Hoover Dam, City of Columbus

Hoover Dam, built in the 1950s, is a critical source of water supply for the City of Columbus. Improvements to the dam were designed to maintain the reliable water supply and extend the life of the dam.

CHALLENGES

While some of the electrical infrastructure had been modified over the years, most of the existing equipment was original and required replacement or rehabilitation. And, with most conduits embedded in the concrete walls of the structure, tracing the existing panel circuits and wiring was difficult.

Existing systems had to be temporarily disconnected and/or relocated prior to installing new Electrical Distribution equipment and SCADA Control Systems. This required outages of the electrical gates and motorized valves that were used to control the flow of water over the Dam spillway.

Process and electrical outages times were limited to short durations and weather had to be carefully monitored as heavy rainfall raised the Reservoir to high levels.

Adding to the challenge, the lower level of the dam was 70’ below the grade of the main building entrance and required access via the stairway.

OUTCOME

Throughout the course of construction, the facility continued to operate and maintain the required controlled flow of water to the City of Columbus Water Treatment Facilities.

HIGHLIGHTS

Energy efficient equipment and new LED Lighting were installed throughout the facility.