Description for Pontecosi Dam (Italy)

Pontecosi dam is a concrete gravity structure built about 100 years ago, including a gated spillway on the right blocks and equipped with bottom outlet gates on the middle blocks.

The dam, that has almost continuously operated since construction, provides the flows to the nearby Castelnuovo Garfagnana hydropower plant. The design of the dam, completed in 1923, was carried out by Prof. Omodeo, a renowned Italian dam designer.

While the dam is still in reasonably good conditions, rehabilitation works are required to upgrade it in order to comply with modern safety standards. The foreseen rehabilitation works include especially grouting and drainage screen, instrumentation on the dam body and some specific works on the appurtenant structures.

Studio Pietrangeli has been appointed to carry out the engineering for the rehabilitation of Pontecosi Dam. The assignment includes both the detailed assessment of the conditions of this old concrete gravity dam, including stability and seismic studies, and then the design of the rehabilitation works.