Restoring Gavins Point Dam Gates After Flood Damage

Gavins Point Dam is the southernmost dam of the six large dams on the upper Missouri River. A major flood event occurred in the Central States impacting both the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, and as a result, the USACE Omaha District retained the team of Black & Veatch to perform design-build services to rehabilitate the 14 gates as a result of flood damage. Black & Veatch provided the structural engineering design services portion of the design-build project for tainter gate repairs, and expanded the scope to include weld, corrosion system, damage assessment, field engineering (scaffolding), field inspections etc.

Black & Veatch’s engineers’ field operations team consisted of Certified Weld Inspectors (CWI), who performed the hands-on inspection of these 30 feet by 30 feet square gates, their trunnions, and anchorages. The team developed and adhered to a comprehensive safety plan in accordance with EM-385. They collected four coupon samples, and are in the process of verifying as-built members, and recording and producing reports documenting the condition of each gate, measuring stop log slots, coordinating and observing the operation of each gate, and comparing and contrasting the findings of the field operations with a previous inspection by others. Project coordination required working closely with the Prime, other subcontractors, and the USACE Design Office.