Advantages of slit-check dams in practice and investigation of bed slope effect

Abstract

There are many types of check dams, which are flood control structures. Slit check dams, which is one of them, are especially preferred in rugged and high rainfall areas such as the Black Sea region of Turkey. The purpose of these dams is to hold back the large floating and drifting materials brought by the stream rather than preventing the floodwaters. Especially in the Black Sea region, the flood events that occurred in 2021 highlighted the necessity and importance of these structures. Branch logs and coarse stone materials brought by the rivers during the flood blocked narrow sections such as bridges and culverts in the settlements, causing the flood to damage larger areas. If these materials had been kept at the upstream of the settlements by using slit check dams, loss of life and property could have been prevented significantly. In this study, a general evaluation of slit check dams was made and their characteristics were discussed with examples in practice. Additionally, bed slope effects on the flow pattern downstream of slit-check dams were investigated by an experimental test.