Risk management of groundwater drawdowns in subsidence sensitive areas: Cost-benefit analysis of safety measures in infrastructure projects
Research Project, 2012
– 2017
Improvement of infrastructure in urban areas generally involves underground construction with tunneling and deep excavations. Construction work in cities founded on soft clay, has to consider land subsidence due to groundwater drawdown. The potential cost of excessive land subsidence in these projects is immense and may increase due to expected climate change conditions. The overall objective of this project is to develop a method for Value of Information Analysis (VOIA) regarding to what extent geotechnical and hydrogeological investigations and other measures are necessary. VOIA is a comparison of the reduced economic risk for inappropriate decisions with the cost for performing investigations and measures that reduce the risks. To estimate economic risks of inappropriate decisions concerning management of land subsidence probabilistic groundwater and subsidence modeling combined with economic valuation of consequences needs to be developed. This trans-disciplinary project will provide novel research on how to integrate existing theory on VOIA with probabilistic modeling and risk assessment of groundwater drawdown and land subsidence. The research is expected to give new insights on how to better predict the risk of harmful subsidence caused by groundwater drainage. More accurate risk predictions will make decision making more efficient, reduce cost of risk reduction measures and improve communication of the risks to stakeholders, authorities and contractors.
Participants
Lars Rosen (contact)
Chalmers, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Geology and Geotechnics
Claes Alén
Chalmers, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Geology and Geotechnics
Lars O Ericsson
Chalmers, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Geology and Geotechnics
Åsa Fransson
Chalmers, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Geology and Geotechnics
Jonas Sundell
Chalmers, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Geology and Geotechnics
Funding
Formas
Project ID: 2012-1933
Funding Chalmers participation during 2012–2017
Related Areas of Advance and Infrastructure
Sustainable development
Driving Forces
Building Futures (2010-2018)
Areas of Advance