Freedom—August 30, 2020—Here is the latest report on the dam construction by Tim Otterbach.

Photo 1: This is looking upstream at the newly installed gates. On the right side of the gate, is the Hydraulic Actuator, which will lower and raise the gate as needed. The actuator will be operated hydraulically from the hydraulic pump situated in one of the two separate rooms of the new headhouse. The diagonal support braces are temporary, and will be removed when the project is completed. They will be stored in the headhouse, to be used only when maintenance is required on the gate or the actuator.

Photo 2: This view is looking at the west gate and the new headhouse beyond. The doors and vents are being installed on the headhouse. The siding, stained dark brown, and the metal roof are complete. The remaining work on the headhouse includes the two access stairs with landings to access the hydraulic pump room and the emergency generator room. There will also be a catwalk extending from the headhouse across the top of the dam to the far side. The manual emergency drop boards will be able to lowered into slots in the dam and steel posts, if necessary, from the steel catwalk.

Photo 3. This photo shows the concrete wing wall, which extends from the east end of the dam to prevent washouts east of the dam end wall. The top of this wing wall is approximately four feet above the normal lake surface elevation.

Photo 4: The east wing wall looking back towards the dam and the headhouse beyond. The old dam is to the right, upstream from the wing wall. It will be demolished and removed when the new dam project is completed.

Photo 5: End of gate detail, showing the recess in the concrete, which occurs at both ends of both gates. It will be grouted with high strength concrete in the coming weeks.

Photo 6: Upstream view of the new dam and the old dam. The new galvanized catwalk will run from the new headhouse across the top of the dam from west to east, and will provide access to the emergency drop boards which may be lowered into place below the catwalk. There will be four steel columns located across the width of each of the new dam bays, at approximately the locations of the black mats on the dam base. They will extend up to the catwalks. You can clearly see the slots formed in the concrete walls for the new emergency drop boards.

The catwalk is currently being galvanized and is scheduled to arrive on site in three weeks to be installed. Once the catwalk is in place, the hydraulic lines and electrical conduits will be run from the headhouse to the actuators and the dam gate end plate heaters. Following these, piping and electrical runs will be completed and the recesses in the dam end walls will be grouted.