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News Camas city staff have asked officials to approve an $88,020 contract with Stantec, a Portland-based engineering consultancy, to help design and oversee work on the Lacamas Lake dam gates.
Will Noonan, the city’s public works operations manager, explained to members of the Camas City Council last week that several components of the dam gates, which city staff use to control the level of water in Lacamas and Round lakes, have reached the end of their life and need to be replaced with less corrosive materials.
“From the recent annual inspections several recommendations were developed including replacement of the four timber spillway gates at the upper dam, which show signs of decay and corrosion of carbon steel hardware,” Noonan told councilmembers on Tuesday, Feb. 21, during a Council workshop. “The spillway gates currently operate from a single drive that has a selector lever to choose which gate operates. This set-up is cumbersome to operate and reaching the end of its service life. Both the sluice gate on the upper dam and knife gate on the lower dam have also reached the end of their useful life and are recommended to be replaced.”
If approved, Stantec will provide design work and specifications for replacing the four timber spillway gates with stainless steel gates; replacing the sluice gate on the upper dam and the knife gate on the lower dam; and will design new actuators — the part of the dam gates responsible for moving and controlling the system — and remove what Noonan called the “outdated single-drive actuator.”
“All of these improvements should last decades,” Noonan stated in his report to the Council. “The materials used and replacement mechanisms will ensure minimal maintenance, reduce leakage and make the dams easier to operate. In addition to providing final mechanical drawings and specifications, this contract also includes bid support, construction support and project management oversight.”
