Risk Evaluation of the Sanalona Earthfill Dam Located in Mexico Using Satellite Geodesy Monitoring and Numerical Modeling

Abstract

Dams are essential structures in the growth of a region due to their ability to store large amounts of water and manage it for different social activities, mainly for human consumption. The study of the structural behavior of dams during their useful life is a fundamental factor for their safety. In terms of structural monitoring, classic terrestrial techniques are usually costly and require much time. Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) technology through the persistent scatterer interferometry (PSI) technique has been widely applied to measure millimeter displacements of a dam crest. In this context, this paper presents an investigation about the structural monitoring of the crest of the Sanalona dam in Mexico, applying two geodetic satellite techniques and mathematical modeling to extract the risk of the dam–reservoir system. The applicability of the InSAR technique for monitoring radial displacements in dams is evaluated and compared with both GPS systems and an analytical model based on the finite element method (FEM). The radial displacements of the Sanalona dam follow a seasonal pattern derived from the reservoir level, reaching maximum radial magnitudes close to 13 mm in November when the rainy season ends. GPS recorded and FEM simulated maximum displacements of 7.3 and 6.7 mm, respectively. InSAR derived radial displacements, and the reservoir water level presented a high similarity with a correlation index equal to 0.8. In addition, it was found that the Sanalona dam presents the greatest deformation in the central zone of the crest. On the other hand, based on the reliability analysis, the probability of failure values lower than 8.3 × 10−2 was obtained when the reservoir level was maximum, which means that the radial displacements did not exceed the limit states of the dam–reservoir system in the evaluated period. Finally, the extracted values of the probability of failure demonstrated that the Sanalona dam does not represent a considerable risk to society.

Deformation Monitoring and Analysis of Reservoir Dams Based on SBAS-InSAR Technology—Banqiao Reservoir

“…Liu et al (2021) [16] used distributed scatterer InSAR (DS-InSAR) to monitor the Xiaolangdi project, and the monitoring results showed that the maximum deformation velocity of the Xiaolangdi Dam was −10.09 mm/year, which was cross-verified with the SBAS results, and the monitoring results showed a high level of consistency. Vazquez-Ontiveros et al (2023) [17] used PS-InSAR technology to monitor the crest structure of the Sanalona Dam and showed that InSAR could achieve accuracy similar to GPS. Xiao et al (2022) [18] used TS-InSAR technology to investigate the failure of the Sardoba Dam in Uzbekistan and found that there was a 60 mm settlement difference before the dam failure.…”

Deformation Risk Assessment of the Lar Dam: Monitoring Its Stability Condition

“…For comprehensive research on dam displacement monitoring, various measurement techniques should be used [23].…”

“…Therefore, establishing dam structural safety is required to quantify the risk associated with a dam reservoir system. In other words, for the system's initial state and various failure modes, it is important to evaluate the risk of loading events as well as the system reaction for a given load condition [23].…”

Complex InSAR radar image processing, GNSS, and TPS measurements to determine the Kaniv HPP dam deformations

“…Several scientific publications have reported on the successful application of PSInSAR technology in analyzing dam deformation. Wang et al (2011) used this technology to study the Three Gorges Dam area in China on the Yangtze River, while Vázquez-Ontiveros et al (2023) studied the Sanalona Dam in Mexico. The results obtained through PSInSAR were consistent with traditional geodetic methods and GNSS measurements.…”