Improvement of sand dam design for safety and increased water storage

Sand dams are formed by installing beams across rivers and filling the secured space with water and a permeable material, such as sand, which stores the water in available pore space. These structures have mainly been reported in Kenya, Africa. This study proposes a sand dam design that improves structural safety and water intake. First, to increase the stability of the concrete wall of the dam, steel barbed wire connections are proposed for construction. Second, by using geotextile fabrics, evaporation may be reduced from 45% to 8%, and horizontal permeable discharge could be reduced markedly, therefore improving water storage capabilities. In addition, the water intake increased by ~2.4 times that of the previous design. Third, filtration efficiency is improved by selecting a sedimentary site for improved water quality. Finally, the installation of a tensiometer is suggested for monitoring the sand dam.