March 25, 2024
Main Dam Hits Halfway Mark
Another huge milestone was met on site this month when the main dam hit elevation 5699.5 feet, which is the halfway mark to the eventual 350-foot-tall main dam. The asphalt core dam reached 175 feet on March 23.
To date, approximately 6 million cubic yards of rockfill and 25,000 cubic yards of hydraulic asphalt have been placed on the dam, all of which came out of the on-site quarry.
As the dam rises, the asphalt core placement becomes longer and the rockfill placement becomes narrower. As of mid-March, it takes about six hours to complete one 9-inch lift of asphalt running about 2,300 feet from end to end. The asphalt core paver moves at about 7 linear feet per minute (0.08 miles per hour) placing both zone 1 (hydraulic asphalt) and zone 2 (2-inch and smaller crushed stone) simultaneously.
Crews are resuming summer hours of two 12-hour shifts, six days a week. This change comes a little early due to favorable weather. The main dam is expected to be complete in late summer 2025.