Effects of Climate Impacts on Slope Stability of Levees

Abstract

A levee refers to an embankment that is built to prevent the overflow of a river. The levee is mostly elevated to prevent floods from occurring in an area. Due to climate change, many areas have been experiencing climate change for a long time such as flooding, drought, and storms, thus making them prone to major levee failures. Construction of the levees in these areas has helped prevent floods and the dangers of floods. This study aims at discussing the impacts of climate change on the levees system. It also aims at discussing the stability of the slopes in Libertyville Levee. The study will also aim to discuss mechanisms that must be applied to ensure that levees are stable and reduce the risks associated with unstable levees. For comparative study, stability factor of safety and seepage analysis were calculated for these conditions using GeoStudio software. Analyses are performed using Slope/W and Seep/W analysis in GeoStudio. Factor of Safety (FS) and Exit Gradient were computed. A trench and waste material were used in this study as remedial methods to improve the stability. The analyses show satisfactory results for slope stability analysis and seepage analysis.