Design Center mobile

Lake Charles Dam

Roswell, Georgia

Dam Overtopping

Owner:

Lake Charles Lake Owners Association Inc.

Engineer:

Southland Services Inc., Piedmont Geotechnical Consultants Inc.

Contractor:

JM Wilkerson Construction

Installation:

September 2008

Technical Description:

  • Product: ArmorFlex® Class 70
  • Area: 11,520 sf

The Lake Charles Dam Renovation project included the removal of the existing spillway system and internal drainage structures from Lake Charles and the installation of a new auxiliary spillway. The Lake Charles Lake Owners Association, Inc. and the City of Roswell needed an erosion control product to repair the dam and stabilize the soils on the new spillway.

The dam was classified as a high hazard Category I dam according to the Georgia Safe Dam Program, authorized by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A Category I Dam might result in loss of human life upon failure or improper operation. A fast solution was crucial for the City.

The dam was surrounded by residential development and the City worked with Southland Services and Piedmont Geotechnical Consultants Inc. to choose a vegetated and aesthetic soil stabilization solution for the homeowners that would fit in with the surroundings.

ArmorFlex articulating concrete block revetment systems were chosen for the project over alternative solutions including dumped stone riprap, gabions and structural concrete because the flexible, open-cell design of the interlocking machine-compressed, cellular concrete blocks allowed for vegetation growth. JM Wilkerson Construction Co., Inc. installed 11,520 square feet of ArmorFlex Class 70 block in 2.5 weeks.

“We used a 200 ton hydraulic crane located on the top of the dam and installed the ArmorFlex from the downhill portion, moving our way up to the top,” said Matt Bunch, Project Manager with J.M. Wilkerson Construction. “The installation of the ArmorFlex was easy. The only challenge was getting the sub base correct due to the extreme slope.”

The ArmorFlex proved a successful solution for the auxiliary spillway for the Lake Charles Dam Renovation project and the Lake Charles Lake Owners Association and the City were happy with the outcome.

Technical Description:

  • Product: ArmorFlex® Class 70
  • Area: 11,520 sf
logo

800-338-1122 | www.ContechES.com

product-logo

© 2023 Contech Engineered Solutions LLC, a QUIKRETE Company