Water Control Gates: Guidelines for Inspection and Evaluation

Water Control Gates: Guidelines for Inspection and Evaluation provides information and techniques for assessing water control gates, focusing particularly on those controlling reservoirs impounded by a dam. As many dams in the United States reach or pass their 50-year design lives, water control gates and other features must be examined to determine their condition for continued reliable, safe use. This single volume covers the most common types of major water control gates used throughout the last century in the United States. Topics include: description of various water control gates and operating systems; gate operation; gate maintenance; preparing for a gate inspection; conducting visual gate and gate operating system inspections; gate system testing; and the evaluation process. Appendixes provide inspection checklists; example procedures for inspection and testing; guidelines for crane inspection; calculations for determining curvilinear water pressure on a gate face; and potential failure mode examples. The volume includes references and an extensive bibliography. This volume will help owners of dams, whether large or small, to develop a comprehensive plan to actively manage their dam gates. Hydraulic engineers, water resources managers, and emergency planning officials also will rely on this compilation as a reference for managing and maintaining water control gates.