The USSD Committee on Materials for Embankment Dams has prepared this White Paper on The Aging of Embankment Dams. The White Paper is of interest to owners of dams and those responsible for the safety of existing dams. It points out that there are aging processes, and a project may be developing aging characteristics which need to be examined, studied and remedied to preclude a safety issue. For designers of new dams, it provides a checklist of conditions which could lead to early aging becoming a safety issue and for which designs could be developed to preclude or to mitigate the effects of aging. The White Paper is a summary of the chapter on embankment dams from ICOLD Bulletin No. 93, Ageing of Dams and Appurtenant Works, with additional commentary by USSD.

The USSD Committee on Materials for Embankment Dams has prepared this White Paper on Materials for Embankment Dams. The paper provides an outline of important points that need to be recognized and understood when selecting material for use in embankment dams. It covers soil materials; rockfill materials; granular filters and drains; asphalt concrete as a water barrier; concrete facing rockfill dams; geosynthetics; reinforced fill; upstream slope protection; material for watertight cutoffs; and construction issues. For each of these topics, design and construction considerations are presented.