Nicholson Heads West for Remediation on YMCA’s Gaylord Dam
Through regular inspections of the 26-year-old earthen embankment dam, seepage beneath the initial key depth at the spillway was detected, along with fractured and highly jointed bedrock. A tracer dye test showed dye appearing approximately 400 feet downstream from the spillway.
Further testing and investigation confirmed the seepage and that a grout curtain within the bedrock below the overburden was the best method for water cutoff. The dam’s owner, YMCA of the Rockies – Snow Mountain Ranch, awarded Nicholson the contract for construction of the grout curtain, which will total 660 linear feet with 660 cubic feet of grout.
Construction will include drilling and grouting fourteen holes divided evenly by two rows parallel to and along the dam’s centerline at designated locations along the spillway. Grout operations will be conducted using Nicholson Construction’s state-of-the-art grout monitoring system, called Grout IT.
Nicholson has installed similar solutions for dams across the country, including Canton Dam (Oklahoma,) McCook Reservoir (Illinois) and Boone Dam (Tennessee.) Most recently, and in closest proximity, a grout curtain is being installed by Nicholson at the Chimney Hollow Dam in Loveland, Colorado.
“We’re happy to bring our grout curtain expertise to this project here in our region,” said Nigel Miller, Rocky Mountain Regional Manager, Nicholson Construction. “We continuously seek out projects that improve the quality of life for the communities we live and work in – and this one fits the bill.”
Nicholson’s work on the project was scheduled to finish this fall.
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