Ames constructed a new diversion dam and intake structure for a project designed to improve an existing irrigation system and protect the endangered pallid sturgeon.
The concrete dam structure was founded on 247 caissons with a sheet pile cutoff wall. Additional project scope included 12 sluice gates, 12 fish screens, the replacement of the existing intake structure, and excavation of the new canal. Ames designed and constructed a sheet pile cofferdam and an earthen dam for dewatering operations and excavation to construct the intake structure.
The massive concrete foundations required special procedures and monitoring to keep the fresh concrete within specific temperature limits for proper curing during winter. After the project was suspended for 35 days because of a rise in water level from record-breaking river flows, crews adjusted to meet an aggressive schedule and re-sequenced work activities so that work could occur simultaneously at multiple locations.
When the cofferdam was removed, crews completed the remainder of the canal excavation and placed riprap behind the new structure. The project’s final requirements included programming the master control unit for the fish screens, field testing the fish screen level sensors, testing the screen controls, and endurance testing the entire system.
Markets: Federal, Water Resources, Dams, Levees
Location: Glendive, Montana
Completion: May 2012
Project owner: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Details:
- 5,900 cubic yards of structural concrete, primarily used for concrete headworks
- 296,000 cubic yards of earthwork, including rock excavation
- 970 tons of aggregate placement for asphalt paving
2012 Concrete Excellence Award
First Place, Agricultural Category
Montana Contractor’s Association
