Portugués Dam
Portugués Dam | |
---|---|
Portugues River | |
Height | 220 feet (67 m) |
Length | 1,230 feet (370 m) |
Width (crest) | 35 feet (11 m) |
Width (base) | 110 feet (34 m) |
Dam volume | 368,000 cubic yards (281,000 m3) |
Reservoir | |
Creates | Portugues Reservoir |
Total capacity | 392,040 cubic feet (11,101 m3) |
Surface area | 215 acres (87 ha) |
Pablo Vázquez Ruiz, head project engineer |
The Portugués Dam (Spanish: Represa Portugués) is a
The primary purpose of the dam is
An estimated inauguration date of October 2013 was announced in 2011 but was not met.[1][7] Subsequently, an inauguration date of 28 January 2014 was also announced.[8] The dam was structurally completed in December 2013 and inaugurated on 5 February 2014.[9] The dam is operated by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources.[8]
History and construction
The first government official known to have proposed building a dam to tame
Since the 1970s, the
When the dam was advertised for construction in 2000, only one proposal was received, and its cost was over the government's budget. To reduce costs, a five-year technical review program was started to research new, lower-cost designs for the dam. The investigation resulted in a lower cost design, switching from the double-curvature thin arch to a single-centered roller-compacted concrete thick arch. Proposals for the dam were requested in 2007 and
Construction on the dam began in April 2008 and consisted of five phases. Phase 1, at a cost of $24.5 million, included the mobilization, clearing, quarry overburden excavation, power-line relocation activities; Phase 2, costing $47.6 million involved the foundation excavation, aggregate production, dental concrete chores; Phase 3, budgeted at $37.3 million, comprised the aggregate production, and ½ dam RCC placement tasks; Phase 4, at $41.1 million, involved the final dam RCC placement, the spillway, and the intake structure jobs; and Phase 5, at a cost of $29.7 million included the remaining items, such as the valve house, the access road, and mechanical and electrical structures.[11]
As of March 2011, Phase 3 work was underway and the project was 48% complete. The rolled-compacted concrete production facilities had been completed, 700,500 tons of aggregate (for use in concrete) had been produced while foundation preparation continued. RCC placement was placed in 47 ft (14 m) of dam. Construction was initially expected to be completed by 2012,[12] but was later postponed.[1] In December 2013 the dam was completed and its inauguration occurred on 5 February 2014. Pending reservoir-filling and testing of the dam, making it operational was announced for early 2015.[9]
Dam characteristics
The Portugués Dam is a 220 feet (67 m) high and 1,230 feet (370 m) long single-centered roller-compacted concrete thick arch. Containing 367,000 cubic yards (281,000 m3) of roller-compacted concrete, it is 110 feet (34 m) thick at its base and 35 feet (11 m) thick at its crest. The dam has an uncontrolled spillway center-left side, over the river bed; 21 ft (6.4 m) below the dams crest of 534.6 ft (162.9 m) above sea level. The center of the dam straddles an intake and outlet structure which will draw water from behind the dam and discharge it into the river valley.[5]
Archeological findings
During excavation, a 130 ft × 160 ft (40 m × 49 m)
The Army Corps of Engineers found an alternate rubbish disposal site and performed mitigation work in order to preserve the site, adding $3 million in additional project costs. Despite objections of locals, the Army Corps was bound by federal law and had to transport artifacts and human remains to a federally-approved laboratory in
Gallery
-
Aerial view of dam, 2014
See also
- List of dams and reservoirs in Puerto Rico
- Ponce, Puerto Rico
- Portugues River
References
- ^ a b c d Proyecto de año: Represa Portugues, Construccion con Ingenieria Extrema. Archived 2013-09-28 at the Wayback Machine Planos y Capacetes. May-Jun 2011. Page 10. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
- ^ No se detiene la Represa Portugués. La Perla del Sur. 21 April 2011. Accessed 10 July 2020.
- ^ Website of the Municipality of Ponce. Descubrelo > Recursos Naturales. Archived 2010-06-20 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ No se detiene la Represa Portugués. Jason Rodríguez Grafal. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ a b c d USACE Portugues Dam Brochure - April 2009 Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Proyecto de año: Represa Portugues, Construccion con Ingenieria Extrema. Archived 2013-11-15 at the Wayback Machine Planos y Capacetes. May-Jun 2011. Page 10. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
- ^ A punto de caramelo la represa Portugués. Reinaldo Millán. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Year 31. Issue 1528. Page 12. 13 March 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
- ^ a b A punto de caramelo la represa Portugués. Reinaldo Millán. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. (Printed Edition: Title: A pesar del cierre federal: A punto de caramelo la represa Portugués; Date: 16 October 2013; Year: 31; Issue: 1559. Page: 20.) Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- ^ a b "USACE completes Portugues Dam". Water Power & Dam Construction. 27 February 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
- ^ Socorro Guiron. Ponce, el teatro La Perla y La Campana de la Almudaina: Historia de Ponce desde sus comienzos hasta la Segunda Decada del Siglo XX. Gobierno Municipal de Ponce. Third Edition, 1992. pages 392-393.
- ^ USACE Portuguese Dam Construction - July 2009[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Portugués Dam Status as of March 22, 2011". U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
- ^ a b USACE Discovery of Pre-Columbian era Site Yields Rare Treasure 2009 Archived 2009-06-20 at the Wayback Machine