Southern Pacific Railroad in Davis, California needed to perform some bridge repairs in a dry environment.

This excavator is moving a 6ft tall 13ft wide 60ft long single closed end (SCE) AquaDam with a connection collar to it’s starting bank. AquaDams are delivered in a rolled-up form, similar to a carpet roll on a wooden beam. They are wrapped in a protective covering and include lifting ropes or straps for easy transportation.

The 6ft tall SCE AquaDam was positioned at a higher elevation on the bank to ensure that the open end and fill tubes remained above the body of the dam. To ensure proper installation and functionality of a SCE AquaDam, it is essential to have a starting bank that maintains a higher elevation than the body of the AquaDam. The open end and fill-tubes of the SCE AquaDam must remain elevated above the full height of the dam along its designated path. It is important to note that an AquaDam will only reach its maximum height at the lowest elevation point along its designated path.

A worker is moving rocks that were placed on the bank for erosion control. Rock picking is important to help with the seal the AquaDam makes.

The AquaDam is currently being filled with water from the creek. As the AquaDam fills with water, pressure from the water inside the fill-tubes pushes against the roll end, causing it to slowly unroll. To prevent premature unrolling, the worker holds the roll end in place, allowing the body of the dam to build up pressure inside.

The 6ft tall SCE AquaDam continues to be filled with water, as a worker monitors the roll end and the head that the unrolled length has.

The AquaDam has been successfully deployed across the creek, and now workers are preparing the suction hoses to de-water the work area.

Notice how much head the AquaDam has above the surrounding water? This head plays a vital role in ensuring the AquaDam's stability and position.

The workers are currently completing the assembly of the suction hoses in order to de-water the work area.

Workers have strategically placed a protective layer between the metal connectors of the suction hose and the AquaDam to ensure the prevention of any potential snags or tears. This precautionary measure will help maintain the integrity and functionality of the equipment during operation.

Workers are using four blue discharge hoses to divert the creek flow around the AquaDam.

The 6ft tall SCE AquaDam is up and working great. Can you see the difference in water color from one side of the AquaDam to the other?

One week later, the workers returned to the site to dismantle and relocate the 6ft tall SCE AquaDam to a new location.

A worker secured a rope around the end of the SCE AquaDam roll to facilitate lifting the unit from that end.

An excavator was used to lift the rolled up closed end of the AquaDam to allow the water to slowly drain out of it’s fill-tubes at the open end.

The rolled-up end is gradually raised and pulled up the bank, enabling the remaining water inside to drain out of the fill-tubes and return to the creek.

After being removed and drained of water, the AquaDam was inflated with air to inspect for any punctures before being rolled up for future use.

Here we can see the 6ft tall SCE AquaDam filled up with air for workers to inspect.

Workers re-roll the AquaDam using ratchets and specialized brackets.

After the AquaDam was re-rolled, ropes were fastened around the roll to secure it.

Workers are now getting ready to install the same 6ft tall SCE AquaDam in a new location.

The workers utilized a rope to manage the roll end of the AquaDam while it was being filled with water.

After the unrolled length has a few inches of head above the surrounding water, workers release a few feet of rope unrolling a few feet of length, then hold the ropes tight again and repeat the process until the dam reaches its ending bank.

A worker has been sent out into the water to help monitor the roll as the AquaDam unrolls and is filled with water.

The AquaDam continues to be filled with the creek’s water.

The 6ft tall SCE AquaDam has almost completely unrolled across the creek. Notice that there is still head in the AquaDam taller than the surrounding water.

With the AquaDam unrolled to it’s ending bank, workers will need to finish filling the unit.

The 6ft tall by 60ft long SCE AquaDam is almost full.

Workers are now installing another SCE AquaDam on the other side of the bridge. This AquaDam was 6ft tall by 70ft long unit. Can you see the first AquaDam in the distance behind the bridge?

Workers slowly allow the AquaDam to unroll across the creek while maintaining head in the unrolled body of the unit above the surrounding water.

The worker keeps pressure on the roll to prevent it from unrolling.

The 70ft long SCE AquaDam has almost reached it’s ending bank.

Workers have finished the installation the last AquaDam and have begun to de-water the work area. This last set of AquaDams were installed in a staggered configuration, one upstream and the other downstream.

The red pump shown here was utilized for diverting water around the work area.

Here we can see that the fill-tubes and open end of one of the SCE AquaDams has been tied up and secured to prevent any of the water inside from draining out.

Wonderful job everyone!