The Millsite dam rehabilitation project is a year away from completion. Tracy Behling is the president of the Ferron Canal Company. He said he’s ready for it to snow, but he realizes the good weather has been beneficial for the rehabilitation project.
“It’s a huge project. There’s a lot going on. It’s a good thing, there are a lot of trials and issues, but the end result will be awesome,” commented Behling.
Matt Call from the Division of Water Resources said Nielson Construction is currently working on backfilling the excavation they did earlier to the foundation. It’s been restored back to its original surface except for the area which has been left exposed so the outlet works can be worked on. During the winter they will work on the outlet tunnel and a new structure to house the valves. Work is beginning on that now. Concrete will be poured for the new structure and the outlet tunnel.
The outlet tunnel will be extended. There will also be a control gate house for the pipes. These will include; power plant water, city water and irrigation water. The original pipe has been cut off and by-pass pipes are currently in place. The by-pass pipe comes directly out of the tunnel and after 100 feet it crosses to the north and ties back into the regular pipes.
A cover of loose dirt has been placed as a winter protection layer. Freezing of soil will take place and frost tubes have been installed so the depth of the freeze will be known. If the soil freezes, then water gets inside and turns the soil spongy.
It gets into the pores and expands when it freezes, this expansion and contraction will cause the soil to lose its compaction. Any soil that freezes will need to be replaced. The soil will be removed or recompacted. The surface will freeze, but the internal material will be insulated by soil. Average frost in this area goes down 30 inches.
The spillway must be complete by March 30, 2018. The outlet works must be operational by March 2, 2018.
The spillway has been excavated and all the concrete is removed. There will be a little more excavation work to bring the spillway to its elevation level. Wall Contractors will pour the spillway in the next few months. The spillway must be complete except for the front of the spillway, the weir. The floor and walls will be in place before the spring runoff. The front wall won’t be installed until after spring runoff. The elevation of the reservoir must be kept lower while the construction is finished. The weir will be put in next summer or fall.
Work is being started on the Millsite State Park. A new pavilion will be placed at a higher location and campsites will be raised. The reservoir level will raise four feet with the dam rehabilitation project so this will impact the park. Utility lines and water lines will need to be replaced or relocated. Some areas of the boat ramp will be raised.
Nielson Construction will do the work at the park also. The work at the park must be done by the end of March before the camping season begins.
Crews of 18 people have been working at the dam site. As the concrete work begins numbers of workers on site will increase.
There was a small set-back to the project when some of the material going into the foundation didn’t meet specifications. The materials had too much clay and silt which affects water flow. Clay and silt must be kept to a minimum. This faulty material was replaced with good material that meets the specifications. This has happened two or three times, reasons could include too much equipment traffic over the material or the material was overcompacted. The material broke down. It took a half a day to replace the material; the project was set back two-three days with this problem.
The contractor is responsible for making sure all materials meet the specifications. There was some confusion with the lab test. Nielson Construction took out the faulty material and replaced it. There was some sharing of costs with the project and the contractor to rectify the problem. The contractor wasn’t paid for the removal or the cost of the materials.
The dam rehabilitation project is 19 days behind schedule as of Dec. 12. There is a clause in the contract which could charge the contractor a penalty of $2,000 a day if the project isn’t completed on time.
The owner of the project could also request liquidated damages if they are impacted by the project being behind schedule. The reservoir couldn’t begin to refill until the first milestone was met. Any impacts from losing three weeks of inflow won’t be known until July.
The contractor has plans to make up for lost time and wants to finish on time or ahead of schedule.
The reservoir will fill to five feet lower than its previous level this irrigation season. Once construction is complete the water level will be five feet higher than previously.
A channel will be excavated at the spillway to direct the water into the spillway. The material at the spillway is loose.
The spillway is being constructed on bedrock. Steel will be drilled into the bedrock to hold the new structure.
The new spillway will be 120 feet wide at its widest part. At the narrowest part it will be 70 feet wide. The old structure was 60 feet wide with the narrowest portion being 56 feet wide. So the new structure where the water goes over the cliff will be 14 feet wider than it was. There will still be a waterfall. The waterfall will be 10 feet lower than it was.
The new spillway is significantly larger than the old one. The new one will extend 85 feet into the reservoir. The old one extended 55 feet into the reservoir. It will be 30 feet longer. The height of the old structure (waterfall) was 70 feet. The new waterfall will be 60 feet.
The Millsite golf course is now closed for the season. A new golf cart path bridge will be installed by March 30, 2018 so play can resume on the lower holes. Hole three will not be in place until the entire project is complete. A temporary hole will still be played during the 2018 golf season. The tee box on hole four will be restored at the end of the project.
Call said they have been working with the Millsite Golf Course on the design of the new hole number three.
Call said, “This is a quality project. It’s a little behind schedule, but they are addressing it and hope to make up for lost time.”
KC Savage, from the NRCS said, “There are a lot of stakeholders in this project and a lot of coordinating. Everyone is working together for the good of the project. A lot of people have a vested interest in the project. They are willing to work well with the growing pains. Everyone has been working well together.”
The completion date for the project is Dec. 21, 2018.
It could be completed early.
Power Source Services will be doing the piping work. There are several subcontractors involved in the project with Nielson Construction/Staker Parsons being the main contractor.
Johansen and Tuttle Engineering has been involved in the testing on the concrete and will continue to test the concrete throughout the project.
There is a weekly meeting with all stakeholders to keep everyone informed of all developments with the project.
Old Spillway gone: Millsite Dam update
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