Megaproject: Lake Kennedy
- Thread starter Amerigo Vespucci
- Start date
There is some detail on how this was done with Hoover Dam.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoover_Dam#River_diversion
Quite interesting, keep it up! We don't have enough mega-project TLs on the board, so sad 
But you're good at them
But you're good at them Bill Cameron
Banned
Amerigo,
As always, simply superb stuff.
Like Dathi, I've questions about how all that power is going to get to the Lower 48, especially seeing how approval of the project involved an energy independence effort. I've visited pumping stations along the natural gas pipelines passing through Canada's Yukon Territory and British Columbia. I would fly into Dawson and the teams would then take helos out to the various sites. I can't even begin to imagine maintaining high tension lines in the same terrain and climate.
The Army Corp of Engineers must have had a "solution" to this problem. have you run across it in your research?
However it's done, all those megawatts won't be going south and that means Alaska is going to see a boom in various industries. Getting people to move to Alaska to work in those industries is another kettle of fish.
Also, how will the project effect the native lands settlement? IIRC, there was a final land settlement hashed out between the Feds, state, and natives in the mid-70s and need for the pipeline was a big part of the push to get it done.
Bill
As always, simply superb stuff.
Like Dathi, I've questions about how all that power is going to get to the Lower 48, especially seeing how approval of the project involved an energy independence effort. I've visited pumping stations along the natural gas pipelines passing through Canada's Yukon Territory and British Columbia. I would fly into Dawson and the teams would then take helos out to the various sites. I can't even begin to imagine maintaining high tension lines in the same terrain and climate.
The Army Corp of Engineers must have had a "solution" to this problem. have you run across it in your research?
However it's done, all those megawatts won't be going south and that means Alaska is going to see a boom in various industries. Getting people to move to Alaska to work in those industries is another kettle of fish.
Also, how will the project effect the native lands settlement? IIRC, there was a final land settlement hashed out between the Feds, state, and natives in the mid-70s and need for the pipeline was a big part of the push to get it done.
Bill
Oddball
Monthly Donor
Hoover Dam has a similar spillway and diversion system to Rampage Dam. But it differs in a rather important way:
At Rampage the spillway is located in the open air all the way, both the inntake and its course down to the "bottom" of the dam at the downstream side, almost identical to a ski jump. The diversion tunnels are a seperate system that remains to work as emergency tunnels after the dam has started to operate.
At Hoover however, there is a slightly different approach. The inntake for the spillway is located in the open air with a weir seperated from the Dam. A tunnel-shaft is built to connect it to the original diversion tunnel. The old inntake to the diversion tunnels are in turn blocked with concrete plugs. Thus the original diversion tunnels now acts as the lower part of the spillway.
This approach is to me worrying, because there is no emergency tunnels to lower the reservoir if the need should rise. OTOH public drawings of dams probably does not reveal all arrangements. Atleast they do not here in Norway.
Like Dathi, I've questions about how all that power is going to get to the Lower 48, especially seeing how approval of the project involved an energy independence effort. I've visited pumping stations along the natural gas pipelines passing through Canada's Yukon Territory and British Columbia. I would fly into Dawson and the teams would then take helos out to the various sites. I can't even begin to imagine maintaining high tension lines in the same terrain and climate.
The Army Corp of Engineers must have had a "solution" to this problem. have you run across it in your research?
However it's done, all those megawatts won't be going south and that means Alaska is going to see a boom in various industries. Getting people to move to Alaska to work in those industries is another kettle of fish.
Also, how will the project effect the native lands settlement? IIRC, there was a final land settlement hashed out between the Feds, state, and natives in the mid-70s and need for the pipeline was a big part of the push to get it done.
Thanks for your interest, Bill. I address those questions -- and hopefully to your satisfaction -- if not, that's why I'm posting it here for improvement.
These two massive construction projects obviously had a huge effect on the economy of Interior Alaska. From a population of 13,300 in 1960, Fairbanks exploded to 17,500 in 1970 and an astonishing 32,100 in 1975. The demand for housing, stores, and everyday living supplies skyrocketed, as did prices. The situation in the town was very much reminiscent of the turn-of-the-century gold rush that founded Fairbanks. Crime spiked massively, as construction workers flooded into town with weeks of pay accumulated at their remote jobsites, drunken brawls were common, and so was prostitution, illegal gambling, and drugs. Many workers returned to Rampart village or a pipeline construction camp penniless — having spent all their pay on alcohol and prostitutes. Many didn’t return at all. Robberies became common, as did homicides — the result of robberies gone wrong. Only when the construction boom ended and the economy crashed for a time, did Fairbanks return to the state it had been before.
As great as the effect on Fairbanks was, boom times in the towns of Manley Hot Springs and Eureka were even greater. Neither boasted more than 100 residents prior to the construction boom, and at its peak, Eureka had more than 15,000 and Manley 6,000. Perhaps surprisingly, the atmosphere in the two boomtowns was far less rowdy than in Fairbanks. The Alaska State Troopers held jurisdiction in the area, and alcohol was forbidden west of a certain point on the Elliott Highway, a place that became known as the “dry line.” Bars flourished on the eastern side of the line for workers who couldn’t wait to reach Fairbanks to have a good time. Of course, official regulations couldn’t keep smuggling from booming, especially during construction of the oil pipeline, when the pipeline construction camps were kept floating on booze thanks to the supply trucks. The official alcohol ban and tough policing by state troopers didn’t mean there wasn’t trouble — far from it, particularly when set against the dead quiet of isolated, pre-boom Interior Alaska. Still, by actively patrolling the area and confiscating and destroying all liquor discovered west of the dry line, the situation was kept from spiraling into utter lawlessness.
On May 12, 1974, work on the southern cofferdam began. A ceremonial groundbreaking took place on April 9, but due to ice on the Yukon River, work prior to May 12 consisted of excavating hillsides still muddy from recently melted snow. Work on the cofferdam was slow, dangerous, and extraordinarily cold. Divers in special heated drysuits were limited to 30 minutes apiece in the icy water — limited not by their air supply, but by their ability to work before hypothermia set in. Though the river’s surface wasn’t covered by ice at that point in the year, ice still was floating downstream when the divers first entered the water that spring.
The construction of the cofferdam took several stages. First, a series of vertical hollow concrete tubes were driven into the riverbed by several piledrivers. These were drained and filled with sand and dirt to weigh them down and provide support. They were placed close enough together to form a mostly watertight barrier. To make the structure wholly watertight, the concrete pilings were backed by corrugated iron sheets welded into place on the inside of the cofferdam. The sturdy pilings would protect the more watertight iron sheets from damage by ice or floating debris. After the cofferdam was completed, the water inside the enclosed space was drained by a series of large pumps, exposing the riverbed. A series of cranes then began excavating the silt and sediment that remained behind, reaching down to bedrock. This excavation was repeated on the portions of the southern hillside that would provide the southern shoulder of the dam. Portions of the hillside had to be cut away in order to expose the rock upon which the dam would be anchored and built.
As great as the effect on Fairbanks was, boom times in the towns of Manley Hot Springs and Eureka were even greater. Neither boasted more than 100 residents prior to the construction boom, and at its peak, Eureka had more than 15,000 and Manley 6,000. Perhaps surprisingly, the atmosphere in the two boomtowns was far less rowdy than in Fairbanks. The Alaska State Troopers held jurisdiction in the area, and alcohol was forbidden west of a certain point on the Elliott Highway, a place that became known as the “dry line.” Bars flourished on the eastern side of the line for workers who couldn’t wait to reach Fairbanks to have a good time. Of course, official regulations couldn’t keep smuggling from booming, especially during construction of the oil pipeline, when the pipeline construction camps were kept floating on booze thanks to the supply trucks. The official alcohol ban and tough policing by state troopers didn’t mean there wasn’t trouble — far from it, particularly when set against the dead quiet of isolated, pre-boom Interior Alaska. Still, by actively patrolling the area and confiscating and destroying all liquor discovered west of the dry line, the situation was kept from spiraling into utter lawlessness.
On May 12, 1974, work on the southern cofferdam began. A ceremonial groundbreaking took place on April 9, but due to ice on the Yukon River, work prior to May 12 consisted of excavating hillsides still muddy from recently melted snow. Work on the cofferdam was slow, dangerous, and extraordinarily cold. Divers in special heated drysuits were limited to 30 minutes apiece in the icy water — limited not by their air supply, but by their ability to work before hypothermia set in. Though the river’s surface wasn’t covered by ice at that point in the year, ice still was floating downstream when the divers first entered the water that spring.
The construction of the cofferdam took several stages. First, a series of vertical hollow concrete tubes were driven into the riverbed by several piledrivers. These were drained and filled with sand and dirt to weigh them down and provide support. They were placed close enough together to form a mostly watertight barrier. To make the structure wholly watertight, the concrete pilings were backed by corrugated iron sheets welded into place on the inside of the cofferdam. The sturdy pilings would protect the more watertight iron sheets from damage by ice or floating debris. After the cofferdam was completed, the water inside the enclosed space was drained by a series of large pumps, exposing the riverbed. A series of cranes then began excavating the silt and sediment that remained behind, reaching down to bedrock. This excavation was repeated on the portions of the southern hillside that would provide the southern shoulder of the dam. Portions of the hillside had to be cut away in order to expose the rock upon which the dam would be anchored and built.
Bill Cameron
Banned
Amerigo,
I've been mulling over the post-dam Alaskan industrial boom. All those megawatts are going to be used for something, right?
So far, I've got petrochemicals, aluminum, and steel penciled in. The southern pipeline terminus at Prince William Sound is going to resemble the Texas coast in and around Houston. Alaska won't just be shipping out crude, it'll be shipping out all sorts of petrochemical products.
Aluminum production is very electrically intensive, so much so that's it's usually cheaper to ship the bauxite to the electricity than vice versa.
Steel no longer requires coke for its production. Natural gas is one commonly used energy source, but electricity will work too. Especially when there are cheap megawatts just waiting to be used.
The more intriguing part of this industrial boom are the secondary and tertiary industries that will follow the primary ones to either provide supplies or use the materials produced. For example, petrochemical production both uses and produces chemicals and many other materials. Someone is going to be selling to those plants and someone is going to be buying from them too. It makes sense to locate relatively nearby, especially considering Alaska's distance from the Lower 48.
Look at aluminum and steel production next. If you're going to be making it in Alaska, why not use some of it there too? I think shipyards could be a good bet, if this US makes a few changes to it's maritime codes it could still be in the commercial ship building business. Aircraft production could use that aluminum and it can take place indoors.
Bill
I've been mulling over the post-dam Alaskan industrial boom. All those megawatts are going to be used for something, right?
So far, I've got petrochemicals, aluminum, and steel penciled in. The southern pipeline terminus at Prince William Sound is going to resemble the Texas coast in and around Houston. Alaska won't just be shipping out crude, it'll be shipping out all sorts of petrochemical products.
Aluminum production is very electrically intensive, so much so that's it's usually cheaper to ship the bauxite to the electricity than vice versa.
Steel no longer requires coke for its production. Natural gas is one commonly used energy source, but electricity will work too. Especially when there are cheap megawatts just waiting to be used.
The more intriguing part of this industrial boom are the secondary and tertiary industries that will follow the primary ones to either provide supplies or use the materials produced. For example, petrochemical production both uses and produces chemicals and many other materials. Someone is going to be selling to those plants and someone is going to be buying from them too. It makes sense to locate relatively nearby, especially considering Alaska's distance from the Lower 48.
Look at aluminum and steel production next. If you're going to be making it in Alaska, why not use some of it there too? I think shipyards could be a good bet, if this US makes a few changes to it's maritime codes it could still be in the commercial ship building business. Aircraft production could use that aluminum and it can take place indoors.
Bill
Aluminum's the main thing everyone's been mentioning, but I worked the numbers, and the figures are iffy ... by the time the dam comes online, you're at the beginning of the big industrial decline in the U.S. Then you have to factor the lead time to build your plant and assorted facilities. By then, you're into the early 1990s or later, which runs you right into the middle of big international competition, when all the plants along the Columbia River started shutting down.
Adding to those problems, you've got a big cost differential in Alaska for doing anything ... you have to pay higher wages, higher equipment costs for everything ... can you convince me that these two big factors might be overcome?
Adding to those problems, you've got a big cost differential in Alaska for doing anything ... you have to pay higher wages, higher equipment costs for everything ... can you convince me that these two big factors might be overcome?
In some cases, the excavators had to deal with permafrost — iron-hard soil that remains frozen throughout the year. The permafrost was as hard as the rock that excavators were trying to reach, but building upon it would cause problems once the permafrost melted. To quickly thaw the permafrost, engineers developed a series of enormous boilers to blast it away with high-pressure streams of hot water. This system mirrored the days of hydraulic mining in Alaska, and worked so well that it largely replaced crane-driven excavation in the dry soil of the hillside. In the riverbed, the heavy, wet sediment still had to be removed by cranes and dump trucks.
Shortly after work on the cofferdam began, the dam lost its strongest political backer when Sen. Gruening died at age 87. He had supported the dam project since its inception and had saved it from cancellation in 1973 with delaying tactics that had seemed futile until the oil embargo made canceling any sort of energy project politically impossible. He died knowing that the Rampart Dam project was sited on strong financial and political foundations, even if he never saw it completed. To fill the vacant Senate seat, Gov. Egan appointed Mike Gravel, who had challenged Gruening in the Democratic primary earlier that year.
The work proceeded steadily and without incident except for a near disaster when a barge collided with the cofferdam. The barge was traveling upriver, beyond the dam construction site, and had to contend with a faster-than-normal river current due to the narrowed river channel caused by the cofferdam. While attempting to steer around the cofferdam, the barge was caught by the current and smashed into the cofferdam. Fortunately for both the barge crew and the men working in the cofferdam, there were no injuries and the barge remained afloat. The concrete pilings around the cofferdam served their purpose and protected the watertight iron plating, keeping the work going. Only the arrival of extremely cold weather in mid-November halted work entirely. The cold weather made machinery balky, and the ground froze, becoming as hard as concrete.
The hydraulic excavating used for removing hillside permafrost worked well, but even the near-boiling water pumped through the excavators soon created a cloud of steam and spray that froze to every nearby surface, coating men and machines in inches of ice. On more than one occasion, so much ice built up on the clothing of workers manning the hydraulic hoses that they often would change into new clothes and leave the frozen ones standing upright, as if an invisible person were wearing them. By January, however, even this operation shut down for the winter. Richard Nixon’s shocking resignation that fall didn’t keep work from proceeding as normal, and the first season of full-fledged work closed with the southern cofferdam fully complete and site clearing well under way.
Shortly after work on the cofferdam began, the dam lost its strongest political backer when Sen. Gruening died at age 87. He had supported the dam project since its inception and had saved it from cancellation in 1973 with delaying tactics that had seemed futile until the oil embargo made canceling any sort of energy project politically impossible. He died knowing that the Rampart Dam project was sited on strong financial and political foundations, even if he never saw it completed. To fill the vacant Senate seat, Gov. Egan appointed Mike Gravel, who had challenged Gruening in the Democratic primary earlier that year.
The work proceeded steadily and without incident except for a near disaster when a barge collided with the cofferdam. The barge was traveling upriver, beyond the dam construction site, and had to contend with a faster-than-normal river current due to the narrowed river channel caused by the cofferdam. While attempting to steer around the cofferdam, the barge was caught by the current and smashed into the cofferdam. Fortunately for both the barge crew and the men working in the cofferdam, there were no injuries and the barge remained afloat. The concrete pilings around the cofferdam served their purpose and protected the watertight iron plating, keeping the work going. Only the arrival of extremely cold weather in mid-November halted work entirely. The cold weather made machinery balky, and the ground froze, becoming as hard as concrete.
The hydraulic excavating used for removing hillside permafrost worked well, but even the near-boiling water pumped through the excavators soon created a cloud of steam and spray that froze to every nearby surface, coating men and machines in inches of ice. On more than one occasion, so much ice built up on the clothing of workers manning the hydraulic hoses that they often would change into new clothes and leave the frozen ones standing upright, as if an invisible person were wearing them. By January, however, even this operation shut down for the winter. Richard Nixon’s shocking resignation that fall didn’t keep work from proceeding as normal, and the first season of full-fledged work closed with the southern cofferdam fully complete and site clearing well under way.
There's the Icelandic and Norwegian examples, AFAIK, wage costs (until recent disaster) are much higher in Iceland and Norway than in Alaska.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoa
http://www.alcoa.com/iceland/en/home.asp
http://www.riotintoalcan.is/?PageID=95
http://www.hydro.com/en/
During that year’s election season, Democratic candidates across the state pointed to Rampart Dam, the trans-Alaska Pipeline, and other large projects that had happened under Democratic administration of Alaska. Republican candidates appealed to the large military vote in the state and ran a negative campaign trying to portray Alaska Democrats as merely an extension of the national party. That strategy was mildly successful, but it did not sway a majority of Alaskans, who returned Democrats to national office again. Mike Gravel, the interim U.S. Senate appointment, was elected to a full term, and Gov. Egan’s lieutenant governor, “Red” Boucher, was elected governor.
Work on the extension of the Elliott Highway and the trans-Alaska pipeline was not as limited by cold weather as the construction of the dam. There were several reasons for this: more funding was available in a shorter time, the scale of the construction was smaller, and less material was needed. Although the pipeline work covered a geographically vast area, multiple work teams could operate at the same time, thus speeding the overall pace of the project. In addition, the materials involved were lighter and required less equipment to be emplaced. At Rampart, the work was heavy, and because crews worked only at one site, they were limited by the speed of the slowest stage of construction. In pipeline construction, if one section proved difficult — as in the Atigun Pass area — other sections could be built at the same time and the difficulty would not slow the project.
The spring of 1975 saw the continuation of site clearing and excavation in the southern cofferdam and at the southern shoulder of the dam. More than half of the site clearing had been completed in that first year, and on July 26, the first concrete was poured. As during the Hoover Dam and other large-scale concrete construction sites, the concrete was impregnated with a series of tubes so cold water could be channeled through the concrete, curing it more quickly. Ironically, as the weather got colder, this became an even higher priority. Although the surface concrete was found to harden more quickly, the temperature differential between the concrete’s surface and its inner layers was so great that cracks and fissures were created by the different curing times. 8,000 cubic yards of concrete structure had to be jackhammered out and re-poured after the cracks developed. Following the discovery of the cause of the cracks, the density of the tubes was increased proportionally with the depth of the concrete.
Also during 1975, the first work on the enormous fish ladder began on the northern bank of the river. To avoid problems with the dam itself, the ladder began 1,000 yards downstream and it was positioned about 200 yards north of the dam itself. The “top” of the ladder — the eastern end, closest to the reservoir — was positioned slightly below the ultimate pool height of the reservoir. That way, the reservoir would provide a steady flow of water to the ladder without pumps. This wasn’t an altogether perfect solution, however, as pumping would be required during the years between the closure of the river channel and the filling of the reservoir.
A similar problem was encountered as engineers tackled the issue of cargo trans-shipment facilities, which also were built into the river’s north bank. For cost-cutting reasons, the idea of boat locks had been discarded. Instead, cargo would be loaded onto docks downriver of the dam, put on a short-distance railway, and loaded onto boats upstream of the dam. This presented a problem during the time the reservoir was filling, however, as cargo still would be needed during the several years of that process. To avoid problems with the rising level of water, a series of floating docks were designed for use during this period. For use when Lake Kennedy was full, a permanent set of docks and trans-shipment facilities were constructed on higher ground. This created an odd scene before the lake was filled, as the resulting facility was several hundred feet above the river’s original level. Inadvertently, the construction of these facilities created a stark message about how high the river would rise as it turned into Lake Kennedy.
Work on the extension of the Elliott Highway and the trans-Alaska pipeline was not as limited by cold weather as the construction of the dam. There were several reasons for this: more funding was available in a shorter time, the scale of the construction was smaller, and less material was needed. Although the pipeline work covered a geographically vast area, multiple work teams could operate at the same time, thus speeding the overall pace of the project. In addition, the materials involved were lighter and required less equipment to be emplaced. At Rampart, the work was heavy, and because crews worked only at one site, they were limited by the speed of the slowest stage of construction. In pipeline construction, if one section proved difficult — as in the Atigun Pass area — other sections could be built at the same time and the difficulty would not slow the project.
The spring of 1975 saw the continuation of site clearing and excavation in the southern cofferdam and at the southern shoulder of the dam. More than half of the site clearing had been completed in that first year, and on July 26, the first concrete was poured. As during the Hoover Dam and other large-scale concrete construction sites, the concrete was impregnated with a series of tubes so cold water could be channeled through the concrete, curing it more quickly. Ironically, as the weather got colder, this became an even higher priority. Although the surface concrete was found to harden more quickly, the temperature differential between the concrete’s surface and its inner layers was so great that cracks and fissures were created by the different curing times. 8,000 cubic yards of concrete structure had to be jackhammered out and re-poured after the cracks developed. Following the discovery of the cause of the cracks, the density of the tubes was increased proportionally with the depth of the concrete.
Also during 1975, the first work on the enormous fish ladder began on the northern bank of the river. To avoid problems with the dam itself, the ladder began 1,000 yards downstream and it was positioned about 200 yards north of the dam itself. The “top” of the ladder — the eastern end, closest to the reservoir — was positioned slightly below the ultimate pool height of the reservoir. That way, the reservoir would provide a steady flow of water to the ladder without pumps. This wasn’t an altogether perfect solution, however, as pumping would be required during the years between the closure of the river channel and the filling of the reservoir.
A similar problem was encountered as engineers tackled the issue of cargo trans-shipment facilities, which also were built into the river’s north bank. For cost-cutting reasons, the idea of boat locks had been discarded. Instead, cargo would be loaded onto docks downriver of the dam, put on a short-distance railway, and loaded onto boats upstream of the dam. This presented a problem during the time the reservoir was filling, however, as cargo still would be needed during the several years of that process. To avoid problems with the rising level of water, a series of floating docks were designed for use during this period. For use when Lake Kennedy was full, a permanent set of docks and trans-shipment facilities were constructed on higher ground. This created an odd scene before the lake was filled, as the resulting facility was several hundred feet above the river’s original level. Inadvertently, the construction of these facilities created a stark message about how high the river would rise as it turned into Lake Kennedy.
Fascinating. I love the little details. I have the feeling some photo of that "hanging dock" will become an iconic image.
Late in 1975, the first large-scale sawmill went into operation east of the dam site. During the time period leading up to Lake Kennedy’s creation, nearly a dozen similar saw mills were built to take advantage of the vast swath of free timber that was being offered by the federal government. The creation of Lake Kennedy was scheduled to inundate almost 10,000 square miles. That area was sparsely developed and forested with spruce, aspen, willow, and birch. Though wood harvested from these trees has marginal commercial value individually, spruce wood is used in construction, and other uses have been found for the other types. By opening the future site of Lake Kennedy to clear-cutting, the Bureau of Land Management — which was in charge of the area — hoped to accomplish two goals. It would eliminate a massive potential hazard when the area was flooded and killed the trees, which would then float en masse on the surface of the lake. It also would attract industry to the area, which would then use the electricity produced by Rampart Dam, helping the government accomplish its stated objective of paying for the dam with electricity sales.
The first sawmills that took advantage of the timber lacked the advantage of cheap electricity. They made up for that fact by being the first on the scene and claiming the stands of trees that had the highest market value. This advantage was heightened by the way in which lumber claims were conducted. Loggers were required to report their claims to the Bureau of Land Management office in Fairbanks, and the first person to stake the claim at the office meant that he or she would have the right to harvest the timber, regardless of who was there first. Each logger or company was limited to five 500-acre claims at any time, and production had to be started on a claim within 90 days of it being claimed, or the claim was forfeit. These conditions created a Gold Rush-style atmosphere during the first few years of the logging. Organized companies often had teams exploring the area, radioing their findings to Fairbanks, then having a separate person make the claim. Competitors countered by jamming the radio frequencies of competing companies. In some cases, violence erupted between companies competing to be the first to lay claim to a particular area. Several large logging companies created shell corporations or had individual employees register claims independently in order to secure larger amounts of timber. The BLM countered by instituting a $100 fee for each claim. This only slightly cut down on the number of claims, however. Its biggest effect was to create resentment of the BLM by family loggers, who observed that the BLM eventually made more than $75 million from the claims — and the fee was implemented only after many claims had been filed.
In 1976, work continued much as it had the year before. There was little land clearing on the south bank, but tree-cutters and hydraulic excavators were at work along the north bank, where work had not yet begun. Concrete pouring and general construction continued in the south cofferdam and along the south bank of the river. By the end of the year, the two enormous spillways were completed. These structures were intended to keep a navigable body of water going throughout the year in the section of the Yukon River downriver of the dam. They are located at an elevation of 635 feet — five feet below the surface of Lake Kennedy — and in an emergency can drain 603,000 cubic feet of water per second (17,075 m3/s) from the lake.
The first sawmills that took advantage of the timber lacked the advantage of cheap electricity. They made up for that fact by being the first on the scene and claiming the stands of trees that had the highest market value. This advantage was heightened by the way in which lumber claims were conducted. Loggers were required to report their claims to the Bureau of Land Management office in Fairbanks, and the first person to stake the claim at the office meant that he or she would have the right to harvest the timber, regardless of who was there first. Each logger or company was limited to five 500-acre claims at any time, and production had to be started on a claim within 90 days of it being claimed, or the claim was forfeit. These conditions created a Gold Rush-style atmosphere during the first few years of the logging. Organized companies often had teams exploring the area, radioing their findings to Fairbanks, then having a separate person make the claim. Competitors countered by jamming the radio frequencies of competing companies. In some cases, violence erupted between companies competing to be the first to lay claim to a particular area. Several large logging companies created shell corporations or had individual employees register claims independently in order to secure larger amounts of timber. The BLM countered by instituting a $100 fee for each claim. This only slightly cut down on the number of claims, however. Its biggest effect was to create resentment of the BLM by family loggers, who observed that the BLM eventually made more than $75 million from the claims — and the fee was implemented only after many claims had been filed.
In 1976, work continued much as it had the year before. There was little land clearing on the south bank, but tree-cutters and hydraulic excavators were at work along the north bank, where work had not yet begun. Concrete pouring and general construction continued in the south cofferdam and along the south bank of the river. By the end of the year, the two enormous spillways were completed. These structures were intended to keep a navigable body of water going throughout the year in the section of the Yukon River downriver of the dam. They are located at an elevation of 635 feet — five feet below the surface of Lake Kennedy — and in an emergency can drain 603,000 cubic feet of water per second (17,075 m3/s) from the lake.
Bill Cameron
Banned
Geekhis,
Indeed. When reading Amerigo's TLs, the delight and not the devil, is in the details.
Bill
Bill Cameron
Banned
Oddball,
I'm a nuclear engineer.
I don't believe Amerigo is an engineer.
I know you've a bee in your bonnet over certain aspects of the dam's description, but Amerigo is using the publicly available US Army Corp of Engineer plans for the project. If certain details are lacking, that's the fault of the source material and not the author. After all, as you yourself admit in one of your posts: "OTOH public drawings of dams probably does not reveal all arrangements."
Also, if you'd care to re-read the posts Geekhis and I were responding to, you're learn that they deal with aspects surrounding and sparked by the dam's construction and not the construction of the dam itself. Amerigo's description of the "hanging dock" hundreds of meters above the original shoreline waiting for the reservoir to fill, the massive fish ladder, the political machinations, the social shenanigans, and other "non-dam" depictions are the details we're enjoying and not the number of bolts on the third maintenance cover from the left.
The fact that Amerigo's description of the dam itself doesn't include minute details regarding the emergency tunnels, spillway widths, or number of light bulbs in the first floor ladies room of the visitor's center is of little consequence to the timeline as a whole.
Please park your professional obsessions in neutral, then sit back and enjoy the timeline.
Bill
Oddball
Monthly Donor
Well I am a civil engineer employed in the hydropower industry and you should never undersetimate professional pride
IMHO this is the price you have to pay for beeing detailed in an ATL. If you paint with a broad pencil, you can get away with many things. If you detail you better expect (and IMO hope) someone with better knowledge to chip inn.
And Im not talking about "the number of bolts on the third maintenance cover from the left."
I have a sneaky suspicion that if someone made a ATL with rather detailed information regarding a nuclear power plant project, you would chip in also. Then again I could be wrong
Well I shall not ruin your experience anymore, Iv made my points an will refrain from further comments. Thanks for your attention