4.

DIVERSION HEADWORK
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Weir and Barrage
4.3 Components of Diversion Headwork
4.4 Cause of Failures of Weir and their remedies
4.5 Design of Weir and Barrage
4.6 Theory of Seepage
4.6.1 Bligh’s Theory of Seepage
4.6.2 Lane’s Theory of Seepage
4.6.3 Khosla’s Theory of Seepage

Compiled by: Tamirat D. and Belete T

Diversion Head works
Diversion Head works
 Diversion Head works
Headworks can be either diversion headworks (weir or barrage) or
storage headwork (dam)

The main differences between storage dam and weir are:

• Dams store large amounts of water and for longer durations than
storage weirs.
• Water in the reservoir never overtops the dam, but in the case of
weirs the water can flow over the weir crest.
• In the case of dams, the surplus flood water is disposed of by d/s
through spillways, but in the case of weir it is through weir crest
and under-sluice.
 Diversion Head works

Diversion Head works:- are structures which are constructed

across a river in order to divert river water towards the off-taking
canal so as to ensure a regulated continuous supply of silt free
water with a certain minimum head into the canal .

purposes of diversion head works

▪ Raise the water level in the river so that sufficient quantity of
water can be supplied.
▪ Regulate the supply of water into the canal.
▪ Control the entry of silt into the canal.
▪ Store some water for a short period of time.
▪ Reduce the water level fluctuations in the river.
 Diversion Head works
Location & Site selection criteria for diversion head work :
♣ As far as possible a narrow, straight, well defined channel
confined between banks not submerged by the highest
flood;
♣ It should be possible to align the off taking canal in such a
way that the command of its area is obtained without
excessive digging.
♣ The material of construction such as stone, sand, etc.
should be available in the vicinity of the site.
♣ The site should be accessible by road. And there should
be (enough) workers available in the vicinity of project
site.
Diversion Head works
 Diversion Head works
Weir and Barrage
Weir: The major part of the entire ponding of water is
achieved by raised crest and a smaller part or nil part of it
is achieved by the shutter.
Barrage: The major part of pounding achieved by gates and
smaller or nil part of it is done by raised crest
 Diversion Head works
pond
Crest Level = pond level Shutte
level r
P2=0 P2 Crest
Level
P=P1 P
P1

P1 >> P2
a) Without b) With shutter
shutter
Weir
pond pond
level level Shutter
Shutter
P =P2 P2
P Crest
Level
P1
P1=0
P1 << P2
a) Without
crest
Barrage b) With crest
 Diversion Head works
Weir
• Weir is a solid obstruction, with which water is heading up.
• It is used to raise the water level in the river and then divert it into the
canal.
• The weirs can also be used to store surplus flood water (pondage), to
tide over the shortages likely to occur during lean months.
• High flood water passes over the crest
Barrage
• water is headed up with the help of gates.
• the crest level is maintained at a low water level which is almost in
the level of bed level of the river.
• Because gates can be lifted for passing the flood water and shut
down for storing water, control on the water level in the river is better
exercised with the help of barrage.
• However, barrages are much costlier than the weirs.
Diversion Head works
Diversion Head works
Diversion Head works

WEIR BARRAGE
Diversion Head works
Types of Weirs
Types of Weirs
Types of Weirs
Types of Weirs
Components of vertical drop weir
Components of vertical drop weir
Components of vertical drop weir
Components of vertical drop weir
Components of vertical drop weir
 Layout of diversion head works
Typical layout of a diversion head work consists of
1. Weir proper or Barrage
2. Divide Wall
3. Fish ladder
4. Pocket or Approach channel
5. Under sluices or Scouring sluices
6. Silt excluder
7. Canal head regulator
8. River training works (such as Marginal bunds and
Guide bunds)
Layout of diversion head works

Fig. Typical layout of Diversion-Headwork

Layout of diversion head works

UNDER SLUICE

WEIR

DIVIDE WALL
Layout of diversion head works

Canal head regulator

Layout of diversion head works

Fish ladder
 Components of a weir

a. Weir wall
• Weir wall are permanent structures constructed across the river
to rise water level.
 Components of a weir

Under sluice or scouring sluices

They are openings provided at the base of the weir or barrage & is
separated from the main weir body by divide wall.
It has a gated controlled opening which will allow excess supply to
the downstream of the river.
Functions of under-sluices
✓preserve a clear and well defined river channel towards the canal
head regulator;
✓scour the silt deposited on the river bed in the pocket through the
openings;
✓pass low floods without the necessity of dropping the weir crest
shutters;
✓help to lower the high flood level by supplementing the discharge over
the weir during high floods.
 Components of a weir

Capacity of Under-sluice
The discharging capacity of the under-sluices may be selected as
follows:
a) They should be able to ensure sufficient scouring capacity, for
which the discharging capacity should be at least twice the full
supply discharge of the main canal at its head
b) They should be able to pass the dry weather-flow and low floods
during the months excluding the rainy season, without the
necessity of dropping the weir shutters.
c) They should be able to dispose of 10 to 15% of the high flood
discharge during severe floods
 Components of a weir

Under sluice or scouring sluices

Design Considerations
• Sill of the under-sluice pocket is kept at or slightly above the
deepest river bed and about 1.2 to 1.5m below the sill of the
canal head regulator.
• The length of the under-sluice pocket between the divide wall and
the head regulator may be kept as 1.5 times the upstream length
of the divide wall
 Components of a weir

Divide wall
➢Long masonry or concrete wall (an embankment protected on all
sides by stone or concrete blocks).
➢It is constructed at right angles to the axis of the weir.
➢Separates the under sluices from the rest of the weir.
➢If two canals take off on different sides, two divide walls are
required.

➢It usually extends upstream beyond the beginning of the regulator

and downstream to the launching apron.
➢It may be constructed with stone masonry or cement concrete.
➢The dividing wall may also serve as one of the side walls of the
fish ladders and be used as a log chute.
 Components of a weir

Main functions of divide wall:

➢To separate the lower level of under sluices from the weir floor.
➢Provides quiet pocket in front of the regulator so that silt deposits,
and clear water enters into the canal.
➢Provides straight approach through the pocket and hence scouring
action of under sluices will be concentrated and washing out of silt
will be facilitated.
➢It keeps the cross currents, if any, away from the weir.
 Components of a weir

Design Considerations of divide wall:

➢The top width of divide wall is about 1.5 to 2.5 meters
➢The divide wall can be designed as cantilever retaining walls subjected
to silt pressure & water pressure from the under-sluice side
 Components of a weir

River training works

❖River training works are constructed near the weir site in order to insure a
smooth and axial flow near the weir site.
❖The river training works required near the weir site are : Guide banks
and Marginal bunds
Guide banks: are provided on either side of the banks to direct the main
river flow as centrally as possible to the diversion structure.
Marginal bunds: are required u/s of the guide banks to stop the
submergence due to the raised high flood level caused by afflux created
by the weir.
• Marginal bunds have to be continued till they join high contours above
the high flood levels.
 Components of a weir

Fish ladder
❖To avoid high destruction of migratory fishes (if any in the river)
due to obstruction of movements because of construction of weir
or barrage.
❖Naturally, fish can travel u/s only if the velocity of flow does not
exceed 3 to 3.5m/s.
❖So, the design of fish ladder should be such that it constantly
releases water at velocity not exceeding this value.
❖Fish ladder baffles or other staggering devices are provided to
check the velocity (providing energy dissipating mechanism).
❖Fish ladder is provided adjacent to divide wall near the under
sluices (b/c there is always some water in this section).
 Components of a weir

The canal head regulator:

❖ provided at the head of the off-taking canal, and serves the
following function:
It regulates the supply of water entering the canal
It controls the entry of silt into the canal
It prevents the river floods from entering the canal
Manually operated steel gates are provided for regulation of flow
into the canal

Fig. Typical Section of a Canal Head Regulator

 Design of Weir

Afflux: the rise in the maximum flood level (HFL) u/s of the
weir caused due to the construction of the weir across the
weir
Pond level: the water level required in the under-sluice u/s
of the canal head regulator, so as to feed the canal with its
full supply level (FSL) which depends the level of the
irrigated areas and slope the canal which generally obtained
by adding 1.0 to 1.2m to FSL