Spillway Concrete Repair

What happened and how was it repaired?

Continuous water flow and scouring had eroded the existing concrete at a spillway, washing out and removing sections of it. Highveld Group prepared the damaged area, shuttered it off, then placed and compacted new concrete to reinstate the lost section and protect the structure from further erosion.

Spillway repair
Concrete reinstatement
Shuttering / formwork
Erosion and scour protection
Civil & concrete works

Workers placing new concrete into a prepared repair section at a spillway — Placing new concrete into the prepared repair section.

The problem

Erosion and scouring of the spillway concrete

A spillway takes the full force of moving water. Over time, continuous flow had scoured the concrete and washed sections of it away.

Where concrete is lost, the water can work behind and beneath what remains, and the damage speeds up. In places the base had been undermined and loose rock was exposed at the water’s edge. Repairing it early stops the loss spreading through the structure.

Spillway concrete undermined by water flow, leaving a void beneath the slab — Concrete undermined by water flow, leaving a void beneath the slab.

Loose rock and scour along the toe of the spillway wall — Loose rock and scour along the toe of the wall.

Eroded base of the spillway with loose rock exposed at the water edge — The eroded base, with loose rock exposed at the water’s edge.

Spillway repair area with sandbags forming the edge of the working area — The repair area, with sandbags forming the edge of the working zone.

Our approach

Prepare, shutter, place, reinstate

Prepare and clean the damaged area
The eroded and deteriorated area was cleaned and prepared so new concrete would bond to sound material.
Install shuttering and formwork
The repair section was shuttered and boxed off to contain the new concrete and form the required profile.
Place and compact new concrete
New concrete was placed and compacted into the repair section.
Reinstate a stable, durable surface
The damaged concrete section was reinstated to give a stable and durable surface.

The repair was carried out to prevent further water erosion and scouring, and to protect the existing spillway structure from further deterioration.

Scope