April 12, 2023
Crews Place Almost 700,000 Cubic Yards of Embankment Material on Main Dam
For the last few months, the focus of main dam construction has been on the embankment. Due to winter weather the asphalt core placement has been on hold which also allowed the embankment work to catch up. Barnard Construction crews have placed over 700,000 cubic yards of embankment material (from filter sand all the way up to 2-foot diameter rock)
In early March, crews hit a milestone and brought the embankment elevation back up past the original ground level, about 65 feet up from the plinth. As the embankment was built up around the asphalt core, it looked almost like stadium seating. The asphalt core will be able to catch up quickly, as placement resumed in late March.
Crews have begun working double shifts for a big year of main dam construction. The main dam is expected to be about 180 feet tall by the end of the year, which is about halfway to completion.