Abutment
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- That part of the valley wall against which the dam is constructed. The part of a dam that contacts the riverbank. A structure that supports the ends of a dam or bridge. An artificial abutment is sometimes constructed, as a concrete gravity section, to take the thrust of an arch dam where there is no suitable natural abutment. Action or place of abutting; the part of a structure that is the terminal point or receives thrust or pressure. Defined in terms of left and right as looking away from the reservoir, looking downstream (i.e., left abutment, right abutment).
Bureau of Reclamation - Cite This Source - This Definition - Adit, Drainage curtain, Gallery, Left abutment, Right abutment, Volume of Concrete, Volume of dam
- The part of a valley or canyon wall against which a dam is constructed. Right and left abutments are those on respective sides of an observer looking downstream.
NOAA National Weather Service - Cite This Source - This Definition - Abutment Seeping, cutoff, Drains (Relief Wells), Gallery, Seepage