Mountain Lions at Calaveras Dam

Just this week at the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project, crews were able to install a special feature to the new Intake Tower roof.  The new intake tower is part of the outlet works that releases water from the reservoir. The special features are roof drain scuppers made of cast bronze in the shape of a mountain lion head designed by artist Manuel Palos and architect Andrew Maloney.

Why a Mountain Lion?

The lion head “grotesque” & “gargoyle” ornament has decorated buildings for thousands of years. In Greek and Roman classical architecture, the lion was a symbol of the fallen hero, guardian of gates, temples, and public buildings. The rain water from the roof is collected in the drain and exits the mouth of the mountain lion.    

Mountain lions are native to the Alameda Creek Watershed. Some construction workers have seen them on site and we even captured footage on our trail camera:

Calaveras Dam Completes Major Work on New Intake Structure

Our contractor recently completed the final concrete pour for the new intake structure, which is a key component of the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project.  This tower is the connection point for the water pipelines that draw water from the reservoir, before it is treated at the Sunol Valley Water Treatment Plant and then sent on to our 2.6 million customers.

The contractor used 1,400 yards of concrete to build the new intake structure.  That is the equivalent to the weight of more than 12 cable cars!  At 214 feet tall, the structure is almost as tall as the height of the new Calaveras Dam (220-feet-tall). It took our crews more than 29,000 hours to construct the tower.

Crews still need to finish the exterior work on the structure, which will replicate the architectural style of the original tower that was built in 1925. The final external touches are expected to be finished in a few years’ time. 

For more project information, contact us at our 24 hour answer line at (866) 973-1476 or email mle@sfwater.org

Original Intake Structure built in 1925

New Intake Structure in progress today

The Calaveras Dam team gathered to celebrate this milestone at the site

Teamwork pays off

It’s not quite like a Giants baseball game out here, but our crews at the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project sure know a thing or two about the importance of teamwork.  Just like base coach Tim Flannery uses hand signals to communicate on the field, our Calaveras Dam workers use the same method to communicate to each other at the site.

Since Friday, we started filling concrete in the new shaft which is an important function for the new Calaveras Dam.  The shaft is part of the new intake tower which moves water from the Calaveras Reservoir through the adit tunnels eventually treated to become our drinking water. The level of noise and limited visibility in the shaft can be challenging, so our workers rely on hand signals and radio communication to mobilize.  Our workers signal the crane to lower a bucket full of concrete into the shaft, and then workers below fill the wall forms with concrete.

The shaft is 152 feet deep and over 720 cubic yards of concrete will be placed once it is completed. It takes approximately a week for the concrete to reach a specified strength before continuing, therefore the concrete work will be completed in 16 foot lifts at a time through March 2013.

Worker signals crane to move concrete bucket into shaft

Top of the Shaft 

 

Workers in Shaft below with Concrete Bucket

For the San Francisco Giants, teamwork wins championships.  As for our workers, teamwork builds progress for the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project.  Congrats to both teams!  For more project info, contact us at our 24 hour answer line at (866) 973-1476 or email mle@sfwater.org

 

Photo Courtesy Fox News