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<br />
<br />Specifications
<br />giant for dam
<br />
<br />In June 1980, bIds were
<br />opened for construction of
<br />McPhee Dam and Reservoir
<br />and the Great CUt DIke as
<br />part of the Dolores River
<br />Project.
<br />Guy F. Atkinson Con-
<br />struction Co. of San Fran-
<br />cisco was the low bidder with
<br />$74 million and the three-year'
<br />job had begun. It was to near
<br />Its end In November 1983 with
<br />the topping of the 276-foot-
<br />hlgh earthen dam.
<br />The specifIcations called
<br />for the dam to be 1,500 feet
<br />long. .
<br />Great CUt Dike, also an ear-
<br />th-flll structure, was to be ap-
<br />proxlmstely 25 feet high and
<br />2,000 feet long.
<br />. The -spillway, with an Inlet
<br />structure, was to be 60 feet
<br />wide, with a radlal,gated
<br />crest structure, chute and
<br />stlIlIng basin.
<br />A river outlet works was to
<br />be constructed with Intake
<br />structure, tunnel, gate cham-
<br />ber and access shaft elevator,
<br />condult, chute and stilling
<br />basin.
<br />A 3~foot-vride concrete
<br />highway was to bridge the
<br />spillway.
<br />A selective level Intake
<br />structure and tunnel and
<br />shaft were to be built, the
<br />system thereby regulating
<br />the temperature of the water
<br />going downstream so that the
<br />fish could survlve.
<br />A concrete boat ramp was
<br />to be constructed at the Ml>-
<br />Phee Recreation SIte to the
<br />south of the reservoir.
<br />Preliminary operations in-
<br />cluded control of the river
<br />during construction, care of
<br />the Montezuma Valley
<br />irrigation system during con-
<br />struction etc.
<br />It took nearly two yearS to
<br />remove the huge overburden
<br />of dirt and rocks down to
<br />bedrock at the dam site. Ex-
<br />cavation for the dam foun-
<br />dation was estimated to in-
<br />volve 1.648 million cubic yar-
<br />ds of material, Excavation
<br />for the dike Involved 48,000
<br />cubic yards, for channels 1.5
<br />mlllIon cubic yards, and for
<br />
<br />structures 1.2 mII1Ion cubic
<br />yards.
<br />Grouting for the dam and
<br />the dike required thousands
<br />of cubic yards of material.
<br />Some six mII1Ion cubic yar-
<br />ds of materla1 ranging from
<br />clay to sand to gravel and
<br />huge rip-rap rocks were used
<br />In construction of the dam It-
<br />self.
<br />Atkinson had to construct
<br />Its own powertine Into the
<br />work areas as well as Its own
<br />specially-built roads for the
<br />huge earth-moving equlp-
<br />ment and Its own bridges and
<br />other structures.
<br />Concrete required Included
<br />22,850 cubic yards for the
<br />river outlet works, 27,400 for
<br />the spillway, 3,300 In canal
<br />outlet, 1,340 In the boat ramp,
<br />8IJIJ In the.groulcap. and 1,110,
<br />In seepage cutoffs.
<br />Among ltezns aIao required
<br />were salty booms, chain link
<br />fence, three rail handrail,
<br />24,000 pounds of
<br />m1scelIaneous metalwork, a
<br />47,OOO-pound footbridge,
<br />gates and controls, jet.flow
<br />gates, high-pressure gates
<br />and controls, three castlron
<br />slide gates, reservoir level
<br />gauges, two 28- by 28-foot
<br />radial gates and hoists,
<br />trashracks, weather barrier,
<br />airtight door, bulkhead gate,
<br />generator, flowmeasurlng
<br />equipment, water tem-
<br />perature equlpment, electric
<br />freight elevator, steel pipe,
<br />ventilation systems, Ice
<br />prevention system, heating
<br />and ventllstlng systezns, .and
<br />the complete electrical
<br />system.
<br />Completion time was 1,500
<br />days.
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