The East Branch Dam Safety Project was recently awarded $18.7 million in addition to $14 million from the President’s Fiscal Year 2019 Budget.
Jeff Hawk, Army Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh District, Public Affairs Officer, explained how the Corps approaches Congress for funding.
“The district submits packages each year that express what we can get done in a year on a project and the funding that will support that work in the given fiscal year,” he explained. “It’s just part of the normal budget process.”
The East Branch Dam Safety Initiative has been underway since 2008, when the Corps determined that they needed to find a permanent solution to address seepage-related issues at the dam.
The East Branch Dam is a multi-purpose dam that provides flood damage reduction for communities downstream of the dam. Since its construction, it has prevented an estimated $415.5 million in flood damages. East Branch also provides additional flows to the Clarion River to offset pollutants and industrial outputs impacting water temperature.
The cutoff wall consists of a minimum 18-inch-wide continuous vertical concrete cutoff wall approximately 2,300 feet long with an approximate maximum depth of 250 feet through the existing embankment dam into bedrock. The seepage cutoff wall construction contract is expected to be substantially completed by the end of the 2020 calendar year. Following verification of the completed repair and local weather conditions, the USACE will begin to return the reservoir to its former operating conditions and water levels. USACE and its contractor continue to identify and implement efficiencies in sequencing of the work that will reduce the overall project schedule.
A Dam Safety Modification Study was completed and approved in October 2010. In August 2014, the Pittsburgh District awarded the $132.5-million East Branch Dam Cutoff Wall Rehabilitation Project to Layne Christensen Company of Ruther Glen, Va. The company’s Bencor Division, of Frisco, Texas, which is performing the dam safety work, was subsequently acquired by The Keller Group LLC. The work consists of constructing a full-depth seepage cutoff wall within the existing earthen embankment dam.
The current total project cost is estimated at $248 million, which includes the improvements to the access roadway, additional instrumentation, lighting and other project requirements.
“East Branch Lake is a recreational destination. We provide recreational facilities such as a campground, boat launch, overlook area and more. Currently, the dam safety project is impacting recreation at the lake as we have lower water levels to relieve pressure on the dam until a permanent fix is in place and the camping area and other areas are used for various construction activities. These will be restored at the completion of the dam safety project,” Hawk explained.
For more information about the project, go to https://www.lrp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Planning-Programs-Project-Management/Key-Projects/East-Branch-Dam-Repair/
