Safety inspections and seismic behavior of embankment dams during the 2011 off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku earthquake

Immediately after the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake, special safety inspections were carried out at over 300 dams in the affected area. Damage was identified at more than 10% of the inspected dams, with embankment dams showing a slightly higher ratio. Damage to embankment dams included relatively wide and/or long cracks mainly on the crest of earthfill dams, cracks in the impervious membrane of asphalt faced rockfill dams (AFRDs) and temporary increase in leakage. However, none of the dams under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) sustained damage severe enough to threaten the safety of the dam, although an old earthfill embankment dam for an irrigation pond located outside the area regulated by the River Law was breached due to the earthquake. In this paper, the results of special safety inspections are summarized, as well as those of subsequent detailed investigations of several embankment dams under the jurisdiction of MILT. The features of the earthquake motions observed at the dam foundations during the earthquake and their effects on the behavior of embankment dams are also discussed.