DIN Standards Committee Water Practice
DIN 19712
Flood protection works on rivers
Hochwasserschutzanlagen an Fließgewässern
Overview
Working Committee NA 119-02-08 AA "Flussdeiche" ("River embankments"), which is responsible for the previous standard, has been reactivated with the objective of establishing uniform fundamentals and principles for the reconstruction, renovation, maintenance, monitoring and defence of flood protection works on rivers. The composition of the Working Committee was carried out on an interdisciplinary basis under consideration of conditions specific to river basins, locally diverse practical experiences as well as available expertise from all of Germany. The major flood damage events of recent years, for example, at the Oder river in 1997, at the Elbe river in 2002 and in southern Germany in 2005, have once again emphasized the need for adequate technical flood protection. On the other hand, safety requirements have increased along with the amount of flood water flow. Changes in the hydrological cycle that can be currently foreseen should be taken into consideration as a whole for the future. In this process, the protective measures are becoming ever more diverse and sophisticated: in addition to embankments, the traditional form of flood protection works alongside rivers, flood protection walls and, most recently, systematic mobile flood protection elements have been built in particular local areas. All in all, an extensive system of flood protection works in the water discharge areas has been developed along with retention areas in the form of guided and unguided polders. Since the initial publication of a standard for river embankments in 1997 it seemed logical to check the content of the standard with regard to the need for updating. Fundamental specifications have been introduced with the completion of the revision of DIN 1054 which shall also be reflected in the current standard; thus, a revision of DIN 19712 was considered urgent. Technical Committee "Talsperren und Flusssperren" ("Reservoirs and dams") of the German Association for Water, Wastewater and Waste (DWA) released Data Sheet DVWK 210 (1986) "River embankments" which was fundamentally revised and republished in December 2011 with the title "Embankments on rivers - Part 1: Planning, Construction and Operations" as DWA-M 507-1. This revision was accounted for in the current standard in the same manner as Data Sheet 6 "Mobile Flood Protection Systems" published in December 2005 by the German Association of Engineers for Water Management, Waste Management and Land Improvement (BWK). With respect to desired unification of security standards within the European Economic Area during standardization work, the status of regulations for flood protection in Europe and beyond was compiled and taken into consideration. The previous limitation to river embankments was expanded to include flood protection walls and systematic mobile flood protection that are beneficial when considering flood protection. This revision represents the current status of technology within the field of flood protection while maintaining consideration of aspects of landscape management and ecology. This standard applies to the reconstruction, renovation, maintenance, monitoring and defence of flood protection works on rivers which are to be understood as linear protective structures alongside the water (including polders bordering on protection works). The standard specifies requirements for the technical protection works itself, as well as the foreland and hinterland and base, under consideration of new findings and practical experience. The terminology used in this standard is in line with the terminology used in this particular field as well as with the concept used by other associations and parties concerned. It shall however be noted that the terms "renovation", "maintenance" and "monitoring" when classed as individual tasks are subordinated to the term "maintenance", as given in DIN 31051. This perspective was shared by only a part of the Working Committee. Therefore, the Working Committee did not find it necessary to revise the concept for the entire standard to correspond wholly to DIN 31051 as it is established amongst flood protection circles of experts. Since this standard is directed at experts (see introduction), this point of view by the Working Committee neither impairs maintaining flood protection works in a fully functional condition nor impairs taking necessary measures in case of disturbances to restore this full functionality (that is, inspection, maintenance, repair). In particular, aspects of water management and ecology are dealt with before making statements on planning policies and hydrologic and hydraulic assessment bases. These are followed by detailed requirements for embankments, flood protection walls and mobile flood protection systems. Geotechnical and geohydraulic/hydrogeologic analyses are necessary to define impact, strain and design situations for the verification of load capacity, fitness for use and protection against erosion. Specifications for construction materials are of a more practical nature. Execution of construction and quality assurance. In most cases in the field of flood protection works it is difficult to avoid dealing with foreign structures, among others, hydraulic structures, gaps and passages, buildings, walls, bridges, lines, wells and excavations. Specifications are defined for both building activities on existing flood protection works as well as for operations, maintenance and measures in case of flooding in order to ensure sufficient flood protection. All fundamentals contained in this standard, including those regarding the required quality assurance for every step of the planning and construction of flood protection works, shall be adjusted or supplemented in accordance with the differentiation of the local circumstances (site, base, anomalies) as well as with the generally high damage potential in polder areas to be protected. When the reservoir is inundated, the water level in front of the flood protection works is generally higher than ground level at the landward part of the works in the hinterland. Of particular note are flood protection works in mining sinkhole areas or in other topographical and geological areas in which protection works (for example, due to occurring mining subsidences) are already inundated temporarily or constantly at half-tide water level. The statements of this standard apply in this case as well as DIN 19700-13 where applicable. It shall be explicitly emphasized that this standard does not apply to dams of dam plants according to the DIN 19700 series, sea dikes and river dikes in tidal areas and exclusively current and bed load controlling structures at and in water, as well as mobile flood protection systems on an emergency basis in the sense of technical aids for disaster control. In addition, this standard does not apply to specifications for the required verifications of load capacity contained in corresponding construction and geotechnical standards. The revision of this project is funded by the Länderfinanzierungsprogramm "Wasser, Boden und Abfall" (federal funding programme "Water, soil and waste").
