Insights
Safety assessment of the Poechos Dam
Water security and resilience for the future of northern Peru
«Ensuring the safety, functionality, and sustainability of the largest reservoir in northern Peru means ensuring the protection of communities and the continuity of agricultural and energy development in the region.»
Built in 1976 on the Chira River, the Poechos Dam is a key element in the development of northern Peru. After nearly five decades of operation, silting, erosion, and structural aging require a comprehensive review of its hydraulic and structural performance. In this context, the National Water Authority (ANA) entrusted LOMBARDI with the mission of comprehensively evaluating the dam and proposing measures to ensure its safety and future service life.
The Hydraulic Evaluation and Structural Safety Study of the Poechos Dam was conceived as a technical diagnostic and advanced modeling project to establish the current state of the dam and its flood discharge structures, with the ultimate goal of defining interventions that ensure its safe operation under normal and extreme conditions.
The Poechos Dam, with a length of 11 km and a maximum height of 48 meters, has a main spillway with gates with a capacity of 5,500 m³/s and an emergency spillway on the left bank. Its useful reservoir capacity—originally 1 billion m³—has been drastically reduced by sedimentation, creating operational and structural risks for the entire infrastructure.
LOMBARDI developed a comprehensive study that combined 3D hydraulic modeling of the spillway and dissipation basin, hydrological studies (to assess hydrological safety), and erosion analysis in the return to the Chira River, along with a geotechnical and seepage assessment using FEM models calibrated with in situ instrumentation records.
The structural assessment incorporated static, dynamic, and seismic analyses in critical sections of the dam body, which ultimately led to the formulation of rehabilitation alternatives, proposing preliminary designs based on safety, efficiency, and sustainability criteria.
Competences
- Dams and retention structures
- Water transfer systems and pumping stations
- Hydrology and watershed modelling
- Geo-Engineering
- Monitoring
- Advanced numerical modelling
- Dam safety assessment
- Sustainability & Life Cycle Management Advisory
- Risk Analysis
11
km of dam evaluated
110
thousand hectares of secured irrigation
5,500
m³ of controlled surpluses
Lat: -4.7
Lng: -80.8166667
Chira River, Lancones District, Sullana Province, Piura Region, Peru
«Comprehensively evaluating the Poechos dam meant looking toward the future of water security in northern Peru. Thanks to the technical, comprehensive, and collaborative approach applied, today Poechos has a clear diagnosis and solid solutions to preserve this hydraulic heritage of the country.» Alberto Paucar - Engineer - Lombardi Perú
