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Crystal Dam is a , double-curvature, concrete, thin
Crystal Dam was the last of the three dams in the Aspinall Unit of the Colorado River Storage Project to be completed. Crystal Dam's design and construction lagged behind Morrow Point and Blue Mesa dams. Construction started in 1964 on a materials borrow pit, with construction at the damsite beginning in 1965 for an access road and exploratory drilling. Work then stopped for five years. Initially planned as an earth-fill dam, the design was changed to a double-curvature, thin-shell concrete arch dam. After an initial bidding process in which all bid were rejected as too high, a contract for the diversion tunnel was awarded in 1972, which was holed through the same year. The construction contract for the dam itself was awarded to the J.F. Shea Company in June 1973. Cofferdam work continued into 1974, encountering problems with leakage though the upstream cofferdam; wells were drilled below the cofferdam to intercept water. In the meantime, the dam foundation was excavated, with first concrete placement in June. Excavation and concrete work for the powerplant started the same year. Concrete work stopped in November, and resumed in April 1975. Work was behind schedule; the dam was supposed to be completed by December 1975. Concrete work resumed in April 1976, with final completion of the dam structure on August 30, 1976. Filling operations in the reservoir began on March 14, 1977, permanently blocking the diversion tunnel on April 12. The powerplant was not completed until 1978, the victim of a fire in the contractor's warehouse that destroyed many electrical components intended for the plant.
Because of Crystal Dam's then-new design, and as a result of the failure of the contemporary
Crystal Dam
at the Bureau of Reclamation
Crystal Powerplant
at the Bureau of Reclamation
at Curecanti National Recreation Area {{authority control Dams in Colorado Buildings and structures in Montrose County, Colorado Arch dams United States Bureau of Reclamation dams Hydroelectric power plants in Colorado Colorado River Storage Project Curecanti National Recreation Area Dams completed in 1977 Energy infrastructure completed in 1977 Dams on the Gunnison River 1977 establishments in Colorado
arch dam
An arch dam is a concrete dam that is curved upstream in plan. The arch dam is designed so that the force of the water against it, known as hydrostatic pressure, presses against the arch, causing the arch to straighten slightly and strengthe ...
located 6 miles downstream from Morrow Point Dam
Morrow Point Dam is a concrete double-arch dam on the Gunnison River located in Colorado, the first dam of its type built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Located in the upper Black Canyon of the Gunnison, it creates Morrow Point Reservoir, a ...
on the Gunnison River
The Gunnison River is located in western Colorado, United States and is one of the largest tributaries of the Colorado River.
Description
The river flows east to west and has a drainage area of according to the USGS. The drainage basin of ...
in Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
, United States. Crystal Dam is the newest of the three dams in Curecanti National Recreation Area
Curecanti National Recreation Area(Pronounced (locally) or .) is a National Park Service unit located on the Gunnison River in western Colorado. Established in 1965, Curecanti National Recreation Area is responsible for developing and managing r ...
; construction on the dam was finished in 1976. The dam impounds Crystal Reservoir. Crystal Dam and Reservoir are part of the Bureau of Reclamation's Wayne N. Aspinall Unit of the Colorado River Storage Project
The Colorado River Storage Project is a United States Bureau of Reclamation project designed to oversee the development of the upper Colorado River basin. The project provides hydroelectric power, flood control and water storage for participat ...
, which retains the waters of the Gunnison River
The Gunnison River is located in western Colorado, United States and is one of the largest tributaries of the Colorado River.
Description
The river flows east to west and has a drainage area of according to the USGS. The drainage basin of ...
and its tributaries for agricultural and municipal use in the American Southwest. The dam's primary purpose is hydroelectric power generation.
Description
Crystal Dam, like the higherMorrow Point Dam
Morrow Point Dam is a concrete double-arch dam on the Gunnison River located in Colorado, the first dam of its type built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Located in the upper Black Canyon of the Gunnison, it creates Morrow Point Reservoir, a ...
farther upstream, is a thin-shell arch dam, primarily planned to generate hydroelectric power. Unlike its upstream companions, excess water spills over the top of the dam through a notched-out, ungated spillway that can create a waterfall in times of overflow. Under normal conditions the river flows through an diameter penstock to the 28 MW turbine. The dam is deep within the Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is an American national park located in western Colorado and managed by the National Park Service. There are two primary entrances to the park: the south rim entrance is located east of Montrose, while ...
in pre-Cambrian metamorphic rock.
History
Crystal Dam was the last of the three dams in the Aspinall Unit of the Colorado River Storage Project to be completed. Crystal Dam's design and construction lagged behind Morrow Point and Blue Mesa dams. Construction started in 1964 on a materials borrow pit, with construction at the damsite beginning in 1965 for an access road and exploratory drilling. Work then stopped for five years. Initially planned as an earth-fill dam, the design was changed to a double-curvature, thin-shell concrete arch dam. After an initial bidding process in which all bid were rejected as too high, a contract for the diversion tunnel was awarded in 1972, which was holed through the same year. The construction contract for the dam itself was awarded to the J.F. Shea Company in June 1973. Cofferdam work continued into 1974, encountering problems with leakage though the upstream cofferdam; wells were drilled below the cofferdam to intercept water. In the meantime, the dam foundation was excavated, with first concrete placement in June. Excavation and concrete work for the powerplant started the same year. Concrete work stopped in November, and resumed in April 1975. Work was behind schedule; the dam was supposed to be completed by December 1975. Concrete work resumed in April 1976, with final completion of the dam structure on August 30, 1976. Filling operations in the reservoir began on March 14, 1977, permanently blocking the diversion tunnel on April 12. The powerplant was not completed until 1978, the victim of a fire in the contractor's warehouse that destroyed many electrical components intended for the plant.
Because of Crystal Dam's then-new design, and as a result of the failure of the contemporary Teton Dam
The Teton Dam was an earthen dam in the western United States, on the Teton River in eastern Idaho. It was built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, one of eight federal agencies authorized to construct dams.Perrow, Charles. '' Normal Accid ...
in 1976, Crystal Dam was inspected in 1978 by divers to verify the integrity of the structure.
References
External links
Crystal Dam
at the Bureau of Reclamation
Crystal Powerplant
at the Bureau of Reclamation
at Curecanti National Recreation Area {{authority control Dams in Colorado Buildings and structures in Montrose County, Colorado Arch dams United States Bureau of Reclamation dams Hydroelectric power plants in Colorado Colorado River Storage Project Curecanti National Recreation Area Dams completed in 1977 Energy infrastructure completed in 1977 Dams on the Gunnison River 1977 establishments in Colorado