Table Of ContentGEOTECHNICAL PRACTICE PUBLICATION NO. 7
G C
EO HALLENGES
RISING TO THE GEOTECHNICAL CHALLENGES
OF COLORADO
PROCEEDINGS OF THE 2012 BIENNIAL GEOTECHNICAL SEMINAR
November 9, 2012
Denver, Colorado
SPONSORED BY
The Geo-Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers
Geo-Institute Chapter of the Colorado Section of the American Society
of Civil Engineers
Rocky Mountain Section of the Association of Environmental and Engineering
Geologists
Colorado Association of Geotechnical Engineers
EDITED BY
Christoph M. Goss, Ph.D., P.E.
Jere A. Strickland, P.E.
Richard L. Wiltshire, P.E.
Published by the American Society of Civil Engineers
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Preface
As geo-professionals, we are called to provide solutions for the many challenges that
our earth presents in the areas we choose to work, play and live. From nature’s
geological features to our world’s aging infrastructure, we are presented with the
challenge of developing in areas and in ways that many thought were unbuildable or
un-attainable. Yet, through the use of new technologies, modeling methods and visual
mapping, geo-professionals have answered these many challenges by providing
viable solutions. This book provides examples of how some in our profession have
overcome these types of challenges in mining applications, tunneling, geological
anomalies, alternative energy resources and infrastructure. This will highlight, again,
how the geo-professional community provides solutions to the most challenging
applications.
Since 1984, the Geotechnical Institute Chapter of Colorado (formally known as the
ASCE Colorado Section’s Geotechnical Group) in collaboration with the Rocky
Mountain Section of the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists
and the Colorado Association of Geotechnical Engineers, has organized a biennial
series of geotechnical seminars on a wide variety of themes that have been attended
by as many as 270 civil/geotechnical engineers, geologists, and other geo-
professionals. The geotechnical seminars have been held at area universities or hotels
and have offered the opportunity for sharing ideas and experiences among Colorado’s
diverse geo-disciplines. Since 2004, ASCE’s Geo-Institute has published the papers
of these seminars in Geotechnical Practice Publications, allowing the experiences to
be shared with a worldwide audience.
The GeoChallenges Steering Committee convened in August 2011 and held monthly
meetings to plan for the 2012 Biennial Geotechnical Seminar. The Steering
Committee members included Joseph Kerrigan (Conference Chair), Dustin Bennetts,
Mark Brooks, Robin Dornfest, Darin Duran, Dr. Christoph Goss, Joels Malama, Dr.
Bill McCarron, Minal Parekh, Becky Roland, Keith Seaton, Jere Strickland, David
Thomas, Mark Vessely Chris Wienecke, and Richard Wiltshire.
Christoph Goss, Jere Strickland, and Richard Wiltshire
iii
Acknowledgments
The GeoChallenges Steering Committee wishes to take this opportunity to thank all
of the authors and reviewers of our papers, which are herein presented as
Geotechnical Practice Publication No. 7. The authors have spent many hours in
preparing and finalizing their papers, which will be presented at the 2012 Biennial
Geotechnical Seminar on November 9, 2012. These papers have been reviewed by a
volunteer group of Denver area geo-professionals who put in their valuable time and
helped make these papers even better. The Geo-Institute’s Committee on Technical
Publications completed its review of our GeoTrends papers in a very timely manner
and their adherence to our aggressive publication schedule is greatly appreciated. We
would also like to acknowledge the assistance of Donna Dickert of ASCE’s Book
Production Department for putting this publication together.
iv
Author List
Amundson, Al, 134 Lawson, Tim, 230
Anderson, Scott A., 37
Andrew, Rick D., 76 McCartney, John S., 217
McCormick, Bill, 54
Bare, Dan, 134 McDivitt, Joseph, 230
Murphy, Kyle D., 217
Chang, Nien-Yin, 206
Parekh, Minal L., 134
Deere, Don W., 148 Pauley, Chris, 134
DeMarco, Matthew J., 37 Prochaska, Adam B., 189
France, John W., 54 Russell, Kendra, 121
Friedman, Evan, 17
Santi, Paul, 1, 17
Gavin, Matt, 54 Simpson, Bryan K., 90
Sirles, Phil, 76
Hanna, Kanaan, 134 Soule, Nathan, 134
Haramy, Khamis, 76 Spitzer, Roy H., 148
Hoffman, Peter, 178 Surdahl, Roger W., 76
Huzjak, Robert J., 189
Volmer, Brian, 206
Jurich, David, 230
Kottenstette, Joseph, 98
Kuehr, Steven, 134
Kumar, Narender, 164
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Contents
Challenging Hazards
Challenges for Debris-Flow Mitigation in Colorado: Helpful Ideas from Recent
Research ................................................................................................................................... 1
Paul Santi
Debris-Flow Hazard Assessment and Model Validation, Medano Fire, Great Sand
Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado .................................................................... 17
Evan Friedman and Paul Santi
Use of Rockfall Rating Systems in the Design of New Slopes ............................................ 37
Scott A. Anderson and Matthew J. DeMarco
Evaluation of Sinkhole at Beaver Park Dam, Colorado, Guided by Risk Analysis ........ 54
John W. France, Bill McCormick, and Matt Gavin
Nondestructive Evaluation Challenge
Seismic and Electrical 3D Imaging to Aid in Landslide Remediation Design,
East Fork Landslide, Wolf Creek Pass, Colorado .............................................................. 76
Phil Sirles, Khamis Haramy, Rick D. Andrew, and Roger W. Surdah l
Photogrammetric Methods, Geologic Discontinuity Mapping for Spillway
Modifications, Pathfinder Dam, Wyoming ......................................................................... 90
Bryan K. Simpson
Use of Photogrammetric Measurements in a Concrete Damage Survey, Guernsey
Dam South Spillway .............................................................................................................. 98
Joseph Kottenstette
Balloon Photogrammetry along the Middle Fork, John Day River, Oregon ................. 121
Kendra Russell
Templeton Gap Floodway Levees, Investigation and Mitigation
of Mine Subsidence ............................................................................................................. 134
Nathan Soule, Minal L. Parekh, Steven Kuehr, Al Amundson, Kanaan Hanna,
Dan Bare, and Chris Pauley
Challenging Ground
The Misbehavior of the Laramie Formation Claystones ................................................. 148
Roy H. Spitzer and Don W. Deere
Effective Use of Underdrain System in Construction on Expansive Subsoils ............... 164
Narender Kumar
Application of Coulomb’s Method to Reinforced Soil Structures .................................. 178
Peter Hoffman
Bedrock Settlement beneath a Large Embankment Dam ............................................... 189
Robert J. Huzjak and Adam B. Prochaska
vii
Constructing Challenges
Drilled Shaft Responses under Pre-Torsion Lateral or Vertical Loads .......................... 206
Brian Volmer and Nien-Yin Chang
Behavior of Full Scale Energy Foundations in Denver, Colorado .................................. 217
Kyle D. Murphy and John S. McCartney
Geotechnical Challenges for the South Coast Water District Tunnel Rehabilitation
and Sewer Pipeline Replacement Project .......................................................................... 230
David Jurich, Joseph McDivitt, and Tim Lawson
viii
Challenges fo r Debris-Flow Mitigation in Colorado:
Helpf ul Ideas from Recent Research
Paul Santi1, Ph.D., P.G.
1
Professor, Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, 1500
Illinois St., Golden CO 80401, [email protected]
ABSTRACT: A large amount of recent research has focused on debris flow analysis,
prediction, and mitigation, particularly in burned areas. Ten concepts from this work
are especially applicable in Colorado. 1) Debris flows are larger and more likely to
occur following wildfire, and the problem is getting worse due to climate change. 2)
After wildfire, vegetation often recovers to pre-fire conditions in one to three years. 3)
Volume measurement and related volume prediction methods for debris flows have
much larger error ranges than is typically assumed. 4) Likewise, measurement and
prediction of debris-flow velocities may easily include errors. 5) Impact forces from
boulders carried by debris flows are typically overestimated. 6) Flows often occur in
surges, probably from creation and breaching of small dams of material. 7) Flow
paths on open slopes are unpredictable and may change rapidly following
development of these small dams. 8) In burned areas, the occurrence of debris flows
depends more on rainfall intensity bursts, with flows often occurring within a few
minutes of 10-minute intensities exceeding threshold values, than on total storm
rainfall. 9) A corollary is that debris-flow volume, as predicted from multiple-
regression datasets, depends more on total rainfall than on shorter intensity ranges.
10) Many flows are comprised more of channel sediment than of materials mobilized
from a single slide mass, meaning that they grow substantially in volume in transit.
INTRODUCTION
Debris flows are a common and destructive geologic hazard in Colorado. Recent
debris flows have covered Interstate 70 in more than 7m of debris, have affected
dozens of flow channels following alpine summer cloudbursts (e.g., Coe et al., 2007;
Godt and Coe, 2007), and have influenced zoning and building locations in many
mountain communities (such as Aspen, V ail, Glenw ood Springs, T e l l u ri de, O u r a y , a n d
Georgetown). Recent wildfires have created conditions where numerous large and
destructive debris-flow events have impacted Durango, Glenwood Springs, and
Boulder (e.g., Cannon et al., 2003a; Cannon et al., 2008; Ruddy et al., 2010).
1
