ICOLD Bulletin 164 on Internal Erosion in Existing Dams, Dikes and Levees and Their Foundations provides a new understanding of the mechanics of internal erosion, a phenomenon that occurs when the hydraulic forces imposed by water flowing (or seeping) through earth structures exceed the ability of the soils in the structures to resist them. It provides the means of estimating the hydraulic load, and thereby the water level, at which internal erosion will initiate. The annual probability of occurrence of this water level can be estimated from the flood hydrology. This probability, when combined with the consequences of failure, provides the basis for the estimation of internal erosion risk. The methods used to estimate the water level causing internal erosion through the four initiating mechanisms are introduced. Some examples of estimates of internal erosion risk are included.
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Rodney Bridle (2017) studied this question.