Use of Sediments from Dam Reservoir in Construction Industry

Sediments formed by erosion processing the catchment area of stream flow downstream along with the river. When water from the river is in stagenant condition behind the dam, the suspended particles from the water settles along the bed of reservoir. Depending on the topography of the reservoir, intensity of rainfall, type of soil and other conditions the percentage of sedimentation varies. The dam losing its water storing capacity as sediments from dam reservoir starts accumulating and thus the dam fails to serve the purpose for which it was built. Thus periodic removal of dam sediments is necessary to serve the purpose for which dams are built, namely for storage of water. Dredging involves removal of accumulated sediments from bottom of dam reservoir. The aim of this study was to determine the use of the dredged sediments from Tilari Dam reservoir in construction industry. This dam is situated in Dodamarg Taluka, in Maharashtra and is the largest one in Dodamarg Taluka of Kolhapur and has lost its water storing capacity by 11% due to sediment accumulation. To determine the optimum manufacturing procedure to obtain the best product a detailed experimental work was carried out. The main focus of this study was manufacturing bricks from dam sediment and to study the effect of firing temperature and two additives, namely stone dust and bottom ash on the mechanical and physical properties of bricks. A preliminary Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was also included in this study highlighting both positive and negative, as well as short term and long term impacts of removal of sediment from Tilari dam reservoir.