Geophysical investigations for deciding alignment of head race tunnel and location of lake tapping at Koyna hydroelectric project, Maharashtra, India

Continuous seismic refraction, reflection and echo-sounder surveys conducted at Koyna Project site provided geotechnical information which helped in choosing the alignment for Head race tunnel and in designing and choosing the site for Lake Tap. Seismic refraction survey both on land and in shallow water determined depths to bedrock and helped in inferring the bedrock quality. Seismic reflection survey mapped the subsurface stratigraphy with high resolution. Reservoir-bed and bedrock contours drawn from the results of the survey helped in choosing the tunnel alignment and the lake tap position cost effectively. It was inferred from the results of the survey that the geology and the quality of rock do not change unexpectedly around the site for extension of Head race tunnel and the lake tapping. The bedrock levels evaluated by seismic survey agreed remarkably well with those inferred in boreholes having Rock Quality Designation 90 percent or more.