TARNITA DAM ROCKFALL PROTECTION SOLUTIONS AND RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN.

Rockfalls are very common in Romania and represent a severe threat due to their high propagation velocity that, independently from the volumes involved, can be extremely dangerous to people and any civil engineering works like dams, roads, and adjacent buildings. Therefore, it is necessary to preliminary identify those areas most prone to this type of process to pursue territorial planning with an awareness of hazards and risks [1]. Tarnita Dam is located in Cluj County, on the left bank of Tarnita Lake/ Reservoir. An essential aspect is that Tarnita Dam and the formed reservoir have a triple role. They were initially built to produce electricity, but the water from the reservoir is also used to supply drinking water. Thirdly, the dam plays an important role in preventing floods in the area. This reservoir is the main source for Gilau Treatment Plant, which supplies the drinking and industrial water for Cluj-Napoca City and other localities in Cluj County. In the last years, in Tarnita Dam area were recorded massive rockfalls, which endanger the integrity of the constructions of the raw water intake tower; thus, there is a risk of interruption of water supply. Therefore, it was established that specific measures should be taken to avoid an imminent disaster. This paper presents the geomorphological, geotechnical and geomechanical investigations made on the left-hand slope. These investigations were carried out to derive protection measures, to identify hazards, and associated risks and to develop long-term rockfall protection solutions to secure Tarnita Dam and the entire area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]