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PG&E Crane Valley dam Seismic Retrofit update today:
The lake is now at 3347+/- which is as low as PG&E can legally go. We
plan to keep it at this level as long as we can thru the winter and
early spring. Weather systems will dictate how well we do. FYI – we
just extended the Pines boat ramp to allow boat trailers to be able to
launch with the lake at this lowest level.
This current information was provided by
John Magyar
Construction Director
PARSONS
Construction on Saturdays from 10/22/11 to 11/19/11
From 10/22/11 through 11/19/11, PG&E will conduct construction activities at the Crane Valley Dam and Wishon Quarry on Saturdays in addition to Monday through Friday operations. Saturday work hours will be limited from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Saturday Wishon Quarry operations will be limited to crushing, loading, and transporting rock only- no blasting activities will occur.
PG&E’s commitment to area residents is to finish the dam construction as quickly as possible. Construction on these Saturdays will help to avoid winter weather interruptions, which will facilitate completion of the downstream buttress foundation and will expedite rock placement on multiple sections of the dam.
Motorists should expect periodic traffic delays on Road 222 as you approach the Crane Valley Dam site. Signage along Road 222 will advise drivers of traffic delay and control measures. PG&E will have the appropriate traffic control staff and flagmen in place similar to controls during Monday through Friday operations during Wishon Quarry rock deliveries across Road 222.
Information courtesy of PGE. Visit www.cranevalleydam.com for updated project information.
Crane Valley Dam Seismic Retrofit Project Update 9/8/2011
On Thursday, August 18, 2011, PG&E presented an update on the Crane Valley Dam Seismic Retrofit Project at a Town Hall Meeting hosted by Supervisor Tom Wheeler at the Pines Resort. This email summarizes the information presented at that meeting as well as updated trucking information on the schedule for importing of rock material from the Raymond Quarry during September.
Heavy rains during the winter and spring have contributed to construction delays on the project. Additionally, the Wishon Quarry is producing more waste rock material and overburden material then expected. PG&E needs to permit use of approximately 15 additional acres of United States Forest Service (USFS) property for Quarry stockpile use. Construction activities will continue throughout the permitting process.
The steps to securing permitting for the additional property are as follows:
In addition, PG&E is considering permitting the importing of an additional 50,000 cubic yards of rock as a contingency for project operations.
Updated Project Timeline
Winter 2013- Dam construction completed
Spring 2013- Quarry and site restoration completed
May 2013- Demobilization of the site
Construction Activity Will Continue During Permitting of New Quarry Area
Quarry operations and importing rock from the off-site Raymond Quarry will allow construction to continue on the downstream buttress during the permitting process for the new Quarry stockpile area.
Construction activity after permitting will include:
Truck Traffic from Raymond Quarry August 28 – October 1
Additional rock will continue to be trucked to the dam site facilitating current construction efforts. Rock deliveries will take place Monday through Friday only. During a 10 day period beginning August 28 and ending September 13, there will be 64 truck trips per day delivering rock to the dam construction site from the Raymond Quarry. Click here to view map of truck route. For the remaining days of September, the truck traffic will be reduced to 32 truck trips per day.
Winter Lake Level and Boat Ramp Access
Bass Lake will be lowered beginning September 6 to enable foundation excavation and construction efforts. The winter lake level will be managed similar to last winter and PG&E will install boat ramp extensions at one location if necessary and feasible.
Information courtesy of www.cranevalleydam.com.
Stephen Welch, Owner/Broker of Bass Lake Realty, attended the Crane Valley Dam Update meeting that was held August 18th, 2011 in the Lakeview Room at The Pines Resort at Bass Lake. Here is the latest news on their progress and anticipated plans for completion:
“Lake drawdown will begin Tuesday September 6th. Expect the level to go down about 2 feet/week. It will be about 6 feet further down (total of -16”) by September 26th and 18 feet further down (total of -28’) by October 16th. It will remain -26 to -28 feet down for the winter to accommodate their work.
Rubber boat ramp extensions will be added to the Pines Marina to allow for launching this winter
Current work includes blasting in the quarry, trucking rock from Raymond (about 32 trucks/day now and then 64/day from 8/29 to 9/13), and reinforcing the west end downstream portion of the dam.
Additional permitting is underway to haul an additional 50,000 cu yards of material and to create an additional 13 acre storage site near the existing quarry for storage of the material
Expect to commence work on the upstream side in February 2012
Lake level next summer: again -10 feet
Lake level next winter: again – 26-28 feet
Last phase is to increase the height of the dam about 7 feet – to be done winter of 2012-2013
Completion Spring 2013
“As you may recall, the original schedule called for completion April of 2012. The delay is caused by the lake coming up prematurely this past winter due to the above normal precipitation and the unforeseen need to import additional granite from Raymond and the permitting related to that. They anticipated 20% waste from the quarry and actually are at about 40%. This has slowed the process and necessitated the importing of additional rock. This delay is unfortunate for all but as a great philosopher once said…”it is what it is…”
For ongoing updates and information, feel free to log onto the home page of our website at www.BassLakeRealty.com and click on “Crane Valley Dam Seismic Retrofit Information”. You may also click on the DamCam photo on the home page to view the work in progress; or go directly to: www.BassLakeDamCam.com
Posted on July 19th, 2011
Construction has been underway during the past four months on the Crane Valley Dam Seismic Retrofit Project. As of today, construction efforts are visible on most areas of the dam. Over the next few weeks, the following additional construction activities will be noticeable in and around Bass Lake:
Please continue to visit the project website for meeting and construction updates and other project information at www.cranevalleydam.com.
Click here for a printable map of the truck route (pdf).
Courtesy of PGE
Crane Valley Dam is located about 40 miles northeast of Fresno in Madera County, California on the North Fork of
Willow Creek, a tributary of the San Joaquin River. The dam was built between 1902 and 1911 when very little was
known about seismic activity. The dam is a 145-foot high, hydraulic earth and rock fill embankment, with a thin central
concrete core wall. The dam is 1,880 feet long, and the crest of the dam is at 3,380 feet elevation.
Crane Valley Dam consists of two distinct dams separated by a rock knoll. The Main Dam is located in the main channel
of the creek, and has earth fill on the upstream side of the core wall and rock fill on the downstream side. The West Dam
is located adjacent to the main dam in a smaller side channel west of the creek, and has earth fill on both sides of the con
wall. The spillway is located on a saddle about 500 feet to the east ofthe dam.
There are two main regulatory agencies involved with the Crane Valley Dam:
Division of Safety of Dams is responsible to review the stability of all dams in California. In light of improved design
approaches as well as new findings regarding earthquake hazards and hydrologic estimates, DSOD periodically
establishes new requirements for dams. In 2002, DSOD requested that PG&E revise previous seismic stability analysis
of Crane Valley Dam (BassLake). After completing studies on the dam stability, the results indicated that modifications
to the dam were necessary to meet current standards for seismic stability. Since 2002, PG&E has worked in concert with
DSOD and the FERC to conduct further analysis of the seismic stability and coordinate the development of a seismic
retrofit plan for Crane Valley Dam. Analysis showed that in the event of an earthquake, the dam could slump and allow
water to flow over the top, causing flooding downstream.
Since then, PG&E has developed a retrofit design to modify the Crane Valley Dam to increase the stability of the dam
structures to meet state and federal safety guidelines. The dam modification would consist of the addition of
approximately 253,000 cubic yards of rock fill to selected areas on the upstream and downstream faces of the dam.
In summary, the seismic retrofit project will include the following measures:
Crane Valley Dam consists of two distinct dams separated by a rock knoll. The Main Dam is location in the main
channel of the creek, and has earth fill on the upstream side of the core wall and rock fill on the downstream side. The
West Dam is located adjacent to the main dam in a smaller side channel west of the creek, and has earth fill on both side~
of the core wall. The spillway is located on a saddle about 500 feet to the east of the dam.
In summary, the seismic retrofit project will include the following measures:
During parts of construction it is expected that an area by the dam will be closed. However, this work is scheduled to be
completed during normal drawdown of the reservoir and should not have an impact to recreation in the summer months.
In order to safely and efficiently transport material and equipment to and from the construction site, a traffic control plan
will be developed in accordance with conditions required by the Madera County Road Department and other resource
agencies. Road safety signs will be installed and flag persons will be used in accordance with traffic control best
management practices (BMP). Along with public warning signs, temporary chain link fencing with gates will be
installed at both ends of the dam.
As an operating reservoir, Bass Lake water level fluctuates throughout the year and during the winter months is often
lower than the level 10 feet below maximum lake level restriction. Hydro generation will continue throughout the
construction project and the 10 foot reduction restriction is specific to summer months.
The reservoir restriction will remain in place until completion of the dam seismic retrofit estimated to be 2012.
PG&E anticipates the water level will return to normal once construction is completed pending approval by DSOD and FERC.
For more information, go to: www.cranevalleydam.com
I have received some great questions regarding how the lake level will vary during the seismic retrofit project, and how recreation is affected.
By November 15th each year, Bass Lake typically is lowered to 50% of high water level, beginning in July and continuing through the fall. This allows the spring snow melt to fill up the lake again by the following May. The level you see in the Dam Cam now is 5 feet lower even than that to allow some work to progress below the dam, currently out of sight of the camera. The lake is at about 43% of capacity, but we still see fishing boats trolling daily if weather permits.
During the summers of 2009 and 2010, the lake level was brought up to 10 feet lower than full, or about 90% of capacity, and this summer will be the same, until the project is complete. We were initially concerned that recreation might be reduced, but were pleasantly surprised that recreational activities were minimally affected. Boating, skiing, wakeboarding, swimming, and fishing were all enjoyed normally, and without major incident.
A few boat slips were rendered unusable, but the staff at PG&E did a great job of working with those homeowners to make other accommodations. Some folks were allowed to move their docks out further; some added buoys to anchor their boats; and a few shared space with other owners. Very few of our vacation rental homes had to make these types of accommodations; most operated normally.
Some of our visitors who normally arrive in May or June were pleased to discover sandy beaches were available in more spots. 90% capacity is plenty of water for all activities here, and that is the level the lake is at typically during most of September & parts of October. The fall is lovely at Bass Lake, with warm water, sunshine, and less activity on the lake.
So to summarize, the lake is lower than normal now, will come up again to 90% full for summer 2011, then will be slowly lowered back down to 50% by November 2011. Recreational activities in all four seasons continue to be enjoyed.
We have been advised that work is progressing on schedule, calling for the seismic retrofit project to be completed in the spring of 2012 with normal lake level and lake operations to follow that summer.
Beth Carver, GRI
Managing Broker
Bass Lake Realty
Bass Lake Realty is pleased to announce the official launch of BassLakeDamCam.com your link to our newest webcam at Bass Lake, California.
Viewers may observe real-time progress on the Crane Valley Dam Seismic Retrofit project 24 hours a day. Crane Valley Dam and the accompanying quarry are visible, just as PG&E has resumed quarry blasting activities at the site.
BassLakeDamCam.com may be added to your favorites to monitor progress on the project, and for immediate weather observations.
The Crane Valley Dam was built between 1902 and 1911 before much was known about seismic activity and safety. PG&E has determined that the Crane Valley Dam would be susceptible to seismic activity and has developed this retrofit project to address potential safety issues.
The retrofit project is expected to be completed by spring 2012.
The blasting operations for the quarry scheduled to begin on February 2, 2011 are postponed. The blasting will commence within the following two weeks. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. The following are public safety procedures prior to and during blasting activities to ensure public safety near the quarry:
• The public is prohibited from entering areas within 1,000 feet of the quarry during blasting activities.
• Flagmen will be posted on Road 222, within the 1,000 feet blast safety radius, to stop all traffic during blasting activities. This area on Road 222 is within current flagmen operations.
• The public will hear the following warning horn signals:
– 5 minutes before the blast occurs will be a one minute series of long horn signals.
– 1 minute prior to the blast will be a series of short horn signals.
– Following the blast will be one prolonged horn signal indicating the blasting is complete.
• Blasting activities are limited to short periods of time during blasting days. Blasting will be limited to a few days per week throughout the dam construction.
Please visit www.cranevalleydam.com for more information on the Crane Valley Dam Seismic Retrofit Project.
Courtesy of PG&E
In recent months, PG&E has developed a quarry to produce the rock materials needed for the seismic retrofit of the dam. The quarry is located west of Road 222 near Crane Valley Dam. This notice is to inform the community that blasting operations at the quarry are scheduled to begin February 2, 2011. The following are public safety procedures prior to and during blasting activities to ensure public safety near the quarry:
• The public is prohibited from entering areas within 1,000 feet of the quarry during blasting activities.
• Flagmen will be posted on Road 222, within the 1,000 feet blast safety radius, to stop all traffic during blasting activities. This area on Road 222 is within current flagmen operations.
• The public will hear the following warning horn signals:
– 5 minutes before the blast occurs will be a one minute series of long horn signals.
– 1 minute prior to the blast will be a series of short horn signals.
– Following the blast will be one prolonged horn signal indicating the blasting is complete.
• Blasting activities are limited to short periods of time during blasting days. Blasting will be limited to a few days per week throughout the dam construction.
Please visit www.cranevalleydam.com for more information on the Crane Valley Dam Seismic Retrofit Project.
Courtesy of PG&E
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