West Point Powerhouse in Pioneer, California required the diversion of water from the North Fork Mokelumne River downstream of the dam. To accomplish this task, an 8ft tall 17ft wide 75ft long single closed end (SCE) AquaDam with a connection collar was utilized. This particular AquaDam had been previously purchased by PG&E for another project, with the intention of cost savings through reuse. When installed and removed with care, AquaDams have a high probability of being successfully reused.

Due to the remote location of the installation site, heavy equipment was unable to access the area, necessitating the use of a crane to lower the AquaDam into place. 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.

All of the large boulders in the water should have been removed from the path of the AquaDam prior to the installation, but this was not possible due to their location and environmental concerns. Leaving the boulders in place led to a considerable amount seepage underneath the dam and workers used pumps to mitigate it.

Since there was no bank available to start the SCE AquaDam from, large boulders were used to elevate the open end and fill-tubes. This situation was not exactly ideal, but it did get the job done. 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 view of the fully filled 8ft tall SCE AquaDam. As you can see, all of the boulders that were in the path are now covered by the AquaDam. The closed end of this AquaDam extends into the deep hole. The maximum water depth here in that hole was almost 7ft in depth, which is 2ft deeper than an 8ft tall AquaDam is rated for. Wonderful job AquaDam!