Kolnbrein Background
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dam type: thin double curvature concrete arch buttress
purpose: hydroelectric power, flood control, and water supply
height: 656 ft (200 m)
width at foundation: 121.4 ft (37 m)
length of crest: 2054 ft (626 m)
storage capacity: 162,000 acre-ft. |
photo courtesy of Erich Wagner
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| Kolnbrein is part of the Malta hydro power complex, the most
powerful in Austria.
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location: Carinthia, Austria, in the Hohe Tauern Mountain range
river: Malta river
foundation & abutments: granitic gneiss on one side, schistose gneiss
on the other, and highly schistose gneiss at the bottom of the valley
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- While most arch dams are built in V-shaped valleys, Kolnbrein was built in a
U-shaped valley and has a longer crest than most.
- As is done for many dams, grout curtain was constructed in the
foundation near the upstream side. A grout curtain is a thin wall of
a strong cement-like material. The curtain sits as a wall in the
foundation under the dam, keeping water from seeping under the dam
and creating uplift pressure.
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owned by: Osterreichische Draukraftwerke AG
construction start date: 1973
construction end date: 1979
volume of concrete in the dam: 2,094,941 yd3 (1,600,000
m3) (this is considerably less than a )
first partial reservoir filling: 1978
second partial reservoir filling:
1979
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Empty reservoir
photo courtesy of Erich Wagner
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Filling had to be stopped 39.4 ft (12 m) below top reservoir level
because uplift and seepage occurred. |
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