The effect of heterogeneities and small cavities on levee failures: The case study of the Panaro levee breach (Italy) on 6 December 2020

Abstract

AbstractThis article discusses the levee failure that occurred on 6 December 2020 at Castelfranco Emilia, near Modena (Italy), showing that it cannot be explained without assuming the presence of local heterogeneities or a small cavity. The possible presence of these defects is supported by evidence derived from historical data and site observations. Fully coupled hydromechanical finite element simulations prove that the river embankment assumed without any deficiency had a sufficient level of safety for the considered event, thus it is necessary to hypothesize the presence of a local defect. The presence of a small cavity, in hydraulic communication with the river and buried at shallow depth, is assumed. This could be, for example, a new den, an old animal burrow repaired only partially, or a rotten plant root. Numerical analysis shows that the increase in water pressure within the cavity can trigger local failure of the landside slope, thus starting concentrated erosion. In highly erodible soils, this mechanism can lead very rapidly to the opening of the breach. A new analytical expression for the factor of safety of the soil wedge between the cavity and the surface is proposed. This approach is very simple and easily applicable, for example, to the assessment of levee vulnerability to animal burrows at a large scale. The results of the study are relevant for the management of water retaining structures.