During this construction project (which involved the installation of a cofferdam in Guadalupe Creek in San Jose, California) workers utilized a flume pipe diversion. The diversion spanned almost 1,000ft downstream and consisted mainly of plastic tubing.

Workers placed the flume tube roll approximately 20ft upstream of where the 6ft tall single closed end (SCE) AquaDam will be installed.

Workers must ensure that the tubing is unrolled and laid out as straight as possible to avoid any kinks.

The tubing was passed through a 3ft tall culvert in preparation for the installation of the AquaDam.

The workers carefully maneuvered the AquaDam down the embankment to position it at its designated starting bank. AquaDams are constructed using lightweight and flexible materials, allowing them to float when empty in deep enough water.

The 6ft tall SCE AquaDam has been successfully installed and is currently in the process of being filled with water. It is important to note that the water level upstream has already started to rise. If the culvert was not properly sized, the depth of the pool will continue to increase. To prevent any potential sliding down of the open end and fill-tubes, they have been securely anchored to the bank.

The 6ft tall SCE AquaDam is nearly at capacity, with minimal change in the depth of the upstream pool.

When implementing a flume pipe diversion, it is crucial for the culvert to extend sufficiently upstream and downstream from the AquaDam. This will help prevent any unwanted settling caused by scoured holes at the inlet and outlet.

The starting and ending banks for this 6ft tall SCE AquaDam were vertical walls. 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.

Prior to the installing the 6ft tall SCE AquaDam, a smaller AquaDam was positioned beneath the culvert. Following the filling of the larger AquaDam with water, the smaller one was also filled. The water within the smaller AquaDam served to bridge the gap between the creekbed and the culvert, enhancing the overall sealing of the structure.

Looking downstream, the flume tube diversion appears to be working great.

Fantastic job AquaDam!