Dam grouting is a proven methodology for installing up-gradient and down-gradient barriers in dam foundations. In this application, these barriers are often called grout curtains. This technique is employed where the rock formation beneath the existing or proposed dam foundation is so pervious that seepage problems are expected. Grout curtains are generally installed using a primary, secondary, tertiary, and sometimes quaternary program wherein the primary holes are grouted first, followed by the secondary holes, and so on. As the program moves from primary to secondary to tertiary to quaternary holes, a successful program shows progressively smaller grout volumes at each stage. Dam grouting can be performed from the bottom up, termed upstage grouting, or from the top down, termed downstage grouting. Each of these techniques has advantages and disadvantages with specific soil conditions necessitating the use of one or the other. The sophistication of dam grouting has improved greatly over the last two decades with much of the work being monitored automatically. Another area of significant sophistication in grouting is in the development of specialized grouts for the successful completion of grouting programs in soil and rock conditions that would have previously been impossible to grout.
Geo-Solutions has been engaged in dam and permeation grouting since the 1980s and is ready to help you solve your next soil or groundwater problem involving grouting.
