Colorado Reservoir Project

Hydrovac Services in Hard to Reach Location

Colorado Reservoir Project: Hydrovac Services in Hard to Reach Location

Colorado Reservoir Project

As Northern Colorado’s growth continues, the region will need collaborative projects that not only help us meet its future water demands, but also protect the environment and wildlife, help maintain local food production, and preserve the region's quality of life. Those are precisely the objectives of this Reservoir Project, which is the main component of the overall Windy Gap Firming Project.

This effort is a collaboration between nine municipalities, two water districts and a power provider, working together to build this much needed reservoir. The new reservoir will be located southern Larimer County, and will store 90,000 acre-feet of water when built—slightly smaller than neighboring Carter Lake (112,230 acre-feet). The project will provide a firm yield of 30,000 acre-feet annually, which will meet a portion of the future demands of the participants.

SCOPE OF WORK

This project had the specific challenge of being able to get the bedrock to bond to the concrete properly. Originally, they had mini excavators set up with high-volume air and water to aid in the cleaning of the rock and clay veins but the worry was that they may create weak points in the concrete/bedrock bonding with this method.

Kinetic came in with a great solution, by being able to suck the material up as they washed so the end result would be the solid bond between materials without creating weak points. Not having heavy equipment down in the site itself also helped to keep the bedrock safe and undamaged by equipment.

Challenges

The hard-to-reach location of this dam showcases a number of challenges that Kinetic has helped to overcome. Being able to extend up to 600’ without losing suction allows Kinetic to be able to reach the bottom of the dam area to excavate without slowing down production and no need to have heavy equipment in the hole they are preparing for the dam. Not having the added stress of heavy equipment driving in and out of the area also helped keep the integrity of the bedrock and concrete bottom.

Our hydrovacs are able to extend a hose up to 600’ without losing suction. Not having heavy equipment down in this site helped keep the bedrock safe and undamaged.
Colorado Reservoir Project

Our hydrovacs are able to extend a hose up to 600’ without losing suction. Not having heavy equipment down in this site helped keep the bedrock safe and undamaged.

OUTCOME

Although the project is still ongoing Kinetic takes great pride in being able to assist in this project for the State of Colorado. By being able to help and protect the earth that is already there we have not only partnered with the Contractors but with the environment as well.

So often construction projects are often seen as being destructive, but there are other ways to handle them that creates less destruction of the land that’s already there. Completing this project means that the 12 districts this water will feed will accommodate the water storage for the future growth in homes, industry and agriculture. Something all of Colorado’s growth is desperately needing.