Research
We are a not-for-profit organisation with a history of over 30 years of research and development in the field of breach modelling processes. We have worked on all types of embankments from flood levees and coastal defences to large water retaining dams.
Research programmes
HR Wallingford participated in the most influencial research programmes in dam breach modelling:
- CADAM - Concerted Action on dambreak analysis
CADAM was a European Concerted Action programme looking at dam-break analysis - practice and procedures across Europe. HR Wallingford co-ordinated the project which involved over 20 participating organisations from more than 10 different member states. The project objectives included establishing the needs of industry and reviewing current best practice across Europe, leading towards establishing European guidelines for dam-break.
- Impact - Investigation of extreme flood processes and uncertainty
HR Wallingford was coordinator for this European-funded RTD project, commissioned under the 5th framework research programme EESD – Generic Activities. The project team comprised 11 partners from 10 countries, with research focused on extreme flood processes including embankment performance / breach formation, flood propagation, urban flooding and sediment movement in near and far fields. The uncertainty associated with the prediction and simulation of these processes was also considered within the context of flood modelling for asset management and emergency planning.
Our partners
In recent years we have collaborated with the following organisations to undertake breach related research work:
Irstea, BC Hydro, University of Oxford, Environment Agency,
USACE, EDF Energy and US Bureau of Reclamation.
