Design, construction and operation of China’s Jiudianxia CFRD

The Jiudianxia concrete faced rockfill dam, at 136.5 m, is the highest CFRD constructed on deep alluvial foundations. The dam is located in a very narrow valley with quite steep abutments. The river bed is covered with a deep alluvial deposit with a width of 30 to 50 m and a maximum depth of 56 m. In this paper, the main design and operational features of the dam are presented, including topographical and geological conditions at the dam site, general layout of the project, engineering measures for the foundation treatment, structural design of the CFRD, and operational performance.