This work presents a computer implementation for finite element analysis of excavation problems and unconfined steady state flow through saturated soils. These computer routines are particularly useful for the study of earth dams and they were written with the aim to pursue the development of a numerical model (Parra, 1996) devised to investigate the behavior of earth dams under static and seismic loading. Two techniques were implemented for excavation simulations, with both yielding the some numerical results. For the unconfined fluid flow problem the technique proposed by Bathe and Khoshgoftaar (1979) was adopted, which recasts the problem in a non-linear form but keeps the same basic finite element mesh. The results computed in this research were compared with other analytical and numerical values published in the literature, in order to ensure, as much as possible, the feasibility and efficiency of the computer implementations. The behavior prediction of the Macusani earth dam, to be built in Peru, was also studied in this research, focusing on several aspects related to its planned construction: the excavation, the construction itself and the first reservoir filling. This results may eventually be useful for the final engineering design of the Macusani dam.