Civil Engineering Report: System Design Process of Dartmouth Dam

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the system design process employed in the construction of the Dartmouth Dam. It begins with an introduction to the dam's purpose, location, and key features, including its role in water conservation, hydroelectric power generation, and irrigation. The report then delves into the preliminary and detailed design phases, outlining the considerations and decisions made during these stages. It further examines the system test, evaluation, and validation processes, including the assessment of the dam's capacity, human factors, process time, components, and maintainability. The evaluation section provides a detailed breakdown of the dam's performance against quantitative and qualitative requirements. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of following the design stages to ensure that the project meets the required quality standards and stated objectives. The report also touches on the optimization of the dam's design for maximum efficiency and its impact on the surrounding environment and community.

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SYSTEM DESIGN PROCESS OF DARTMOUTH DAM
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Table of Contents
Introduction....................................................................................................................................3
Preliminary design.........................................................................................................................4
Detailed design...............................................................................................................................4
System test, evaluation and validation and optimization processes..........................................5
Evaluation.......................................................................................................................................7
Conclusion......................................................................................................................................9
Bibliography.................................................................................................................................10

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Introduction
The Dartmouth Dam is a massive embankment dam that is filled with rock and a chute spillway
that is normally uncontrolled across several rivers. The rivers that goes through it are the Gibbo,
Dart and Mitta Mitta rivers. There are also a number of small rivers that act as distributaries and
also the Morass Creek. The Dam was built on the north east of Victoria State close to the mount
of Bogong, in the country of Australia. The dam was built to serve several purposes. Some of the
uses include supply and conservation of water used both for the domestic and industrial duties,
hydroelectric generation of power and also for irrigation process. It has an impounded reservoir
known as the Dartmouth Reservoir and is also commonly known as lake Dartmouth (Arthington
& Pusey, 2013). There also is a Dartmouth generation power station that generates power to the
national grid that is situated close to the walls of the dam. Its main water supply is the river
Murray that has a length of close to 2500km that rises from the Alps of Australia and discharges
into the sea in South Australia.
This report paper aims at carrying out a critical exploration of the design process of the
Dartmouth dam construction. A detailed analysis of the design process that is mainly focused on
the conceptual design stages of the construction of the dam had been carried out. When carrying
out the analysis, some of the factors that had been put into consideration included the following;
functional analysis, system planning, performance measurement, system operation requirements,
identification of needs, the concept of support as well as the concept of maintenance (Barrett,
2014). Given that the dam was originally meant to have a water storage capacity of close to 6.25
million Megalitres, there was also a possibility that it would have provided the southern
Australia with additional control over the portion of water. It is therefore necessary to conduct a
proper system design process of the given project in order to achieve its full potential.

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Preliminary design
Preliminary design is a stage of a project that involves creation of a greater level of design
concepts that are meant to be the compliments of the project that is intended to be carried out.
This design phase assumes that all the feasible decisions or selections have already been well-
thought-out and that one project has been selected to be carried out. The selected project is one
that meets the environmental, financial and economic standards. This given project of the
Dartmouth dam was initiated in February 1973. Construction works were performed by the state
rivers and water supply commission (Blanchard et al, 2010). The dam has a catchment that is
located within the Victoria. The area of the catchment is approximated to be 3600km2.
Detailed design
Once the preliminary stage has been completed, it is then developed into a package of detailed
design of engineering. This given detailed engineering design is considered as a primary tool that
is used for developing a given set of specifications. These set of specifications should be best
fitted for soliciting or acquiring international tenders from different engineering contractors.
Most importantly, at the conclusion of the detailed design phase of the project, the client will
also be able to have a proper estimate of the costs that will be reliable (Blyth et al, 2013). This is
necessary when in need of a reliable cost that should be submitted for the evaluation of tenders.
The Dartmouth dam was designed into finer details in order to allow for easier construction and
determination of the total costs that would be involved. The wall of the dam consisted of a rock-
fill embankment that has a height of 180m. The major components used for construction were;
 10.5 million m3 of rock
 The core had 2.8 million m3 of earth
 Filter material of 0.8 million m3 generated from crushed quarried rock.

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The embankment was designed at 670m of length at the top and 700 m at the base.
Its spillway crest is at 486m above sea level and has a length of close to 92m. In situations where
the reservoir surpasses its capacity, the floodwater will flow down the crest on a concrete chute
that is 80m long. The construction of the spillway was meant to evenly spread flood water s
across the cascading steps. The original design of the spillway was to be concrete lined. This was
not able to be achieved due to the massive economic requirements. A decision was therefore
reached to defer the idea indefinitely (Brittain & Saltveit, 2011).
System test, evaluation and validation and optimization processes
System test
During the construction of any project, it is a very important practice to perform a system test on
the project. A system test will enable designers and the clients to find out if the project will attain
the required safety standards and that the likelihoods of occurrence of a risk are greatly lowered
(Doeg, 2014). A system test performed on a complete project will aid the purpose of evaluating
if the project conforms to the intended objectives. This idea was considered by all the parties that
were involved in the construction of the Dam. At the moment that the construction of the dam
was already getting to completion, the participants involved- the design consultant, operator and
the owner- conducted a system test. This enabled them to understand that there was need to
increase the spillway capacity. This would ensure that the dam attains an acceptable risk level
against contemporary safety guidelines for the dam (Maheshwari et al, 2010).
Evaluation and validation

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The construction of the dam has several features in its design that was purposefully done to
ensure that it was fully optimized. It was designed in order to aid several purposes. Some of the
usages include water conservation, water supply for both the domestic as well as industrial
activities, hydroelectric generation of power and also for the irrigation process. The current state
of the dam has continued to validate its needs (Maver & Farmar-Bowers, 2014). Its storage
capacity has ensured that there is proper and continuous storage and conservation of water and
also plenty supply of water. A power generation plant that was constructed on the dam has
always been operative. The plant has continued to generate power both for domestic
consumption and industrial activities.
Optimization. This involves making the best and the most productive use of any given resource.
‘Dartmouth dam captures alpine water that is of high quality that flows down river Mitta Mitta
and also from its other tributaries. The water reservoir is the largest storage capacity in the
Murray River system. It also is the most upstream storage. Of all the dams in Australia, the
Dartmouth dam has got the highest embankment. The dam has the capability of holding up to
40% of the total storage capacity of River Murray ‘(Maver et al, 2011).
The high ability of the dam to hold water resulted to the development of the Dartmouth power
station. The Dartmouth power station began its activities in 1981. The power station has got one
180 MW hydro-generator. Activities and operations on the power station are done remotely by
AGL hydro. They are controlled strictly in order to give precedence to the requirements of water
that flows downstream. There are no restrictions for the power station to operate whenever the
water levels get to between 434m and 483.5m beyond the sea level. The power may only be
switched off when the levels of water get to below 432m above the sea level. There also are
times when there are releases made to be used for irrigation (Neely et al, 2010). When such

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situations occur, it is on the power station that the releases are made. The reservoir is also well
known for recreational trout fishery. This is because there is regular restocking done by the
‘Victorian Department of Primary Industries.’
From the period it began its operations, there have been significant efforts in order to control the
downstream flood. It is important to note that floods management is a process that is usually
carried out for just a few months in over an era. The process is mostly performed during the
wetter periods when the levels of storage are increased. Containing most of the inflows is mostly
done at the reservoirs or through releases that are done regularly (Olden & Naiman, 2010).
Evaluation
Once the project is completed and is fully functional, an evaluation on the technical performance
is carried out. The technical performance ideally measures the quantitative values as well as the
estimated and predicted values. These values are important for evaluation since they measure and
describe the performance of the dam (Pardo et al, 2012). The technical performance measures
that were considered for evaluation were the following; human factors, maintainability, the
process time, dam components and dam capacity. The technical performance measures were
evaluated and their relative importance determined. The results of the technical performance
measures can be shown as follows.
 Capacity- the Dartmouth dam had a quantitative requirement to build an embankment
dam that has got a spillage capacity of 2,750 m3/s, a Dartmouth reservoir of 3,856 GL and
a Dartmouth Power Station of 150 MW. The current benchmark indicates a Dam volume
of 14.1×106 m3, a Dartmouth Reservoir with a Total capacity of 3,856 GL. The

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Dartmouth power station plant produces an Annual generation of 310 GWh (Seed, 2010).
The evaluation therefore represents a relative importance of 28%
 Human Factors- The project targeted an error rate of less than 8% per year. In the current
benchmark, the project has been witnessing approximately Less than 12% error rate per
year. This represents an relative importance of 4%
 The process time- the quantitative requirement for the dam project was to begin in the
year 1973 with an intended completion date as soon as possible (Thomas & Gilmore,
2016). The construction works came to a conclusion in the year 1976. This therefore
represents a relative importance of 10%
 Components- the qualitative requirement for the project was to have an embankment dam
a Dartmouth Reservoir and a Dartmouth Power Station. After completion of the
construction, the current benchmark shows that the embankment dam has a Spillage
Capacity of 2,750 m3/s, the Dartmouth reservoir has a total capacity of 3,856 GL and the
Dartmouth power station has an installed capacity of 150 MW. Such components
represents a relative importance of 42%
 Maintainability- The targeted maintainability period for the project was a minimum of 3
times per month. In the current benchmark, the maintainability exercise only occurs once
a month thus representing a relative importance of 16%

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Conclusion
The key objective of this paper is to critically analyse the process of design for our project,
which in this case is the Dartmouth dam. There are a number of stages for the design of a project.
The two major stages that are discussed in this paper and that require detailed analysis are the
detailed design and preliminary design stages (Walker, 2011). While coming up with the initial
plan of constructing the Dartmouth dam, it is important to follow up on all the named stages
since this will ensure that the project that is achieved meets the required quality standards as well
as the stated objectives. In order to ascertain whether the construction activities of the Dartmouth
dam were carried out in an efficient and effective manner, a system test is performed on the
project. An equally important benefit of performing a system test is that it will assist in
conducting a risk analysis on the project. Once a risk analysis has been carried out, several ideas
that will help reduce the chances of occurrence of the risks are discussed and implemented. A
proper and detailed evaluation on the project is then carried out. The evaluation is also necessary
since it enables a comparison of the initial intended benefits with the current benefits that are
being observed on the completed project. This paper will therefore help in preparation of a
detailed design of the Dartmouth dam and how optimisation can be achieved from the Dartmouth
construction project (Walker, Shiel & Cadwallader, 2013).

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Bibliography
Arthington, A.H. and Pusey, B.J., 2013. Flow restoration and protection in Australian rivers.
River research and applications, 19(5‐6), pp.377-395.
Barrett, J., 2014. Introducing the Murray‐Darling Basin Native Fish Strategy and initial steps
towards demonstration reaches. Ecological Management & Restoration, 5(1), pp.15-23.
Blanchard, B.S., Fabrycky, W.J. and Fabrycky, W.J., 2010. Systems engineering and analysis
(Vol. 4). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Blyth, J.D., Doeg, T.J. and St Clair, R.M., 2013. Response of the macroinvertebrate fauna of the
Mitta Mitta River, Victoria, to the construction and operation of Dartmouth Dam. 1.
Construction and initial filling period. OCC. PAP. MUS. VICTORIA., 1(2), pp.83-100.
Brittain, J.E. and Saltveit, S.J., 2011. A review of the effect of river regulation on mayflies
(Ephemeroptera). Regulated Rivers: Research & Management, 3(1), pp.191-204.
Doeg, T.J., 2014. Response of the macroinvertebrate fauna of the Mitta Mitta River, Victoria, to
the construction and operation of Dartmouth Dam. 2. Irrigation release. OCC. PAP. MUS.
VICTORIA., 1(2), pp.101-108.
Maheshwari, B.L., Walker, K.F. and McMahon, T.A., 2010. Effects of regulation on the flow
regime of the River Murray, Australia. Regulated Rivers: Research & Management, 10(1),
pp.15-38.

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Maver, J.L. and Farmar-Bowers, Q.G., 2014. Environmental Studies and Effects of the
Dartmouth and Lerderderg Dam Projects, Victoria. In Environmental Engineering Conference
1978: Environmental Enquiry (p. 96). Institution of Engineers, Australia.
Maver, J.L., Michels, V. and Dickson, R.S., 2011. Dartmouth Dam project: design and
construction progress. In Engineering Conference 1977: Progress Through Problems; Conference
Papers (p. 212). Institution of Engineers, Australia.
Neely, A., Mills, J., Platts, K., Richards, H., Gregory, M., Bourne, M. and Kennerley, M., 2010.
Performance measurement system design: developing and testing a process-based approach.
International journal of operations & production management, 20(10), pp.1119-1145.
Olden, J.D. and Naiman, R.J., 2010. Incorporating thermal regimes into environmental flows
assessments: modifying dam operations to restore freshwater ecosystem integrity. Freshwater
Biology, 55(1), pp.86-107.
Pardo, I., Campbell, I.C. and Brittain, J.E., 2012. Influence of dam operation on mayfly
assemblage structure and life histories in two south‐eastern Australian streams. Regulated
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Seed, H.B., 2010. Earthquake-resistant design of earth dams.
Thomas, D.J. and Gilmore, A.M., 2016. The terrestrial vertebrate fauna of the Dartmouth Dam
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Perspectives in Southern Hemisphere Limnology (pp. 111-129). Springer, Dordrecht.

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Walker, K.F., Shiel, R.J. and Cadwallader, P.L., 2013. The Murray-Darling River system. In The
Ecology of River Systems (pp. 631-694). Springer, Dordrecht.