TVA Boone Lake Update
Contractor Named to Build Boone Dam Cutoff Wall
TVA has selected Treviicos-Nicholson Joint Venture, comprised of Treviicos South Inc. and Nicholson Construction Company, to build the underground cutoff wall at Boone Dam. The cutoff wall will be the final, major underground piece of the seepage remediation project before the reservoir refill phase begins. It’s part of a composite seepage barrier aimed at stopping internal erosion of the dam’s earthen embankment.
“This project is about protecting the families, businesses, and communities downstream of the dam, and we look forward to working with Treviicos-Nicholson throughout the repair project,” said TVA Principal Project Manager Sam Vinson.
Vinson added with the contractor now selected, the team will continue to work hard to restore the lake to its normal operating guide by July 2022.
The Treviicos South Inc. and Nicholson Construction Company are based in Boston, Mass., and Canonsburg, Penn., respectively, and have teamed on a number of major dam projects around the country.
After seepage was discovered below the earthen embankment in October 2014, a thorough investigation revealed an internal erosion issue that could eventually lead to the failure of the dam if left unaddressed.
Plans to repair the dam were presented to the public at a July 2015 meeting and since that time the dam has been widened, hundreds of holes drilled and grouted, more than 200 monitoring instruments installed and 220,000 tons of rock placed on both sides of the dam to add stability to the earthen embankment. Workers are currently building an earthen pad for TNJV’s new mobile offices, a new laydown yard and a new employee parking lot, all in preparation for this next phase of construction.
“Drop in” to the Boone Dam Public Information Fair Sept. 25
Members of the public are invited to an informal, “drop-in” public information fair at Sullivan Central High School Tuesday, Sept. 25 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. “Our subject matter experts will be available throughout the two-hour period so it’s convenient for folks getting off work at different times,” said Boone Dam Principal Project Manager Sam Vinson. “This enables us to answer questions about the project in an informal setting.” Vinson said TVA employees and project partners will be at tables around the cafeteria and will be available to answer questions concerning the dam’s cutoff wall construction, supplemental vegetation management plan, refill plan, safety program and more.
Boone Dam Engineer Teaches Dam Safety at STEM School
Boone Dam Engineer Chris Saucier made STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning both fun and interactive during an all-day teaching session at the Innovation Academy in Blountville recently. Saucier taught 160, 6th, 7th and 8th graders about dam safety by using a laboratory-scale dam project that involves rainfall, runoffs and measurements. He said he has taught sophomore college level students the same experiment and he was impressed with the abilities of the young future engineers who plotted their results on a graph.
“That was the best presentation we’ve ever had,” said Innovation Academy Science Teacher Ryan Lovelace, who commended Saucier for making engineering fun.
Lovelace said that STEM Week is an annual event to showcase the many career and educational pathways that are available to students in the northeast Tennessee region. Organizations like TVA visit local schools and present on educational and professional attributes of their job, and normally complete a STEM activity with the students. Innovation Academy is a free and public school that is open to any student and managed by Sullivan County Schools Innovation Academy. It currently serves more than 160 students from all across the region.
TVA Sponsors First-Ever “Meet the Mountains” Festival with BrightRidge
TVA’s Customer Service Manager Chris Quillen said TVA was delighted to be a sponsor with BrightRidge for the first-ever “Meet the Mountains” festival in downtown Johnson City Aug. 24-25. “This was a great opportunity for us to meet the people of the valley and talk about our mission of environmental stewardship, economic development and energy generation,” Quillen said. A 3D printed model of the Boone Dam Project was on display for visitors to learn more about the project. Our volunteers invited festival guests to learn more at the information fair on Sept. 25.
This newsletter is published monthly to keep TVA’s stakeholders informed about activities associated with work on the earthen embankment at Boone Dam.
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Tennessee Valley Authority
400 West Summit Hill Drive
Knoxville, TN 37902
