Technical Solutions for Improving Soil at Yen My Reservoir, Vietnam

Yen My reservoir is located in the North Central Region of Vietnam that was built prior in the 1990s. Currently, it is in a deteriorated state and does not provide sufficient operational safety, particularly in the face of climate change conditions. There is an urgent need for suitable soils for the renovation of the dam. However, the sources of such materials are increasingly scarce due to the impacts on forests, agriculture, infrastructure, and communities. This article aims to introduce technical solutions for enhancing the soils within the reservoir, making them suitable for the renovation of the dam. These solutions include (1) method to reduce soil moisture, (2) method to mix the soil with other materials (bentonite, cement, and fly ash) to reduce its hydraulic conductivity to meet the national standard, and (3) method to mix the soil with other materials (cement and blast furnace slag S95) to adapt its deformation modulus to the soil on the dam so that they can perform together as a unique body. The results show that a layer of 1.5 m is selected to reduce soil moisture and specific mixing ratios are identified to ensure hydraulic conductivity as well as deformation modulus of the soils for Yen My dam renovation.