BUREAU OF RECLAMATION EXPERIENCE WITH COLLAPSIBLE SOILS IN THE WESTERN US

The Bureau of Reclamation, was formed in the early 1900's to irrigate the arid western 17 states. Since this time, hundreds of dams and thousands of miles of canals and pipelines have been constructed in the west. Collapsible soils have to be considered,indentified, and treated, especially for water resources construction. Reclamation has dealt with collapsible Eolian soils in Nebraska and Washington State. Also, slopewash deposits in California and other locations have been problematic. Reclamation has performed extensive research on these types of deposits, and have developed engineering guidelines for indentifying and treating these soils. We have had to pre-wet large expanses of land for dams and canals. This presentation will summarize Reclamations' experience with collapsible soils.