Key techniques for the emergency disposal of Quake lakes

The Wenchuan Earthquake of May 12, 2008 formed a large number of Quake lakes; 104 of them had a dam taller than 10 m, a water storage capacity larger than 1.0 × 10<Superscript>5</Superscript> m<Superscript>3</Superscript>, and a catchment area greater than 20 km<Superscript>2</Superscript>. If these Quake lakes are not thoroughly assessed and properly disposed, the losses caused by the burst of these lakes may be even larger than those caused by this earthquake itself. The Quake lakes with high risks have been properly disposed with the schemes proposed by the authors. This article presents a case study on the emergency disposal of the Tangjiashan, Laohuzui, Jiadanwan, and other Quake lakes. The key techniques applied in the emergency disposal of Quake lakes, including site exploration, risk assessment, design of discharge chutes, selection of construction method and equipment as well as post-emergency disposal evaluation, are discussed. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010