PROJ00527

• Contract/PO #: FS0024X
• Contractor Name: Florida Water Conservancy District
• Contract Type: Loan
• Water District: 0
• County: La Plata
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Feasibility Study

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repaired after the emergency gates so that the outlet can be
opened to begin normal water releases. Releases can be made
through the bypass pipe or through one pair of gates while the
other regulating gate is disassembled. Reclamation approval is
required if just one set of gates is used for releases.

Also, while the outlet is plugged the bypass pipe will be
modified to improve the power plant output (see next section for
details) .

4.2 POWER PLANT
The main outlet gates are used from late April to mid-October
to make large irrigation releases of over 50 cfs. During the
other months the main gates are closed and releases are made
through a bypass pipe, which has an inlet upstream of the main
gates. The bypass pipe enters and passes through the chamber, and
then daylights to the downstream tunnel 20 feet below the gates.
The pipe is 8 inches in diameter through the chamber and 12 inches
in diameter downstream of the chamber. Releases through the pipe
are controlled by an orifice (two orifices are used at various
times to make the desired releases) bolted to the exit end of the
pipe. Depending upon the reservoir water surface elevation and the
orifice, the releases vary from 9 to 13 cfs.

The turbine would be installed on the bypass pipe in the gate
chamber, and water would then pass through the pipe all the time
rather than just during the winter months. During the irrigation
season, water would be released through the main gates and the
pipe concurrently.

A Worthington pump-as-a-turbine was identified as being the
most appropriate unit for this project. It was the only unit that
met the following selection criteria: 1) maintains flow below the

4.0-5