Monitoring the deformation and strain analysis on the Ataturk Dam, Turkey

Every man-made structure creates certain risks – dams are no exception. Most failures in man-made structures that have occurred could have been avoided if the structures’ behaviour had been inspected, monitored, and analyzed continuously, and if proper corrective measures had been taken in a timely fashion. The DSI (The General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works), which is the institution responsible for dam safety, has long used surveying methods to measure the displacements of geodetic points as a part of dam monitoring policy. In this study, we focus on the dam’s mechanical behaviour throughout a time period of more than 10 years. These study results have been derived from a separate, ongoing project that has monitored deformation on the Ataturk Dam and is now determining the water level of the reservoir. The project results show that although the dam body has become more stable and the water load behind the dam has increased, the rate of displacement of the dam has declined significantly. From these results, it can be seen that the reservoir water level can be increased evenly over time and that 542 m is the maximum water level of the dam’s reservoir.