Photo By Josh Bennett | HINTON, WV -- Bluestone Dam taking a wave of water from Virginia and North Carolina as...... read more read more
In late September, Hurricane Helene ripped through the Southeastern United States causing widespread damage and numerous fatalities along its path. The water level of many rivers and streams along the East Coast began to rise because of the tropical cyclone. As the New River began to rise, sending waves of rushing water and debris downstream, a growing number of people in Southern West Virginia became more and more concerned. The only thing standing between those people and a devasting flood was a concrete structure built more than 70 years ago in Hinton, WV; the Bluestone Dam.
In 1998, a Dam Safety Assurance Evaluation Report was approved leading to the modernization of Bluestone Dam and addressed the two major concerns at the time: overtopping and sliding. A breach would cause catastrophic flooding along the largest river valleys in West Virginia that include the capital city of Charleston and major manufacturing and chemical industries. This study reported dam failure could place approximately 170,000 lives at risk and result in property damages worth almost $20 billion.
The overtopping concern was addressed by creating an auxiliary spillway using the existing penstocks, allowing Bluestone Dam to pass more water than before. The sliding concern was reduced by installing anchors that tie the structure into the rock foundation, helping Bluestone Dam to hold more water. This work was accomplished between 2000 and 2019 after several construction projects.
In 2017, a Dam Safety Modification Report Study was approved to address a concern of damage to the primary spillway likely to occur when passing large amounts of water through the dam’s crest gates. Modeling and analysis suggested the energy from such an event would severely damage the exposed rock in Bluestone Dam’s stilling basin, weaken the foundation under the dam, and could lead to failure of the structure. This concern is currently being addressed by replacing the rock stilling basin with a reinforced concrete lining and constructing larger baffle blocks that are better able to dissipate the energy expected from flow through the crest gates. This work is scheduled to be complete in 2029.
Past studies and investments in Bluestone Dam have increased confidence in its ability to store water to its original lake elevation of 1520 feet and to safely pass more water, reducing the risk of both overtopping and scour.
“As Hurricane Helene’s path became more apparent, our team was coordinating and communicating with our chain of command on the impact the storm would have on Bluestone Dam,” said Bluestone Dam Project Manager Josh Miller.
The district’s water management team in Huntington was closely monitoring the river gauges and was able to determine that the increased amount of water flowing toward the dam was well within the capabilities of the dam. Early indications were that there would be a significant amount of water, but nothing outside of the designed capabilities regarding ongoing construction.
Bluestone Dam stood strong preventing nearly $577 million in damage to infrastructure and potential major flooding events downstream of the dam as the waters rose to historic levels from effects of Hurricane Helene. The effects of this storm led to the lake level cresting at 1493.7 feet, the third highest elevation in the dam’s history. Despite the force of nature surging down the river, Bluestone Dam performed as designed and prevented a potential disaster.
“Bluestone Dam took this wave of water from North Carolina and Virginia, removed any potential for destruction and converted it to steady, consistent non-flooding flow downstream,” said Miller.
However, the high waters weren’t the only concerns at the dam left by the storm. Helene also sent waves of debris downstream, leaving more than just an eye-sore to the local public. This was an important issue with the local community as some of the items, such as dead animals, left an unpleasant smell near the dam. This was also an issue further downstream because whitewater rafting season on the New River had just begun and a significant amount of debris finding its way downstream would have put an end to the recreation season.
“Refrigerators, tires, picnic tables, propane tanks, large hay bales, just about anything you can think of that’s what came downstream,” said Bluestone Lake Resource Manager Dave Funderburk.
Workers at the dam were able to safely remove the hazardous and other inorganic debris and dispose of it properly while also passing the organic material outside the window of the New River whitewater season.
Continuing the success the dam displayed during the storm, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Huntington District is continuing to upgrade the dam to keep it strong into the future. The Huntington District partnered with the Brayman Construction Corporation to upgrade the stilling basin in 2020 as it entered the final phase of construction. This project will replace the existing natural rock stilling basin with reinforced concrete to maximize the amount of crest gate flow while minimizing the potential damage to the dam.
“Phases 1 through 4, from 2000 to 2019, accomplished the tasks of allowing Bluestone Dam to pass more water through the newly constructed auxiliary spillway and hold more water after installing steel strand ground anchors in the downstream face of the dam,” said Miller. “Phase 5 will allow us to confidently pass more water through the crest gates by armoring the stilling basin and then return the construction site back to the public for their recreational use.”
The ongoing construction at Bluestone Dam is the culmination of several years of study and corroborative construction. The work underway will allow Bluestone Dam to pass more water through the primary spillway and prevent scouring of the stilling basin. This work will be completed in 2029.
“Bluestone Dam continues to be an incredible value to the Nation in providing stability to the industries and citizens along the shores of the New River and the Kanawha River Valley,” said Miller. “Difficult work continues as the US Army Corps of Engineers in partnership with the Brayman Construction Corporation add strength and durability to Bluestone Dam through 2029 ensuring years of stability and predictable downstream flows.”
In the end, Bluestone Dam held the line against Hurricane Helene, an unprecedented storm, and its potential subsequent flooding, fulfilling the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ number one priority of protecting life and property by protecting $577 million in infrastructure and providing peace of mind to the nearly 170,000 people in downstream communities along the New and Kanawha River Valleys.
For more information on Bluestone Dam and other projects at USACE Huntington District, visit our website at https://www.lrd.usace.army.mil/huntington/.
| Date Taken: | 02.26.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.26.2025 10:01 |
| Story ID: | 491539 |
| Location: | HINTON, WEST VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 60 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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