Using GPS and Run-Off Rates Data to Study the Close Monitoring Networks for Dams – Al-Kut Barrages as a Case Study

The dams and barrages are among the most important engineering structures for water supply, flood control, agri - culture, and electric power generation. Monitoring the horizontal and vertical deformation of the barrage’s body and identifying the risk it’s so important to maintain the dam and also to reduce costs. Where in this research the case of the Al-Kut barrage is studied by observing the body of the barrage using surveying devices through (GPS) by taking spatial observations of the two networks of stations, the horizontal and vertical networks. Then compare them with the observations of previous years to determine the magnitude of the deformation through the differ - ences between the observations. By calculating the differences and finding the displacement of surveying observa - tions from 2014 to 2021, It was found that the highest and least displacements in the horizontal stations is 50 and 11 mm, respectively. Also, for the vertical network observations, the highest and lowest differences in elevation were 11and 3 mm, respectively. Where, the results showed a slight deformation within the acceptable limits. In addition, the annual and monthly discharge rates for a number of years were evaluated to observe the extent of the impact of run-off rates on increasing sedimentation at the upstream of Al-Kut barrage. It was found that the accumulation of sediment on the river’s left bank affected the gates’ efficiency and put pressure on the other gates, which led to some operational issues in the barrage gates.