operates only when there is very high flood in the river higher than the design discharge or during the malfunctioning of normal spillways due to which there is a danger of the dam getting overtopped. Usually, spillways are provided with gates, which provides a better control on the discharges passing through. However, in remote areas, where access to the gates by personnel may not be possible during all times as during the rainy season or in the night ungated spillways may have to be provided.

• The capacity of a spillway is usually worked out on the basis of a flood routing study, explained in lesson 4.5. As such, the capacity of a spillway is seen to depend upon the following major factors: 

  1. The inflow flood

  2. The volume of storage provided by the reservoir 

  3. Crest height of the spillway

  4. Gated or ungated

• According to the Bureau of Indian Standards guideline IS: 11223-1985 “Guidelines for fixing spillway capacity”, the following values of inflow design floods (IDF) should be taken for the design of spillway: generally put into operation in passing most of the design flood. The crest levels of the auxiliary spillways are usually higher and thus the discharge capacities are also small and are put into operation when the discharge in the river is higher than the capacity of the main spillway. Sometimes, an Emergency or Fuse Plug types of spillway is provided in the periphery of the reservoir which operates only when there is very high flood in the river higher than the design discharge or during the malfunctioning of normal spillways due to which there is a danger of the dam getting overtopped. 

• Usually, spillways are provided with gates, which provides a better control on the discharges passing through. However, in remote areas, where access to the gates by personnel may not be possible during all times as during the rainy season or in the night ungated spillways may have to be provided. 

  1. For large dams (defined as those with gross storage capacity greater than 60 million m3 or hydraulic head greater than 60 million m3 or hydraulic head between (2m and 30m), IDF should be based on the Standard Project Flood (SPF).

  2. For intermediate dams those with gross storage between 10 and 60 million m3 or hydraulic head between (2m and 30m), IDF should be based on the Standard Project Flood (SPF). 

  3. For small dams (gross storage between 0.5 to 10 million m3 or hydraulic  head between 7.5m to 12m), IDF may be taken as the 100 year return period flood.

• The volume of the reservoir corresponding to various elevation levels as well as the elevation of the crest also affects the  spillway capacity, as may be obvious from the flood routing procedure.

• If the spillway is gated, then the discharging water (Q) is controlled by the gate opening and hence the relation of Q to reservoir water level would be different from that of an ungated spillway. In the example of Lesson 4.5, an ungated spillway considered. Where as, in most practical cases, spillways are provided with gates and the gate operation is guided by a certain predetermined sequence which depends upon the inflow discharge. Hence, for an actual spillway capacity design, one has to consider not only the inflow hydrograph, but also the gate operation sequence. 

• Apart from spillways, which safely discharge the excess flood flows, outlets are provided in the body of the dam to provide water for various demands, like irrigation, power generation, etc. Hence, ordinarily river flows are usually stored in the reservoir or released through the outlets, and the spillway is not required to function. Spillway flows will result during floods or periods of sustained high runoff when the capacities of other facilities are exceeded. Where large reservoir storage is provided, or where large outlet or diversion capacity is available, the spillway will be utilized infrequently. This feature may be contrasted with that of a diversion structure-like a barrage-where the storage is almost nil, and hence, the spillway there is in almost continuous operation. 

• Spillways are ordinarily classified according to their most prominent feature, either as it pertains to the control, to the discharge channel, or to some other component.

The common types of spillway in use are the following:

1. Free Overfall (Straight Drop) Spillway.

2. Overflow (Ogee) Spillway.

3. Chute (Open Channel/Trough) Spillway.

4. Side Channel Spillway.

5. Shaft (Drop Inlet/Morning Glory) spillway.

6. Tunnel (Conduit) spillway.

7. Siphon spillway.

• These spillways are individually treated in the subsequent sections. 

• The water flowing down from the spillways possess a large amount of kinetic energy  that is generated by virtue of its losing the potential head from the reservoir level to the level of the river on the downstream of the spillway. If this energy is not reduced, there are danger of scour to the riverbed which may threaten the stability of the dam or the neighbouring river valley slopes. The various arrangements for suppressing or killing the high energy water at the downstream toe of the spillways are called Energy Dissipators.