Fujinuma Dam
| Fujinuma Dam | |
|---|---|
 Fujinuma Reservoir in 2009 with dam at center bottom | |
| | |
| Country | Japan |
| Locale | Sukagawa City |
| Coordinates | 37°18′07″N 140°11′41″E / 37.30194°N 140.19472°ECoordinates: 37°18′07″N 140°11′41″E / 37.30194°N 140.19472°E |
| Status | Failed |
| Opening date | 1949 |
| Demolition date | 12 March 2011 |
| Owner(s) | Coastal Reclamation Hanakawa Kou District |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment |
| Height | 17.5 m (57 ft) |
| Length | 133 m (436 ft) |
| Volume | 99,000 m (3,496,152 cu ft) |
| Impounds | Abukuma River |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Fujinuma Reservoir |
| Capacity | 1,504,000 m (1,219 acre·ft) |
| Catchment area | 8.8 km (3 sq mi) |
| Surface area | 20 ha (2,152,782 sq ft) |
The Fujinuma Dam (藤沼ダム Fujinuma Damu), was an embankment dam in Sukagawa City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. It was established on a tributary of the Abukuma River 16 km (10 mi) west of the city office of Sukagawa City. The dam's primary purpose was irrigation and it was completed in 1949. The dam failed on 12 March 2011 after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake.
Failure
In the early morning of 12 March 2011, the dam failed, reportedly due to the Tōhoku earthquake. Locals reported hearing a loud burst before seeing a flood. The flood washed away five houses while damaging others, disabling a bridge and blocked roads with debris. Eight people were missing and four bodies were discovered after searches began at dawn. Some locals had apparently attempted to repair leaks in the dam before it completely failed.
On 12 March, 252 dams were inspected and seven dams were found to be damaged. Six embankment dams had shallow cracking on their crests and the reservoir at one concrete gravity dam had a slight slope failure. Four dams, including the Fujinuma, were inaccessible and could not be inspected. When the roads clear, further inspections are expected to take place.
Design
The dam was a 17.5 m (57 ft) tall and 133 m (436 ft) long embankment-type with a structural volume of 99,000 m (3,496,152 cu ft). The dam sat at the head of a 8.8 km (3 sq mi) drainage area and its reservoir had a capacity of 1,504,000 m (1,219 acre·ft) of which the same amount was active or "useful" capacity. The reservoir had a surface area of 20 ha (2,152,782 sq ft). The dam was built by Shoji Construction and operated by Coastal Reclamation Hanakawa Kou District.
See also
References
- Tōhoku Region [Fukushima Prefecture (Futaba – Minamisōma) | Iwate Prefecture (Kamaishi – Miyako – Ōfunato – Ōtsuchi – Rikuzentakata – Yamada) | Miyagi Prefecture (Higashimatsushima – Ishinomaki – Kesennuma – Kurihara – Minamisanriku – Sendai)]
- Kantō Region [Ibaraki Prefecture (Kitaibaraki) | Chiba Prefecture (Ichihara)]
- Hokkaido [Oshima Subprefecture (Hakodate)]
Japanese earthquakes · Seismicity of the Sanriku coast · Historic tsunamis · Nuclear power in Japan, section Seismicity · Nuclear and radioactive incidentsRetrieved from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fujinuma_Dam
