The Lake Mead Intake No. 3 Project by Vegas Tunnel Constructors Illustrates Accomplishing the Impossible, in Construction Digital
In a report in Construction Digital, members of the management team discuss the Vegas Tunnel Constructors' dynamic solution to reverse the effects of the decade-long drought...
SAN DIEGO, CA, May 23, 2012
In a report in Construction Digital, members of the management team discuss the Vegas Tunnel Constructors' dynamic solution to reverse the effects of the decade-long drought along the west slope of the Rocky Mountains that had caused the water level at Nevada's Lake Mead to drop as low as 140 feet below the spillway.The steady decline over the years of the largest man-made reservoir in the United States left hundreds of acres of the lake above water level and endangered the existing water intake so crucial to the seven water districts and approximately two million residents of desert communities in Clark County under the purview of the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA). VTC's remediation plan stretches the boundaries of conventional wisdom within the tunnel building industry.
The Lake Mead Intake No. 3 Project, targeted for June 2014 completion, will guard against potential inoperability of two existing intake tunnels while allowing SNWA to draw better quality water from the deeper elevation and location in the lake.
The $447 million design/build contract - awarded to S.A. Healy Co. and Impregilo S.p.A., an owner of S.A. Healy, doing business as Vegas Tunnel Constructors - included the design and construction of an access shaft, two connection stub tunnels, a tunnel boring machine (TBM) launch chamber, a TBM starter tunnel, an intake tunnel and an intake structure.
"This new intake tunnel is three miles under Lake Mead and then there is a tap of the lake about three miles out. I like to say it's like you've got your bathtub full of water and now we are putting the drain into it while it's full," says Vice President of Operations Jim McDonald.
"I guess the key element for me is the incredible technology we are bringing to bear on this. It is probably the most technically complex tunnel being built," says McDonald. "The technology of tunneling has increased just like everything else with electronics and miniaturization. So I think that we are probably leading a trend. This is showing that projects and ideas that were once thought to be maybe impossible are actually possible."
Read the article here: http://www.constructiondigital.com
About Vegas Tunnel Constructors
Established in 2008, Vegas Tunnel Constructors is a joint venture between S.A. Healy Co. and Impregilo S.p.A., an owner of S.A. Healy.
For more information, visit www.vtcjv.com or www.sahealy.com/lakemead.html.
About Construction Digital
Construction Digital is a leading digital media source of news and content for C-level executives focused on business and industry-specific issues such as: Green Building; Building Technologies; Project Management, and Design and Engineering. Construction Digital is the industry-dedicated arm of the WDM Group. Founded in 2007 by entrepreneur Glen White, WDM Group retains a diversified portfolio of websites, magazines, mobile apps, daily news feeds and weekly e-newsletters that leverage technology to innovatively deliver high-quality content, analytical data, and industry news.
Construction Digital is headquartered in San Diego, California, with additional offices in Boston, Toronto, Mumbai, and Norwich, England. For more information, contact 1-760-827-7800 or visit http://www.constructiondigital.com.
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Construction Digital
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