cannelles reservoir InSAR

Large Dams
Cannelles dam

Dam | Reservoir Ground Stability

Canelles Dam, built in the 1950s, is located on a subsidiary river of Ebro in the Iberian Peninsula. With a capacity of 108 MW, the dam plays a major role in the south-eastern hydropower system of the river. This 140 m-high by 200 m-long gravity dam has a reservoir capacity of 912.6 hm3 and a total surface area of around 1,800 ha.

Two InSAR studies were carried out focusing on a complex relief and steep slope area covered by rock outcrops, bush and forest:

  • a first historical study analysed the ground stability of the water reservoir from 2003 to 2010,
  • while a second monitoring programme covered the period from 2015 to 2016.
Cannelles dam
Historical study with Envisat data on the left and monitoring programme with Sentinel-1 data on the right. Non-linear displacement was measured on the ground surface in the slopes between the road and the reservoir.

Our InSAR studies have offered an entire picture of the dam and slopes complementing standard and discreet monitoring point surveys.

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