Reservoir Dam Safety Monitoring System Solution
The reservoir dam safety monitoring system, centered on IoT sensing technology, deploys intelligent sensing devices such as radar water level gauges, visual radar cameras, piezometers, and submersible level gauges across the dam body and reservoir area. It collects critical safety indicators—including reservoir water level, seepage flow, dam displacement, and rainfall—in real-time via RTU telemetry terminals. Data is transmitted through dual 4G/BeiDou communication links to the reservoir safety monitoring cloud platform, enabling comprehensive perception, intelligent early warning, and emergency response coordination for dam safety. This system provides technical support for the "four-prevention" (forecasting, warning, simulation, and contingency planning) framework in small and medium-sized reservoirs.
Overview
Summary
The reservoir dam safety monitoring system, centered on IoT sensing technology, deploys intelligent sensing devices such as radar water level gauges, visual radar cameras, piezometers, and submersible level gauges across the dam body and reservoir area. It collects critical safety indicators—including reservoir water level, seepage flow, dam displacement, and rainfall—in real-time via RTU telemetry terminals. Data is transmitted through dual 4G/BeiDou communication links to the reservoir safety monitoring cloud platform, enabling comprehensive perception, intelligent early warning, and emergency response coordination for dam safety. This system provides technical support for the "four-prevention" (forecasting, warning, simulation, and contingency planning) framework in small and medium-sized reservoirs.
Key Advantages
Challenges
- Among China's 98,000 reservoirs, small and medium-sized ones account for over 95%, most of which lack automated safety monitoring facilities and still rely on manual inspections.
- Manual inspections during heavy rain in the flood season are dangerous and untimely, making it impossible to achieve 24-hour uninterrupted monitoring.
- The development of hidden dangers such as seepage and displacement in dam structures is slow, making it difficult for manual observation at low frequencies to capture abnormal trends.
- Monitoring data is scattered across different paper-based ledgers, lacking a unified platform for comprehensive analysis and trend assessment.
Results
- A Small Reservoir Safety Monitoring Project in a Province: Radar water level gauges and RTU terminals were installed at 156 small (Type 2) reservoirs to achieve automatic monitoring of reservoir water levels and early warning for exceeding flood limits. The early warning response time during flood seasons was reduced from 4 hours to 15 minutes.
- Medium-sized Reservoir Dam Safety Monitoring Upgrade in a City: Deployment of Visual Radar Water Level Gauges + Seepage Pressure Monitoring + Video Surveillance. The system successfully detected an abnormal increase in seepage flow in the dam body, issuing an early warning 72 hours in advance to prevent a potential hazard.
- A County Mountain Reservoir Network Monitoring Project: 42 reservoirs are connected to a unified monitoring platform, allowing reservoir managers to view real-time water conditions of each reservoir via a mobile app, reducing inspection workload by 60%.
Solution Details
Reservoir Dam Safety Monitoring System Solution
The Reservoir Dam Safety Monitoring System Solution is a comprehensive, automated monitoring network designed for the safe operation and flood control scheduling of reservoirs. With radar water level gauges, visual radar cameras, and intelligent RTU telemetry terminals at its core, it provides real-time, accurate, and reliable data support for managing water level, seepage, dam deformation, and hydrological conditions, serving as key infrastructure for the "Four Pre-" system in small and medium-sized reservoirs.
Construction Background for Dam Safety
China has over 98,000 reservoirs, with more than 95% being small and medium-sized. Many were built in the mid-20th century and now face aging infrastructure and management challenges, creating significant safety risks.
Traditional manual inspection methods are inefficient and pose safety hazards during flood seasons. There is an urgent need for automated reservoir safety monitoring systems to establish a modern "human defense + technical defense" management model, aligning with national goals for full monitoring coverage by 2025.
System Architecture
Perception Layer
Radar water level gauge, visual radar, piezometer, displacement meter, rain gauge, water quality sensors.
Collection & Transmission
Hero V9 series RTU terminals, supporting 4G/Beidou dual-link transmission, solar self-powered.
Platform Layer
Reservoir safety monitoring cloud platform for data storage, intelligent analysis, GIS display, and warning release.
Application Layer
Real-time monitoring dashboard, mobile APP, warning SMS, emergency plan linkage, and decision support.
Core Monitoring Modules
Automatic Reservoir Water Level Monitoring
An 80GHz high-precision radar water level gauge is installed on the upstream face of the dam for non-contact measurement, with an accuracy of ±3mm. It is unaffected by wind waves, floating debris, or ice layers, ensuring reliable data.
The system automatically compares levels against critical thresholds (flood limit, design flood, check flood) and triggers tiered warnings upon exceedance, providing essential data for flood control scheduling.
Intelligent Dam Seepage Monitoring Analysis
Submersible level gauges in seepage observation wells monitor real-time changes in seepage pressure. The system uses a correlation analysis model with reservoir water level to automatically identify abnormal seepage.
It supports joint analysis of multi-point data to draw seepage field contour maps, providing a visual display of the dam's seepage status and triggering alarms when gradients exceed limits.
Comprehensive Hydrological and Video Surveillance
The system integrates rain gauges and meteorological sensors to monitor conditions in real-time. Combined with inflow forecasting models, it predicts reservoir inflow for the next 6-24 hours.
The visual radar's built-in HD camera provides 24/7 monitoring of key areas. AI image analysis can automatically identify events like dam surface cracks, landslides, or unauthorized activities.
Recommended Product Configuration
| Monitoring Item | Recommended Product | Technical Features |
|---|---|---|
| Reservoir Water Level | Visual Radar Water Level Gauge | Radar + HD camera, non-contact, ±3mm accuracy |
| Auxiliary Water Level | Radar Level Meter | 26G/80G, suitable for downstream river water level monitoring |
| Seepage Pressure | Submersible Level Gauge | Stainless steel probe, range 0-200m, accuracy ±0.1%FS |
| Data Acquisition | Hero V9 RTU (EC32 Hydrology Edition) | Hydrology-specific, SL651 protocol, Beidou + 4G dual-link |
| Remote Reservoirs | Micro-power Self-powered RTU | Solar + lithium battery, 3+ years operation without external power |
Solution Advantages
"Visible" Reservoir Management
Visual radar integrates water level data with real-time video, ending "blind management and blind measurement" for truly visible water level monitoring.
All-weather Automatic Operation
Solar self-powered + Beidou transmission enables continuous reservoir safety monitoring even in remote mountainous areas without power or network.
Intelligent Warning System
Multi-parameter joint analysis enables automatic tiered alarms for abnormal seepage and water level exceedance, enhancing proactive risk management.
Rapid Deployment
Non-contact installation requires no reservoir shutdown. Deployment for a single reservoir can be completed in 1-2 days, minimizing disruption.
Key Product Features
- Non-contact Reservoir Water Level Monitoring: 80GHz High-Precision Radar Water Level Gauge, Measurement Accuracy ±3mm, Unaffected by Wind Waves and Floating Debris, Long Maintenance-Free Cycle.
- Visualized Real-Time Condition Monitoring: Radar + HD Camera Integrated Device, Water Level Data Overlaid on Live Video Feed, Truly Achieving "Visible and Measurable".
- Intelligent Analysis of Dam Seepage: Submersible level gauges monitor water levels in seepage pressure wells, with automatic alarms for abnormal seepage based on inverse analysis with reservoir water level data.
- BeiDou + 4G Dual-Link Transmission: Prioritizes BeiDou satellite transmission in remote areas, with dual-link mutual backup in 4G regions to ensure uninterrupted data transmission during critical flood seasons.
- Solar Self-Powered System: Micro-power RTU terminal paired with solar panels and lithium batteries, requiring no external power supply, ideal for electricity-deprived mountainous reservoir areas.
- "Four Pre" System Integration: Seamlessly integrates Forecast (Inflow Prediction), Warning (Exceedance Alert), Pre-simulation (Reservoir Operation Simulation), and Pre-plan (Emergency Response Coordination) capabilities.
Approach
How we implement intelligence into your infrastructure step by step.
Dam Safety Assessment & Design
Comprehensive assessment of dam structure, seepage, and deformation; develop automated monitoring plan per regulatory standards
Sensor Installation & Data Acquisition
Install level sensors, piezometers, and displacement sensors at critical dam sections; enable automated collection via RTU
Safety Monitoring Platform & Alerts
Deploy dam safety management platform with data visualization, trend analysis, and multi-level safety warning capabilities
Emergency Management & Long-term O&M
Establish enhanced flood-season monitoring and emergency response plans for long-term system reliability
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