2022 558mw Yusufeli Dam on Coruh River in Turkey

(Satellite)

2:37 video, timelapse from three different views
"The dam is an arch-gravity type, standing at an impressive height of approximately 275 meters (902 feet) and spanning a width of 319 meters (1,047 feet) at its crest. It has a storage capacity of around 2.2 billion cubic meters (1.78 million acre-feet) and a power generation capacity of 558 megawatts."

Another construction video 

0:40 video

The dam is named after one of the villages that it will submerge.

TheAtlantic, 1 of several photos of the villiage being swallowed by the reservoir. Apr 4, 2023

Photo courtesy of Limak via enr

limak

ForeignPolicy
"Residents of Yusufeli stand atop a hill to look down on the drowned remnants of their town on April 1 [2023]."
"One of 13 planned or built hydropower facilities on the Coruh, this one has uprooted approximately 7,400 residents in Yusufeli alone, locals say, as well as more people in surrounding villages. It is also uprooting the valley’s unique biodiversity—it’s home to 70 endemic plant species—and both residents and environmentalists have tried for years to fight the project, to no avail."

"The project comprises a 275m tall double curvature concrete arch dam and a power plant equipped with three 186MW vertical-axis Francis turbine units. Each turbine unit is designed to operate at a rated head of 191m and a rated discharge of 107m3/sec....The other components of the project include the main power transformers, a 380kV switchyard, along measuring and protection equipment." [WaterPowerMagazine]

1907 Elizabeth (#3) Locks and Dam on Monongahela River near Belle Vernon, PA

(Satellite)

USACE, Pittsburgh District posted three photos with the comment:

An aerial view of Monongahela River Locks and Dam 3 at Elizabeth, Pennsylvania. 

Elizabeth Locks and Dam is one of nine navigation structures on the Monongahela River which provide navigation from Fairmont, West Virginia, to downtown Pittsburgh. 

The facility is located at River Mile 23.8. Construction on Elizabeth Locks and Dam began in 1905 and was completed in 1907, at which point it became operational.

📸 by Michel Sauret

Mark Novak: 9 dams on the river .. none hydroelectric?..

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District: Mark Novak hey Mark!

Here's a story we wrote recently about the hydropower plants at our various dams on the river and at reservoirs:

https://www.lrp.usace.army.mil/.../News.../Article/3414136

Todd Rygelski: When is this scheduled for demolition?

Michel Sauret: Todd Rygelski the schedule hasn't been set yet, but it's planned for sometime in 2024.

[The Braddock (#2) Dam is being made bigger so this one will no longer be needed.]

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Comments on the above post

Drydock, Dam, Locks and Trunnion Bridge in Port Carling, ON

Big Lock and Drydock: (Satellite)

Dam and Little Lock: (Satellite)

Muskoka Steamships & Discovery Centre posted five photos with the comment: "The RMS Segwun and Wenonah II will be heading to dry dock at the Port Carling locks this Fall! The ships will undergo inspections and important maintenance during this time before heading back to Gravenhurst for the winter. Get your cruise tickets now to enjoy a ride on these beautiful ships at www.realmuskoka.com. Check out the photos from our previous dry dock that took place in 2016."

Janey Anderson shared with the comment: "Love to get up to Port Carling this winter to see these beautiful boats in drydock!!"

Bill Thomson: I worked that drydock painting the inside of a sewage tank isn't alot of fun.

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Dean Oldham commented on the above post

The Segwun is a steam powered cruise ship. It is nice to see the owners are taking such good care of it. Doug Ramey provided a couple of photos in the comments on the above post.

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When I first looked for a drydock, I could not find one. Instead I found a big (near the top) and a little (near the bottom by the dam) lock.

Satellite

Using the fourth photo above, I confirmed that the big lock is used as the drydock. 

Street View, Nov 2022

4 of 17 photos posted by Janey Anderson with the comment: "The RMS (Royal Mail Ship) SEGWUN is the oldest operating steam driven vessel in North America, built in 1887 in Clyde, Scotland as the "Nipissing" to cruise the Muskoka Lakes."

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Bill Jr Salton posted two photos with the comment: "Every 5 years the old Segwun, and her replica sister Wennonah II arrive in Port Carling, ON for drydocking ahead of their winter slumber. The lock is drained and becomes a makeshift drydock for the necessary inspections and/or repairs. So great to finally see this in person! Note, the lock is close enough to the main road lift bridge that the drone camera wouldnt fit the entire boat in one frame from that level, so 2 photos were stitched together to show a full vessel 😉"

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Note that the bridge from which the above street view was taken is a trunnion drawbridge that pivots on the south side.

Peter G, Aug 2023

The elevation difference between Lakes Rosseau and Muskoka is not big, but it was big enough to create a rapids on the Indian River that hindered navigation between the two lakes. So in 1871, a lock was built. After WWI, there were more than 6,000 vessels a year and wait times over an hour. So the little locks were built to handle pleasure boats and relieve the pressure on the big lock. Today, electric gates allow boats to pass through in just 10 minutes so the little locks "have receded into the background." [MuskokaRegion] Why is "little locks" plural? I see three gates in this street view. But the lift height is not enough to justify a double lock. Looking at the satellite image, I see two boats in the little lock and four in the big lock.

Street View, Sep 2018

The MuskokaRegion article makes a big deal that the little lock wasn't built until after WWI. But this source indicates that it was built when the dam was built.

The Canadian Canal Society web site shows the dimensions as follows:

Small Lock (at the dam) built 1873, 83' x 12' (25.3 m x 3.7 m). GPS 45E07'07.59"N 79E34'35.17"W
Large Lock (On a separate channel) built 1874, 175' x 33' (53.3 m x 10 m). GPS 45E07'12.33"N 79E34'37.28"W
Mnimum depth for both locks is 8.5' (2.6 m) and lift is 4' (1.2 m).

[AmericanCanalSociety]

2:35 video @ 0:58

This source agrees that both the big and little locks were constructed at the same time. Work began in 1869.

Boaters have to pay a fee to use the big lock, but they can lock themselves through the small lock. [muskoka]

One reason it did not occur to me that the big lock was the drydock until I studied the photos was that a drydock normally has a nearby building for machine and fabrication shops and supplies. And they have concrete surfaced sides that can hold cranes. Now I realize that any lock that has bulkheads so that it can be dewatered for maintenance can be used as a drydock if you don't need support facilities.

Lime Silica Elevator on Calumet Lake and Soil Stabilization

(3D Satellite)

"The southern elevator is packed with lime silica, a component of cement, that a company called Mt. Carmel Stabilization brings in by barge." [Chicago Tribune, Aug 27, 2023, p17]

The elevator on the other side of the slip is abandoned.

Street View, Jul 2018

If you like videos where every platitude, especially customer satisfaction, is said more than once by different talking heads, then this 3:54 video (source) is for you. Fortunately, they did sneak in some interesting video clips between the heads. All of the screenshots below are from this video.

"We can walk into a site that at the start of the day you couldn't hardly walk across in your own boots and at the end of the day they can drive a semi on it and not make a dent in it." [@ 2:52]

Screenshot

They design and build their own spreaders and have 60 of them. Since the focus of the video is platitudes instead of information, it doesn't mention what they are spreading. I think they spread lime silica or cement depending on the soil condition. They do mention that they have 10 storage facilities. I think they said that their total storage is 500,000 tons. (I'm not going to suffer through that video again to confirm that number. BTW, if you want an example of a video that is all information and no platitudes, check out this one.)

Screenshot

Screenshot

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mtcsg_timeline
In 1995, they stabilized millions of square yards for the New Denver International Airport.

The next day I came across this alternate solution for soft soils.

Tensar Americas posted
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 https://info.tensarcorp.com/interax-sample-request

I did not download this eBook because it requires a registration. But maybe some readers are willing to do that.

Tensar Americas posted
Our free ebook compares the pros and cons of stabilizing bad soils with chemicals and geogrid. Download your copy.

Tensar Americas posted
Which is better, chemical stabilization or mechanical stabilization with geogrids? This e-book explains the pros and cons of each method, with actual project examples.
eBook offer

Peterborough Lift Lock (#21) on Trent-Severn Waterway in Peterborough, ON

(Satellites: Historic Site, Lock #21, Visitor Center)

Street View, Oct 2021

CottageLife, PHOTO BY JUSTEN SOULE, COURTESY OF PARKS CANADA (source)
Calling all paddlers! Pile into the historic Peterborough Lift Lock [Aug 26, 2023]
"It was built from 1896 to 1904 on the Otonabee River section of the Trent-Severn Canal and was designated a national heritage site in 1979 due to its massive size. At a height of 20 metres [66'], it is the largest hydraulic lift in the world that is still in regular operation, according to Canada’s Directory of Federal Heritage Designations."

Lock #21 via Dennis DeBruler

1903+1950s+1964,1994 US-19 Hughes Bridges over Gauley River in Summersville, WV

(Bridge Hunter broke Mar 22, 2023; no Historic Bridges; B&T; Satellite)

This is another bridge that had to be built across a valley because a dam flooded the valley.

1 of 5 photos posted by Bridges & Tunnels, reddit

Before the graceful Warren deck trusses that carries US Route 19 and Corridor L over the Gauley River and Summersville Lake near Summersville, West Virginia, there was Hughes Ferry.

Hughes Ferry was the first ferry to operate across the Gauley within Nicholas County, connecting Summersville with the James River & Kanawha Turnpike, Gauley Bridge, Fayetteville, and Lewisburg via the Wilderness Road. The ferry service ended when a bridge was built across the river in 1903.

The Summersville Reservoir had been approved under the Flood Control Act of 1938 to control and prevent flooding in the Gauley and Kanawha River watersheds, but no work was undertaken on the project because of World War II and the Korean Wars. Meanwhile, discussions about replacing the antiquated bridge at Hughes Ferry began as early as 1941. Eventually, a replacement concrete and steel bridge was built around 1950. In 1957, the Army Corps of Engineers settled a location for the dam for the Summersville Reservoir, which would submerge the new Hughes Ferry Bridge.

In February 1960, the construction of Summersville Lake. This required rerouting US Route 19 and WV Route 41 between Mt. Nebo and Summersville with 4.5 miles of a new two-lane highway and a Warren deck truss bridge over the Gauley River. It was opened to traffic following a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 1, 1964. It was dualized with a parallel bridge in 1991-94.

Read more about the fascinating history of this bridge http://bridgestunnels.com/location/hughes-bridge/

"Hughes Bridge, Summersville, WV Taking traffic across the Summersville Lake, the Hughes Bridge gets its name from a historic bridge that once crossed the Gauley River. The views are so spectacular around the bridge that area explorers have stashed many geocaches in the area to encourage you to stop and take a moment to look around and seek them out." [OfficialBridgeDay, lists some other bridges in the area]

Dennis DeBruler commented on B&T's post
Note how twisty and turning the road was south of the bridge. That is because it climbs out of the valley to go along the ridge of the mountain. Now the road just jumps over the Gauley River gorge.
1916 Winona Quad @ 62,500

1966 80mw Summersville Dam on Gauley River near Summersville, WV

(Satellite)

Construction of this dam also required building a new Hughes Bridge.

"In February 1960, the construction of Summersville Lake began under the supervision of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. 8 By 1966, the construction was successfully completed, and the dam was inaugurated by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 3 of that year. 

"At the time of its completion, the Summersville Lake Dam stood out for its size. Measuring 390 feet in height and spanning 2,280 feet in length, it was recognized as the second-largest rock-fill dam in the eastern United States. Furthermore, Summersville Lake held the distinction of being the largest lake in the state, covering an area of 2,700 acres with over 60 miles of shoreline when at its summer pool level."

[Bridges & Tunnels]

ByrdCenter, aerial view by USACE Huntington Division

 

Mikalio Miko Konatarevic, Apr 2023

LowImpactHydro
A minimum flow of 100cfs is maintained. The 80mw powerhouse was added in 2001.
A penstock was added to one of the outputs to divert water to the powerhouse. It is 17' (5.2m) in diameter. 

I came across a lot of photos with this view of the dam.  This one has one of the outlets open.

TripAdvisor, WVAngler, Jun 2015

 

SumersvilleWV
"A two-unit powerhouse was constructed on the right bank of the dam and connected to the existing outlet structure by a 17 ft diameter steel penstock. A 10 mile long, 69,000 volt electrical line ties the powerhouse to the utility transmission grid. Two vertical Francis turbines rated at 60,000 hp at a net head of 260 ft discharge water at a rate of 2,200 cu ft/s. The direct-drive synchronous generators are rated at 44,000 MW."

 

Hydro, p11 via SumersvilleWV

The site has a static display of a valve.

TripAdvisor, RialbTraveler, May 2018

Mikailo Miko Konatarevic, Apr 2023

All three outlets were open in 2021.

peaches Mann, Sep 2021

TripAdvisor, SherrB, Jun 2016

register-herald, submitted photo
"Every 10 years, the lake is drawn down an extra 55 feet [17m] so that the dam’s intake structure can be accessed, considerably shrinking the 2,800-acre lake to a mere 400 acres. The lake is currently at 1,520 feet above sea level, which is 132 feet [40m] below its summer level."
So the elevation of the normal winter pool is 1575' above sea level, and the summer pool is 1652'.

I presume the bare spot on the left side of this image is the emergency spillway.

Satellite

"Every fall, for 6 weekends beginning in September, the Army Corp of Engineers begins scheduled releases to allow rafters to experience the full force of the Gauley River. The Upper Gauley, one of the top whitewater destinations in the world, is full on, in your face, class V whitewater. The Lower Gauley is more tame, with plenty of epic rapids and some of the best scenery in all of West Virginia." [aceraft]