A cascading risk model for the failure of the concrete spillway of the Toddbrook dam, England during the August 2019 flooding

Dam break is considered as a major catastrophe with significant negative economic, social, and environmental consequences, thus must be prevented at any cost. Here, we report analyze near-miss dam incident in Toddbrook dam, England during the August 2019 flooding, where spillway of failed putting entire risk failure. A combination field surveys, desk studies numerical modelling applied to develop cascading model for first time. Our hydraulic showed that was under fast-flowing water having speed up 15.0 m/s. Such high-speed flow played role failure through facilitating injection beneath slabs. The suffered from poor maintenance densely vegetated, which most likely undermined foundation. poorly designed concrete slabs were relatively thin unreinforced, profile not fit purpose, lacked stilling basin. Due rapid drawdown, landslide generated on upstream slope reconstructed our geotechnical modelling, indicating slower pace have been taken process emptying reservoir. We developed begins three primary causes insufficient maintenance, design shortcomings, torrential rainfall leading flooding. model, among its type, would help preventing future failures.