Nicholson Returns to Portage Lakes for North Reservoir Project

Pittsburgh-based, geotechnical specialty contractor, Nicholson Construction, returns to Ohio’s Portage Lakes for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources North Reservoir Dam Project.  

The100-year-old North Reservoir dam will undergo a $22.9M repair project to bring it into compliance with Ohio Dam Safety’s standards. The last remediation project on North Reservoir Dam was performed in 1982. The current remediation project includes seepage cutoff, overtopping protection and replacement of the existing spillway and lake drain. 

Nicholson was contracted by Beaver Excavating Company to construct a soil-mix gravity section and cutoff wall for the new dam in order to mitigate excessive seepage and to increase its factor of safety.  

This is the second Portage Lakes project for Nicholson. In 2017, the company was contracted to construct a soil mix gravity section and cutoff wall for the new East Reservoir Dam.  

“It’s a high compliment to be brought back on-site to build subsequent work,” said Ryan Streets, vice president, major projects. “Several core members of the East Reservoir team are back for this project, which is a huge advantage in terms of lessons learned and efficiencies we can gain.”

Nicholson’s work on the North Reservoir Dam will start in the late Spring 2021 and continue into next year.

“Earning our clients’ trust and returning to their jobsites to do additional work is truly a testament to our crew’s ability to safely construct a high-quality product,” said Dario Gnoato, senior vice president, major projects, Nicholson Construction. “We’re looking forward to another great project in Portage Lakes.”