Heel 5 : The junction of the upstream face of a gravity or arch dam with the ground surface. For an embankment dam, the junction is referred to as the upstream toe of the dam.
National Dam Safety Program, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency Interagency Committee on Dam Safety, Federal Guidelines For Dam Safety: Glossary of Terms For Dam Safety (FEMA-148), Washington DC, USA 2004. http://www.damsafety.org/media/Documents/PDF/fema- 148.pdf, (Dam Sfty - Amer) {890}