Nicholson Heads West for Remediation on YMCA's Gaylord Dam

September 1, 2022
Denver, CO

Geotechnical specialty engineering and construction contractor Nicholson Construction is heading west for remediation on the Gaylord Dam, located in Granby, Colorado.

Through regular inspections of the 26-year-old earthen embankment dam, seepage beneath the initial key depth at the spillway was detected, along with fractured and highly jointed bedrock. A tracer dye test showed dye appearing approximately 400 feet downstream from the spillway.

Further testing and investigation confirmed the seepage and that a grout curtain within the bedrock below the overburden was the best method for water cutoff. The dam’s owner, YMCA of the Rockies - Snow Mountain Ranch, awarded Nicholson the contract for construction of the grout curtain, which will total 660 linear feet with 660 cubic feet of grout.

Construction will include drilling and grouting fourteen holes divided evenly by two rows parallel to and along the dam’s centerline at designated locations along the spillway. Grout operations will be conducted using Nicholson Construction's state-of-the-art grout monitoring system, called Grout IT.

Nicholson has installed similar solutions for dams across the country, including Canton Dam(Oklahoma,) McCook Reservoir (Illinois) and Boone Dam (Tennessee.) Most recently, and in closest proximity, a grout curtain is being installed by Nicholson at the Chimney Hollow Dam in Loveland, Colorado.

“We’re happy to bring our grout curtain expertise to this project here in our region,” said Nigel Miller, Rocky Mountain Regional Manager, Nicholson Construction. “We continuously seek out projects that improve the quality of life for the communities we live and work in  - and this one fits the bill.”

Nicholson’s work on the project will finish this in Fall of 2022.

Geotechnical specialty engineering and construction contractor Nicholson Construction is heading west for remediation on the Gaylord Dam, located in Granby, Colorado.

Through regular inspections of the 26-year-old earthen embankment dam, seepage beneath the initial key depth at the spillway was detected, along with fractured and highly jointed bedrock. A tracer dye test showed dye appearing approximately 400 feet downstream from the spillway.

Further testing and investigation confirmed the seepage and that a grout curtain within the bedrock below the overburden was the best method for water cutoff. The dam’s owner, YMCA of the Rockies - Snow Mountain Ranch, awarded Nicholson the contract for construction of the grout curtain, which will total 660 linear feet with 660 cubic feet of grout.

Construction will include drilling and grouting fourteen holes divided evenly by two rows parallel to and along the dam’s centerline at designated locations along the spillway. Grout operations will be conducted using Nicholson Construction's state-of-the-art grout monitoring system, called Grout IT.

Nicholson has installed similar solutions for dams across the country, including Canton Dam(Oklahoma,) McCook Reservoir (Illinois) and Boone Dam (Tennessee.) Most recently, and in closest proximity, a grout curtain is being installed by Nicholson at the Chimney Hollow Dam in Loveland, Colorado.

“We’re happy to bring our grout curtain expertise to this project here in our region,” said Nigel Miller, Rocky Mountain Regional Manager, Nicholson Construction. “We continuously seek out projects that improve the quality of life for the communities we live and work in  - and this one fits the bill.”

Nicholson’s work on the project will finish this in Fall of 2022.

About Nicholson Construction Company

Nicholson has been both a leader and an innovator in the geotechnical construction industry for more than 60 years. With regional offices across the country and headquarters located in Pittsburgh, Nicholson is a nationally renowned specialty contractor, offering proven expertise in the design and installation of deep foundation elements, earth retention systems and ground treatment solutions. We pride ourselves on our ability to consistently provide our clients with innovative, high-quality design-build options for projects of varying size and complexity. Nicholson is the North American subsidiary of Soletanche Bachy, one of the world’s leading geotechnical contractors, and is part of a global network of unparalleled geotechnical resources and expertise.

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