How ‘Leaky’ Should a Leaky Dam Be?
Date:
A. D. Jones (Durham University), J. L. A. Knapp (Durham University), S. M. Reaney (Durham University), I. Pattison (Heriot Watt)
Leaky dams made from large woody material are increasingly used as natural flood management (NFM) interventions. This study, conducted at the Tees Barrage International White Water Centre, used a 300m controlled white water course to simulate low and high-flow flood events, assessing the effectiveness of engineered and natural leaky dams. Using high-resolution hydrodynamic instrumentation, we tested two dam types: engineered dams constructed from commercial timbers and natural dams from locally sourced pine. The “leakiness” of each dam was adjusted to evaluate flood delay and peak storage relative to a no-dam control scenario. Engineered dams provided superior water storage, and reduced timber spacing further increased flood delay, with engineered designs generally outperforming natural ones. This study highlights the potential of optimized leaky dam designs to improve flood mitigation, supporting NFM strategies under varied flow conditions.