Investigation of the influence of animal burrowing on the failure of the levee of San Matteo along the Secchia river

Abstract

Animal burrowing can greatly influence the water pressures in a flood protection embankment and thereby be a cause of breaching of flood defences. However, little guidance and literature is available on this subject. This paper investigates the contribution of badgers, porcupines and foxes to the failure of the levee of San Matteo (Modena, Italy) on 19th January 2014. The proposed method evaluates their influence on the water pressures in the embankment during rainfall and a high water tide. The influence of the burrowing is assessed through a transient FEM flow analysis. Starting from the documented entrances situated in the vadose zone, different scenarios for the internal distribution of tunnels and chambers are proposed. The most likely representative network for the loss of stability of the dike is assessed.