GeoStabilization International® Assists in Restoration Effort at Popular Recreation Spot

GeoStabilization recently completed restoration efforts in assisting Barrick Gold with the rehabilitation of the Willow Creek Reservoir dam in Nevada. The reservoir drained in December of 2017 due to the malfunction of a gate actuator valve. Barrick undertook a complete restoration of the dam with the installation of new fencing & public access gates as well as the replacement of cast iron gate components, including the stems and gates with stainless steel components to extend the life of the dam’s infrastructure.

GSI was tasked with prepping the degraded 100-year-old concrete surface to achieve an adequate pull-off bond strength for the newly applied fiber reinforced shotcrete, as well as rehabilitation of the concrete on the exterior portion of the outlet and access tunnels.

“We cleaned the surface of the old concrete from the existing face, added reinforcement, installed new shotcrete on the upstream and downstream faces of the dam and formed the top crest,” said Jennifer Crites, GeoStabilization’s on-site Project Manager. “Limited access crews repaired areas of the inlet tunnel with a combination of shooting concrete while tethered from ropes and utilizing manlifts. Due to the site’s remoteness (it was at least a 2-hour drive for trucks), volumetric shotcrete trucks were used to control cure rates.”

Barrick has dedicated 20,000 staff-hours and invested $1.4 million in the project. Restoration will continue through the end of the year with current work focused on improvements to the public access boat ramp. The fishery may take time to return to original levels, but Barrick will reopen public access to the facility in early 2019.

View of Willow Creek Reservoir in March 2018 as work began to restore the dam
View of Willow Creek Reservoir in March 2018 as work began to restore the dam
Aerial view of Willow Creek Reservoir in July 2018 showing the dam's completed concrete restoration
Aerial view of Willow Creek Reservoir in July 2018 showing the dam's completed concrete restoration
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