Performance as Promised
Platte River Diversion, Brighton
Submitted by Scott Contracting, Inc.
Colorado Construction
Magazine, October 2005 (reprinted with permission)
Designed for the retention of Colorado spring water runoff that would otherwise flow to Nebraska and Kansas, the project diverts the river during peak flows to Barr Lake, and eventually to Cherry Creek Reservoir.
The diversion structure consists of an array of 33 36-in. intake pipes encased in concrete, spanning 145 ft along the river's eastern bank. The intake structure will allow a designed volume of water of up to 1000 cu ft per second. Diverted water will flow through two 84-in. and one 66-in. ultraflow pipes, passing under Old Brighton Road, into a 100,000 gal. concrete wet well structure located in an active gravel pit. The wet well structure is equipped with two 800-hp. pumps connected to four-plus miles of 36-in. ductile iron piping connected to Barr Lake State Park.
During construction of the wet well, a 200-ft-by-200-ft area was excavated to 30 ft, requiring dewatering of a substantial lake system and point dewatering for the installation of the wet well and piping. The installation of a 520,000-sq-ft slurry wall construction - at a depth of up to 50 ft - was also included in the project so that the existing gravel pit could be used for additional water storage. The pipe line installation also required multiple directional bores, including one under the ramp of the E470 highway, as well as a 51-ft-by-512-ft hand-tunneled bore under the Union Pacific Railroad, U.S. Highway 85 and another E470 on-ramp.
The project was completed without accidents or incidents while meeting Mine Safety and Health Administration's strict safety specifications.
Owner: United Water and Sanitation District
Engineer: High Country Engineering
Contractor: Scott Contracting, Inc.
Among the Subcontractors: Matson Construction,
Geo-Con, Pipestone Industrial Supply, Hughes Supply, Wylaco Supply,
Contech, Bestway Concrete, Rain for Rent
© 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.