Large wood is often transported by rivers into reservoirs during heavy rainfall events. When a critical section like a spillway is blocked and discharge capacity reduced, an uncontrolled increase of the reservoir water level may occur. This study aims to statistically analyse the importance of repetitions for the accuracy of experimental campaigns when studying blocking probabilities at ogee crested spillways equipped with piers. Systematic and reliable estimations based on physical models are critical for developing preventive measures against large wood blockage. Two statistical methods have been described and applied to calculate confidence intervals. A minimum number of repetitions for a maximum acceptable error is recommended for blocking probabilities. The minimum number of experimental repetitions has been statistically justified in accordance with a reasonable use of resources for experimental campaigns. In addition, a maximum acceptable level of error is proposed as a common metric of accuracy in large wood studies.

Large wood increases the morphological and hydraulic complexity of rivers, yet it may block and modify the flood discharge capacity of hydraulic structures. To assess the related risk, blockage probability estimation for hydraulic structures such as reservoir spillways is needed. This work presents unstudied parameters for blockage of large wood with a reservoir‐type approach flow, where the inflow velocity has a negligible magnitude. Experiments were conducted in a channel with an ogee crested spillway equipped with piers, representing a commonly used hydraulic structure. Artificial stems were used to systematically evaluate the influence of stem length and stem draft on the blocking process. Different hydraulic conditions were evaluated by changing the water level in the reservoir. The head at the spillway crest with respect to stem draft was found to be a key parameter for blockage probability estimation at a spillway. Additionally, stem length was related to the bay width in the estimation of blockage. Larger heads tend to reduce the blocking probability of large wood, for a given stem draft, while increasing the relative stem length tends to increase the blocking probability. A logistic regression model is provided to estimate large wood blockage probability at ogee crested spillways with piers. Finally, recommendations for engineering practice are presented.

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