Alpha & Omega Group was selected by the US Forest Service to provide routine dam inspection services for Balsam Lake Dam, Cherokee Lake Dam, Cliffside Dam, Lake Powhatan Dam, and Lewis Mill Pond Dam, all in western North Carolina. A&O used the standard Natural Resources Coservation Service format for the concrete dam inspections and modified it for specific use with the US Forest Service (USFS)

A&O services included review of the previous dam inspections, field inspections of the five dams, photographic documentation of each dam, the identification of deficiencies that include, concrete deterioration, spalling, steel corrosion, seepage through the concrete, seepage along downstream toe of dam, vegetation cover, large tree growth, rodent activity, drift and debris accumulation, principal spillway riser and barrel, emergency spillway, and any erosion present. A&O listed actions needed by priority: low – next 12 months, and high – as soon as possible.

A&O recommended testing the concrete in the dams for strength and quality to determine if the concrete can be repaired or if replacement needs to be considered in the future. A&O found that the Lewis Mill Pond Dam was not holding water and seepage below the concrete dam has occurred.

  Overview
  Client: 

      US Forest Service
Location:

      Cherokee, Jackson, Macon, Buncombe, and Montgomery Counties
Contact:

      Barry Jones

    US Forest Service

    828-257-4835 
Professional fees:
 $13,250
Start / completion:

      9/2017 – 10/2017
Project manager:

      Ted Bartelt, PE

  Experience
  Visual inspection
Dam assessment
Documentation
Recommendations for repairs