Southeastern Colorado Water Activity Enterprise Minutes May 20 2004

Home Browse Search

SECWCD May 20, 2004 4 RECORD OF PROCEEDING To retain the larger release capability, the TSC performed a hydraulic analysis of re- routing the penstock outside of the buttress section. The pipe bends necessary to accomplish this alignment would introduce undesirable hydraulic behaviors that would be very difficult to accurately model, so this option was pursued no further. As a result of the smaller penstock requirement, the feasible plant size was determined to be approximately 2 megawatts, as opposed to the earlier 6-7 megawatt sized suggested by the very brief RW. Beck assessment. The R.W. Beck work had assumed the 6-foot diameter penstock would be structurally acceptable, and the larger penstock would of course provide for a greater generating potential. The 2 megawatt plant would operate on a more consistent basis than a larger plant, due to the availability of flows. It was estimated that the 2 megawatt plant would produce approximately 12,700,000 kilowatt-hours per year. At that production rate and at the current construction cost estimate, the power must be marketed at 80 mils per kilowatt-hour for the plant to be cost - effective. The Western States Power Corporation is currently reviewing the report, and will determine if Reclamation should proceed with the next steps. Those steps may include assessing other plant options, such as an attachment to the river diversion works below the river outlet works. afetv of Dams and Facility Monitoring Overview In light of recent letters to the editor of the Pueblo Chieftain, the Board was presented with an overview of Reclamation's Safety of Dams Program and the monitoring requirements at Pueblo Dam. As is the case at all Reclamation dams, Reclamation conducts regular inspections at Pueblo Dam, each performed by a team of engineers and other qualified personnel. The inspections consist of ■ Annual inspections of all areas of the dam to determine if any undetected maintenance needs or any other items requiring attention. A checksheet -type report is prepared and any required work is entered into the maintenance scheduling system. ■ Periodic Facility Reviews are conducted at six year intervals,. and include a rigorous inspection of the dam and all appurtenances by a qualified team of engineers and technicians. A formal report documents the Review, and includes formal recommendations to rectify any maintenance needs. Any recommendations are formally tracked through their completion. ■ Comprehensive Facility Reviews are also conducted at six year intervals (alternating with the Periodic Reviews) and include the detailed inspection as described above, plus a thorough assessment of any factors that might affect the performance of the dam (i.e. seismic events, hydrologic events, etc.). Formal recommendations may be generated, and again, are tracked through their completion. Pueblo Dam is equipped with literally hundreds of instruments, monitored on a scheduled basis, that provide data on several aspects of performance. A few examples follow: ■ Piezometers indicate pressures within and below the embankment sections of the dam. ■ Settlement points are surveyed to indicate any movement (which is anticipated to a degree) of the embankment and buttress sections. ■ Uplift pressure gauges indicate the pressure exerted by the reservoir beneath the buttress section. ■ Plumblines are surveyed to determine any differential movement within the buttress section.