Fuse plug

A fuse plug is a collapsible dam installed on spillways in dams to increase the dam's capacity.

For the device in steam boilers, see fusible plug.
An emergency spillway with fuse plug (bottom) and an auxiliary ogee spillway (top) at New Waddell Dam

The principle behind the fuse plug is that the majority of water that overflows a dam's spillway can be safely dammed except in high flood conditions. The fuse plug may be a sand-filled container, a steel structure or a concrete block. Under normal flow conditions the water will spill over the fuse plug and down the spillway. In high flood conditions, where the water velocity may be so high that the dam itself may be put in danger, the fuse plug simply washes away, and the flood waters safely spill over the dam. [1]

Fuse plugs are used in many dams throughout the world, including at Warragamba Dam in New South Wales.

References
  1. Options for the Next ACT Water Source, ACTEW Corporation, Canberra, April 2004, p35. View PDF: Part One Part Two Archived June 9, 2004, at the Wayback Machine


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