Review of Large Mexican Dams in Operation

The dams with the greatest capacity in Mexico, as most of the large dams in the country, were built during the 20th century. Many of them have been in operation for over 50 years, and their environmental and basin conditions have changed mainly due to deforestation and urbanization. Some dams show signs of geotechnical, structural, or hydrological behavior that differs from the one expected. Therefore, they have received a special follow-up as to their behavior, which includes stability analysis, hydraulic–hydrologic functioning, revision of spillway and outlet structures, and channel conditions downstream of the dam. The paper describes general revision works performed to several dams in order to verify that their current operation conditions are acceptable, with emphasis on the geotechnical aspects of earthen dams, concrete-face rock-fill dams, and some masonry dams. The results obtained in the studies and the proposals for risk mitigation, as well as the solutions that have been implemented to improve their safety, are commented on.