For structures under the jurisdiction of the USBR, the design standards present clear and concise technical requirements and processes to enable design professionals to prepare design documents and reports necessary to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public.
Manual summarizing the methodologies used by the bureau to perform flood hydrology studies.
These guidelines provide thorough and consistent procedures for selecting and accommodating infow design foods (IDFs), the food fow above which the incremental increase in water surface elevation downstream due to the failure of a dam or other water retaining structure no longer presents an unacceptable additional downstream threat. These guidelines are not intended to provide a complete manual of all procedures for estimating IDFs; the selection of procedures is dependent upon available hydrologic data and individual watershed characteristics.
Inadequate spillway capacity is a common problem with many dams. Thousands of dams throughout North America have been determined to have inadequate spillway capacity and would be overtopped during the infow design food. Dam failure from overtopping can lead to a potential for loss of life and signifcant downstream damages. Thus, new design approaches have been developed that may allow for the dam to be safely overtopped. The design and construction of overtopping protection for dams is increasingly being viewed as a viable alternative to larger spillways as developing watersheds or changing hydrology produce higher peak fows.