NEWSROOM

 Wolf Creek Dam Project to receive $116 million
by Allison Jarrett, Nashville District, Public Affairs

The Wolf Creek Dam Project in Jamestown, Ky. is set to receive $116 million in 2010, the Nashville District reports.  The Corps is three years into a six year, $584 million seepage rehabilitation project at the dam, and received an additional $18 million in funding for 2009 through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  The President recently signed a bill that will provide $116M in funding for the Wolf Creek project for 2010. 

This 50-inch diameter drill bit is used to drill shafts for the secant piles, which form the permanent barrier wall.

The JV has completed the last panels of the protective concrete embankment wall (PCEW) in Technique Areas 1 and 2.  The PCEW when completed will consist of 427 concrete panels, 6 feet wide and 10 feet long.  A quality control audit was conducted on all PCEW panels installed to date and determined that 9 panel joints require corrective action.  Also, nineteen 8-inch pilot holes have been drilled in the Technique Areas, which will guide 50-inch diameter secant piles that form the permanent barrier wall.

The JV has also completed drilling five of these 50-inch diameter shafts in Technique Area 1.  The shafts will be backfilled with concrete to form the secant piles.  This method will be used to install the barrier wall in Critical Area 1.  The entire permanent barrier wall is scheduled for completion in October 2012.   

Subcontractor Hayward Baker Inc. has grouted 228 primary and secondary holes along the right rim near Halcomb’s Landing. Testing results indicate 258 tertiary (third order) holes will be required to meet closure criteria.  Hayward Baker has also completed grouting large cavities in Critical Area 1 and has begun grouting the rock beneath.

Wolf Creek Dam impounds Lake Cumberland, the largest manmade reservoir east of the Mississippi River.  Lake Cumberland since January 2007 has been maintained as close as possible to 680 feet above sea level, about 40 feet lower than normal summer pool. 

Heavy rains over the summer months caused some spikes in the elevation, but Corps water managers were able to successfully bring the lake back to down while managing downstream flows.  “In these high water events, we did not see anything in our instrumentation or observations that gave us cause for concern in regards to dam safety,” said Mike Zoccola, Chief of Civil Design for the Nashville District. 

The Corps’ Interim Risk Reduction Measures plan requires the operating plan to remain unchanged until the permanent concrete barrier wall is installed in Critical Area 1 (at the juncture of the concrete and earthen sections) and an evaluation of the structure's performance and instrumentation is completed. 

Although Treviicos Soletanche JV, general contractor for the barrier wall installation, has experienced some delays in fine tuning some processes in the Technique Areas, the overall project is progressing fairly well.  “The delays incurred while working in the Technique Areas will likely delay us moving into the Critical Areas,” said David Hendrix, Project Manager for the Corps, “but the contractor has significantly improved efficiency in some of the processes during that time.” 

Because of some of the delays in the Technique Areas, the overall completion date may be pushed back a couple months, from October 2012 to December 2012.  “This is a complex project, and every day is a challenge,” said Hendrix, “but we are confident our fix will ensure the dam is safe and reliable for many years to come.”