Blue Ridge Dam Rehabilitation

J.M. Wilkerson Construction Co., Inc. was selected to work with Garney Construction, out of Kansas, MO, to update this significant category 1 structure in Blue Ridge, GA.

Completed in 1931 by the Tennessee Electric Power company (TEPCO) and acquired by the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1939, the Blue Ridge Reservoir consists of an embankment dam, a gated saddle spillway, an additional un-gated spillway, an intake tower, a low level outlet structure and a power plant. Due to new regional seismic hazard studies, it was determined that remedial measures were required for the intake tower and both upstream and downstream slopes to ensure stability during and after the design seismic event.

JMW was responsible for construction of a new downstream embankment rock berm on the existing downstream face of the dam, modifications and repairs to the existing toe drain system, relocation of underground utilities near the powerhouse, relocation of the powerhouse access road including the construction of two MSE walls and the removal of portions of the upstream slope of the dam, replacement of aggregate filter materials and riprap. Over 500,000 tons of materials were replaced on the slopes of this structure.