21st Century Dam Design

Advances and Adaptations

31st Annual USSD Conference

San Diego, California, April 11-15, 2011

Hosted by
Black & Veatch Corporation
GEI Consultants, Inc.
Kleinfelder, Inc.
MWH Americas, Inc.
Parsons Water and Infrastructure Inc.
URS Corporation

On the Cover
Artist's rendition of San Vicente Dam after completion of the dam raise project to increase local storage and provide
a more flexible conveyance system for use during emergencies such as earthquakes that could curtail the regions
imported water supplies. The existing 220-foot-high dam, owned by the City of San Diego, will be raised by 117
feet to increase reservoir storage capacity by 152,000 acre-feet. The project will be the tallest dam raise in the
United States and tallest roller compacted concrete dam raise in the world.

U.S. Society on Dams

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for the benefit of society.
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Advancing the knowledge of dam engineering, construction, planning, operation,
performance, rehabilitation, decommissioning, maintenance, security and safety;
Fostering dam technology for socially, environmentally and financially sustainable water
resources systems;
Providing public awareness of the role of dams in the management of the nation's water
resources;
Enhancing practices to meet current and future challenges on dams; and
Representing the United States as an active member of the International Commission on
Large Dams (ICOLD).

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from by the United States Society on Dams. USSD accepts no responsibility for the statements made
or the opinions expressed in this publication.
Copyright 2011 U.S. Society on Dams
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Control Number: 2011924673
ISBN 978-1-884575-52-5
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CHEESMAN DAM OUTLET WORKS RENOVATION

UNDERWATER CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING
Jeff Martin, P.E.1
Gordon Harbison, P.E.2
ABSTRACT
Denver Water is in the process of an Outlet Works Rehabilitation at Cheesman Dam. The
outlet works consists of tunnels bored through the left abutment at elevations 6,780,
6,690, and 6,645, respectively referred to as the Auxiliary, Mid-Level, and Low-Level
Outlets. The rehabilitation was accomplished by installing new stainless steel slide gates
through underwater construction diving and at depths up to 210 feet.
The Cheesman Upstream Control project is a phased project spanning several years of
design and construction. The project begun in 2007 with the removal of the old balance
valve at the low level intake and is anticipated to finish in 2011 with the removal of the
old guard valves within the outlet tunnel and replacement of the Larner-Johnson Needle
Valve with a new Jet Flow Gate. The entire project includes providing upstream control
by means of new slide gates at the inlets to the outlet works tunnels, a new control
building housing the hydraulic power for the gates, and finally removal of the guard gates
within the outlet tunnel.
The project design was based upon historical information including the original survey
note books, asbuilt drawings, and photographs. The high costs of construction diving
coupled with the likelihood of differing subsurface conditions required a good partnering
effort between the Contractor, Resident Engineer, and Design Engineers. A fast-paced
construction schedule (24-hours a day for approximately 15 weeks) required quick
analysis of existing conditions and subsequent design changes to avoid lost production
time and unnecessary costs.

FACILITY OVERVIEW
The Cheesman Dam is an on-stream facility located on the South Platte River in Jefferson
and Douglas Counties, Colorado, in the Pike National Forest. The dam was constructed
for storage of municipal water supply by the South Platte Canal and Reservoir Company,
and was completed in 1905. At the time of construction Cheesman was the worlds
highest dam. In 1973 Cheesman Dam was designated a National Historic Civil
Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
The dam structure is a gravity arch masonry dam constructed with solid granite blocks
laid in cement mortar as facing over a core consisting of granite rubble in a bed of
1

Jeff Martin, Project Manager/Design Engineer, Denver Water Department, 1600 West 12th Ave, Denver,
CO 80202
2
Gordon Harbison, Resident Engineer, Krech Ojard & Associates, 3580 Mount Hickory Blvd., Hermitage,
PA 16148

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concrete. The dam is 221 feet in height and impounds 79,064 acre-feet of water, and is
classified as a large high hazard dam.
The outlet works tunnels are bored through the left abutment at approximate elevations
6,780, 6,690, and 6,645, respectively named within the drawing set as the Auxiliary
Outlet, Mid-Level Outlet, and Low-Level Outlet. A fourth outlet tunnel at elevation 6734
was originally constructed, but was abandoned with the inlet portion being filled with
concrete. The Auxiliary Outlet, built in 1925, is an independent tunnel outlet with no
connection to the other tunnels and is controlled by the Larner-Johnson Needle Valve.
The Low and Mid Level outlet tunnels combine to one tunnel approximately two-thirds
of the way through the abutment. Both tunnels are controlled by a total of six 42-inch
gate valves prior to the tunnel intersection, and then by various cone and free-discharge
valves in the downstream valve house. The site layout is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Site Layout

The only major work succeeding the original construction is a valve house constructed at
the toe of the dam in 1971. The original waterway tunnel was extended with a 78-inch
diameter steel pipe. The pipe is manifold to provide passageways for two 42-inch, one
24-inch, one 12-inch, and one 8-inch Howell Bunger type outlet valves. Each of the
outlet valves are guarded by one or more ball valves.

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21st Century Dam Design Advances and Adaptations

Figure 2. Primary Outlet Works

The six 42-inch gate valves at one time controlled the release flows to the South Platte
River, after the 1971 Valve-House addition the 42-inch gate valves act as guard gates to
the valves located within the Valve-House. The 42-inch gate valves internal to the outlet
works tunnels are equipped with hydraulic cylinders to operate the gate stem. The
hydraulic system consists of an original Pelton Wheel connected to a triplex pump that
furnishes hydraulic water pressure to the cylinders attached to the gate valves. The
original Pelton Wheel, 42-inch gate valves, cylinders, and piping were used to operate the
system, until completion and startup of the new slide gates as described in this paper.
Figure 2 and Figure 3 the Primary outlet works and Auxiliary outlet works sections
through the left abutment.

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Figure 3. Auxiliary Outlet Works

PROJECT INITIATION
The project need and initiation was bore out of several key factors: (1) An aging outlet
works system dependent and operating on 19th century equipment and technology, (2)
maintaining key infrastructure within the Denver Water system, (3) new sediment loading
from the Haymen Fire3, and (4) a desire to provide upstream control of the outlet works
tunnels for future work. The facility needs and the Denver Waters organizational goals
and Mission Statement4 aligned and the project was selected for implementation.
Outlet Works modifications studies and alternatives were initiated in 2005, followed by
design concept selection in 2006. Early within the alternatives development and
evaluation phase, an underwater construction approach was selected based on water
storage risks associated with draining the reservoir. Analyses showed there was a
significant probability of not filling the reservoir in a single run-off season. Specifically,
the analyses showed a 30% probability of a storage shortfall in Cheesman Reservoir. A
shortfall of the magnitude evaluated would have system wide impacts to the water supply
system.

Colorados largest wildfire impacted the drainage area directly above Cheesman Dam
Denver Water will provide our customers with a reliable, high-quality water supply and excellent
service. We will be responsible and creative stewards of the assets we manage. We will actively participate
in and be a responsible member of our communities. We will accomplish this mission with a productive
and diverse work force.

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21st Century Dam Design Advances and Adaptations

DESIGN PLAN
The Cheesman Upstream Control project is a phased project spanning several years of
design and construction. The project begun as an Outlet Works Modifications study in
2005, with a selected design approach made in 2006. In 2007 Denver Water contracted
with Rodney Hunt (RH) for fabrication of three hydraulically operated stainless steel
slide gates and spools (tunnel liners/thrust restraints). The installation design began in
2007 and lagged the slide gate design, and was based upon the limited site knowledge
and the pre-purchased slide gates designed and fabricated on a similar but earlier
schedule. During the design phase it was understood that the project would be performed
underwater and by a limited amount of divers; likely just one diver physically assembling
the components of the design.
The design and installation of the slide gates was based upon the interpreted size of the
three inlet tunnel portal geometries. An interpretation of the geometry from historical
data was made, and the size of the slide gates was maximized to maintain the current
hydraulic capacity of the outlet works system. As the condition of the rock quality was
not know at each of the inlets, a new tunnel liner, referred to as a spool, was designed for
each tunnel inlet. The spool piece serves several key purposes, they are (1) Structural
support to the tunnel portal area, (2) form for annulus grouting (seal) between the spool
and tunnel, and (3) provide a clean connection flange for the gate. Basically, the spool
acts as a traditional gate thimble, but also provides structural support to the tunnel portal
area.
Rock excavation, tunnel shaping, and spool placement and annulus sealing were the most
critical steps for project success. Rock excavation and tunnel shaping contained the most
contract risk, and a majority of the construction duration and all change order work was
spent on these activities. It was known and understood by Denver Water that without a
detailed physical hands on survey of all three areas, the tunnel portal geometry as related
to the placement of the spools contained the most risk to the project.
In order to maintain the current hydraulic capacity of the system the spool cross sections
were maximized to within inches of the assumed tunnel geometry. This condition
resulted in a minimal amount of room for the spool to fit within the tunnel. The hydraulic
design criteria for the outlet works governed the spool size, and the risk of additional
excavation and tunnel shaping was known and accepted by Denver Water prior to project
bidding.
The stainless steel slide gates and spools were designed specifically for each level, the
Auxiliary Level is the largest at 8x8, while the Mid and Low Level gates are 4x7. The
slide gates were designed to simply be attached with 52 or 72 bronze hex head bolts
(depending on the size of the gate) secured to a flange piece on the front of the spool
piece. The hydraulic tubing could then be connected to the gate, followed by the
installation of the trashrack sections.

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725

Through lessons learned from a different underwater project, the design team choose to
drill inclined bore holes form atop the left abutment to the gate locations to house the
hydraulic control lines. Two inclined rock borings were drilled, one to the Auxiliary
Level, and one boring servicing both the Mid Level and Low Level Outlets. The inclined
bore holes eliminated a great amount of risk to the contractor and provided a protected
conduit to house the hydraulic control lines and bubblers air lines.
Phase 2 of the Cheesman Upstream Control project includes removal and replacement of
the Larner-Johnson Needle Valve with a new Jet Flow Gate, and removal of the six gate
valves located in both the Mid-Level and Low-Level outlet tunnels. The opening left by
the removal of the gate valves will be sealed with new tunnel sleeves. Bulkheads will be
installed at this location for future access. In addition to the valve removals, new
platforms, handrails, and ladders will be installed within the manways. Finally, a small
tunnel air/fill line will be constructed so that the upstream control gates can operate under
balanced head conditions. Phase 2 construction work is planned for spring/summer 2011.
UNDERWATER CONSTRUCTION
Contract
Global Diving and Salvage (Global) was contracted through a quality based selection
process to perform the underwater diving work and manage other ancillary conventional
construction that had impacts to the diving work and schedule. Prior to executing the
contract, Global and Denver Water negotiated a predetermined daily rate for anticipated
change order work and standby (idle) time. The pre-negotiated rate for surface diving
was approximately $27,000/day and for saturation diving was approximately
$80,000/day. The surface air diving was based upon 12-hour days and would be
implemented at the Auxiliary Level while the saturation diving schedule was based upon
24-hour days and would be used at both the Mid Level and Low Level with continuous
operation until the project was complete.
Schedule
Due to the high contractor overhead costs for the dive barge, crane, saturation diving life
support system, and short weather window, the schedule was aggressive and fast paced.
The sequencing of the installation work and owner restrictions for continued operation of
the facility, created a schedule with little to no float and a series of activities dependent
on finish-to-start relationships. In order to continue with operation of the facility and
bypass critical water calls on the river, concurrent work was not allowed; limiting the
contractor to work on one level at a time and to completion. With no schedule float, it
was recognized at the beginning of the project that a teaming effort between the
contractor, resident engineer, and the owner would be required to tackle project issues in
an effective and decisive manner. All project team members strove for zero lost time
production.

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21st Century Dam Design Advances and Adaptations

Construction Sequencing
The general sequencing of construction was similar to what Denver Water had
anticipated and designed. All three levels followed the general sequencing shown in
Figure 4.

Figure 4. Construction Sequencing (Typical for All Three Levels)

CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING
Construction Engineering Team
The very nature of an underwater capital improvement project at a 110-year facility
contains risk. In this projects case the greatest risk was changed underwater physical
conditions of the tunnel areas as related to pre-purchased owner furnished equipment.
The high mobilization fee and overhead for the specialized diving equipment resulted in
large daily operation costs for the contractor. Cost of operation and cost of production
was almost identical, resulting in the same daily rate charge in the event of change order
work or standby time. In the event of a change of conditions, the Contractor may be
required to standby until an approved owner solution was provided for the
implementation. In this event the contractor would be compensated at the predetermined
daily rate. Again, the daily construction/standby time daily rates were approximately
$28,000/day ($2,340/hour) for surface/air diving and $80,000/day ($3,325/hour) for
saturation diving. Construction engineering as related to changed field conditions played
a vital role in the success of the project.

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727

This construction engineering team consisted of the contractor, resident engineer, and the
owner. The contractor provided a full time project manager and project engineer to
develop work plans and detailed submittals outlining the construction sequencing. In
addition, the contractor staffed a construction superintendent who reviewed and revised
the work plans for underwater constructability.
Denver Water contracted Krech Ojard and Associates (KOA), through HDR, Inc., to
provide Resident Engineering (RE) services for the underwater diving construction. The
purpose of the Resident Engineer was to monitor the diving construction progress and
quality through a live feed closed caption video mounted atop of the divers dive helmet.
KOA monitored the entire underwater construction process, including 3 months of
air/surface diving, and 101 days of 24-hour saturation diving. The Resident Engineering
position was critical to the success of the project, by locating the RE onsite in close
contact with the contractors project manager and project engineer, the RE was able to
assist in submittal development, submittal review, and design construction when issues
were identified.
The original Denver Water design team and structural consultant5, URS, maintained close
contact throughout the project to ensure issues were identified and resolved according to
the original design criteria of the new slide gates.
Risk Management and Issue Resolution
Early identification and timely resolution of project issues was a key factor for project
success. In order to manage the project issues that would arise during execution, the
construction engineering team continuously evaluated potential project risks through a
risk management plan and created response plans for risks that could seriously impact the
project. The risk management plan was developed by the project team and updated by
Denver Water, prior to each construction phase the construction engineering team met
and brainstormed potential project risks and issues that could impact the project. The risk
register outlined project risks that could impact both the owner as well as the contractor.
The project team worked on these risks together for the common success of the project.
The risk register was constantly updated, and most importantly, lessons learned from
previously completed activates were incorporated within the risk register to minimize the
impact of the same issue occurring multiple times.
The risk management plan also outlined a response plan in the event a risk item occured.
The risk response plan would generally consist of having key decision makers available
to review changed conditions and design modifications, decreasing the owner response
and direction time to the contractor. The risk response plans proved valuable for several
of the risk scenarios, and allowed project issues to be resolved in an expedited and predefined manner. The risk register and notification to stakeholders of the potential risk
was extremely valuable to expediting the response plan.

URS designed the trashrack structures and grout mix used for the spool annulus grouting. URS also
provided structural design analysis and review at the Mid Level spool cover structural block.

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21st Century Dam Design Advances and Adaptations

Most serious issues on this project

were the result of a differing
underwater physical condition that was
different than what was shown within
the construction drawings. Some of
the issues were small and others were
large. Regardless, any changes to the
planned work as related to the contract
drawings resulted in cost increases to
the contract. Along with the prenegotiated daily rates, a clear division
was made between contract work and
change order work. Prior to
implementation of any changes a
meeting between the contractor,
owner, and resident engineer was had
to review the change order work and
delineate a scope line for change order
work and what would be eligible for
additional contract charges. Because
all change orders were based upon a
time and material rate it was very
important to monitor true change order
work versus contract work. A good
example of this is the rock bolts used
to secure the spool in place. At the
Mid Level location, the required length
of the rock bolts was typically about 3
feet in length according to the contract
drawings. After, identification of
Figure 5. Issue Flow Chart
changed tunnel geometry, the required
length of the bolts was between 5 feet
and 6 feet in length. In this case, the
base contract covered the first 3 feet of drilling for the bolts, while the remaining 2-3 feet
of drilling was completed as time and material with the resident engineer tracking the
additional time. By agreeing to a clear delineation of the scope line there was very little
disagreements between the owner and contractor regarding the costs for change order
work.

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729

Auxiliary Level Tunnel Widening: The first project issue requiring field construction
engineering related to the Auxiliary Outlet tunnel. The Contractor identified a differing
underwater physical condition within the Auxiliary Outlet tunnel. The differing
underwater physical condition consisted of differing tunnel geometry within the
Auxiliary Level resulting in the tunnel being too narrow to allow the pre-purchased spool
piece to physically fit within the tunnel, requiring additional widening of the tunnel
annulus. In order to minimize the cost and schedule impacts of the additional work, the
Contractor, Resident Engineer, and Owner reviewed several alternatives, shown in Figure
6, for relocating the spool alignment to reduce rock excavation. The final chosen
alignment (Alternative 2) reduced the amount of excavation by adjusting the bearing and
moving the entire spool south. The re-alignment resulted in approximately 20% less
tunnel excavation, and a cost savings of about $76,000.

Figure 6. Auxiliary Level Widening

Auxiliary Level Trashrack: While installing the second trashrack section, interference
between the existing tunnel wing walls and the trashrack was encountered. Either the
wing wall or the trashrack required modification to fit the trashrack assembly properly
around the gate. It was decided to remove the trashrack from the water and make
structural modifications in the dry. The contractor had concurrent work to perform on the
hydraulic piping, and continued with their underwater operations and adjusted the
schedule for the trashrack to be installed 3 days later. The trashrack manufacturer was
immediately contacted and requested to send a crew to the site along with material that
was anticipated for the construction modifications.
The existing wing wall was then resurveyed. The data was used to design the
modifications necessary to ensure the trashrack would fit the existing condition. The
Resident Engineer and Owner reviewed the interference areas and designed a new cut out
area within the trashrack that would allow the rack to fit around the wing wall. The
proposed modification design was then reviewed and approved by the structural engineer.

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21st Century Dam Design Advances and Adaptations

The design was based upon immediately available materials on hand at the jobsite and
those available for local pickup by the fabricators en route to the jobsite.
The redesign of the trashrack section took approximately 24 hours to complete while the
modifications to the rack itself took an additional 48 hours. Topside modifications to the
trashrack as opposed to additional wall excavation saved the project approximately
$40,000 and did not impact the project schedule.
Mid Level Tunnel Geometry: The existing Mid level tunnel geometry and physical
conditions was identified as a risk item early in the design phase of the project. The asconstructed drawings and histrocial photographs showed conflicting information, and
recent side sector scan survey information continued to disagree with the historical
information. The design team choose to show the most conservative interpretation of the
data, but assumed the existing conditions would be different than shown within the
contract documents.
As anticipated, the actual tunnel geometry was different than what had been shown in the
contract drawings. The existing tunnel geometry was too narrow to allow the prepurchased spool piece to physically fit within the tunnel, requiring additional widening
on the south tunnel wall. The widening was accomplished by drilling additional blast
holes and limited hand excavation similar to the Auxiliary Level. In addition to the
tunnel geometry issue, a larger void space was identified along north wall adjacent to the
spool. A small cavity was shown the project drawings that anticipated this feature, the
feature turned out to be approximately 30% larger than anticipated. The cavity was filled
with additional reinforcement consisting of No. 6 rebar doweled into the tunnel and fill
grout. Finally, interference outside of the tunnel between the rock and trashrack was
identified. Additional minor rock excavation would be required to fit the trashrack. In
order to reduce costs, the entire spool, gate, and trashrack were adjusted to the south and
vertically. The realignment resulted in additional tunnel shaping, but reduced the exterior
rock excavation. This proved to be
a cost effective alternative because
the additional tunnel shaping could
be performed as part of the contract
underwater blast, while the exterior
hand chipping would be laborious
and time consuming. The estimated
project savings in changing the
original alignment are estimated at
$120,000.
Mid Level Rock Fall: A large rock
mass above the tunnel portal
released during the blast operation,
resulting in a large void space above
the gate spool. Through a post blast
visual inspection of the area, it was
reasonably concluded the rock mass

Figure 7. Mid Level Spool Post Blast Void

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731

contained a joint and fracture pattern that was present prior to the blast operation. The
removal of the underlying rock (as required by the contract documents) and the joint and
fracture pattern of the rock caused the rock mass to fall. The result of the rock fall left
the spool piece with no cover above it as planned within the design package, as seen
within Figure 7.
In order to meet the original design criteria of at least one tunnel diameter of solid
competent rock cover above the spool, a new monolithic reinforced concrete block was
designed to provide structural cover over the front half of the spool, and increase length
of potential seepage pathways.
The design of the new cover block was developed by the Resident Engineer and Owner
and was based upon survey information developed by the Contractor. A concept design
was developed and submitted to URS Corporation for structural analysis review. The
embedment lengths of the bar and the bar spacing was checked and approved. Upon
value engineering review with the Contractor, the rebar sizing was increased to reduce
the overall length of rebar embedment within the rock. Through contract work the
contractor had learned drilling in the native granite rock for rebar embedment was a
laborious process, and reducing the length and quantity of embedments would reduce the
change order cost. The reinforcement size was increased, decreasing the amount of
drilled hole for embedment within the rock. This exercise was estimated to save
approximately $60,000 in installation costs.
Low Level Masonry Removal: During the contract blasting and construction activities at
the low level tunnel portal a differing site condition was identified. Unlike the previous
differing conditions, the low level tunnel geometry was as expected and could fit the
spool without further
modifications. However, it was
discovered that the tunnel brow
and ceiling areas consisted of a
poor quality masonry material (See
Figure 8), not hard competent
granite as shown in the historical
documents.
The unstable masonry brow posed
several challenges to the project.
The first was diver safety, the area
was unstable and exhibited signs
of potential failure and rock fall.
This condition posed direct safety
concerns to the construction
divers. The second was the portal
stability above and behind the
spool piece, if the area was
masonry and not granite rock, the
Figure 8. Low Level Masonry at Tunnel Brow
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21st Century Dam Design Advances and Adaptations

entire system would depend on this material with unknown structural and seepage
characteristics. The original design had depended on strong competent granite to lie
directly over the spool and tunnel just downstream of the spool. It was clear the original
design intent and design basis criteria would not be achieved if the masonry was left in
place above the spool. In order to best ensure the new installation was structurally sound,
it was decided to remove identified masonry material and reposition the spool further
within the tunnel. Additional surveying was required to identify the vertical control of
the spool based on the rise of the original tunnel floor. Proper placement was required to
minimize any additional material removal and maintain the hydraulic capacity of the
tunnel.
The reposition of the spool met the original design intent and design basis criteria. The
repositioned spool provided over 15 feet of vertical granite rock above the back end of
the spool. This cover material was believed to be good quality competent granite rock
that could provide the required structural stability for the tunnel ceiling.
The repositioning required three addition underwater blasts to remove the material to the
desired area. The addition work took approximately 18 days and resulted in a change
order close to $1,400,000. The construction engineering was vital in identify the issue
and to design a new alignment that met the criteria of the original design. If the masonry
condition was not discovered by the contractor, this issue would likely have caused
failure of the tunnel ceiling area behind the downstream end of the spool, leading to
major impacts to the facility and Denver Waters operation.
PROJECT RESULTS AND CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS
Project Results
The project was a success in providing new upstream control at the Cheesman Dam. The
new stainless steel slide gates were operated successfully during the startup and
commissioning of the system. Most notably, the combined tunnel seepage and gate
leakage results were extremely low, and are shown in Table 1. When consideration is
given to the fact that these gates were installed underwater at depths of 200 feet, and that
there are significant portions of the outlet works tunnels that are unlined (allowing
reservoir seepage), the minimal seepage observed is considered to be a success.
Table 1. Combined Gate Leakage and Tunnel Seepage Rates
Auxiliary Level
2.8 gpm
Mid Level
45 gpm
Low Level
7 gpm
Critical Success Factors
The project can be considered a success for many reasons, from no lost time injuries or
incidents to a working system with extremely low seepage/leakage rates. Some of the
predefined critical success factors that were accomplished are listed below.

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734

The new slide gates and upstream location meet present day standards.
The new slide gates provide guard function to the downstream valves.
The new slide gates were installed almost exactly as designed.
The new slide gates provide new flexibility in operating the facility.
The Low Level slide gate trashrack has the ability to be simply modified in the
future to store approximately 10 feet of sediment.
Contract modifications (negotiations) were fair and managed on a current time basis,
with no issues left to the end of the project.
The risk register and response plans created a teaming effort between the
construction team to tackle issues in an efficient and predefined manner.
No standby time was incurred for the project. All change order work resulted in high
production rates.
Very minimal disruption to the operation of the water supply system.

21st Century Dam Design Advances and Adaptations