Oldman River upstream of the Oldman River Dam
Southern Alberta, Canada
Geotechnical engineering issues related to dams include field characterization of foundation conditions, evaluation of ground conditions for diversion tunnels, replacement of spillway infrastructure, and general materials selection and testing. Examples of dam projects in which Dr. Rod Read has been engaged are listed below. Key geological/geotechnical engineering considerations in these projects included the presence of weak bentonitic Cretaceous shale/claystone, buried paleo-channels, and change in rock strength and tunnel stability from desiccation.
| Client | Description | Date |
| St. Marys Dam | Analysis of rock bolt performance and assessment of specifications for spillway replacement project, southern AB. Included development of filter criteria and analysis of monthly data from installed instrumentation. | 1997 |
| Oldman River Dam | Construction and monitoring of a test diversion tunnel to assess ground conditions expected in the main diversion tunnels. Site support during tunnel excavation included geological characterization, ground stabilization and displacement monitoring. | 1986 |
| Oldman River Dam | Site characterization of dam abutments and foundation, including drilling, corelogging and geological mapping, to assess engineering design. Pincher Creek, AB. | 1985-86 |
| BC Hydro | Soils inspection for earthfill dam construction, Revelstoke Dam Project, Revelstoke, BC. | 1981 |
Projects in italics involved Dr. Rod Read but were not conducted directly by RSRead Consulting Inc.