Duke Energy Burke County, North Carolina, United States
Moving mountains - literally
Seismic reinforcement of critical hydropower infrastructure
Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Linville Dam is a key component of the 31.5-megawatt Bridgewater Hydroelectric Station, providing reliable power to customers throughout North Carolina. To comply with revised Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) guidelines and better protect the Lake James watershed during seismic events, Duke Energy called on Alberici to perform significant stability improvements and reinforcement of the Linville Dam.
Excavating with precision and moving massive amounts of earth
This challenging project featured construction of a compacted stability berm on the downstream portion of the 160-foot-tall, 1,325-foot-long embankment dam. Construction of this massive earthen structure required burrow excavation and placement of more than 410,000 cubic yards of compacted fill. In addition, Alberici excavated more than 80,000 cubic yards of material from the existing dam face and installed a 4,000-cubic-yard structural concrete cap that helps fortify a vital 20-foot-diameter penstock.
Protecting and restoring the environment
Alberici’s scope of work included construction of erosion control and drainage features such as cast-in-place slope drains, blanket drains, and sediment basins to ensure proper collection and distribution of rainwater and dam seepage. Following completion of the berm, Alberici constructed new local roads and provided restoration services for areas disturbed during construction.
Excellence in safety
Together with our key trade partners, the Alberici team completed the entire project without a recordable injury. In recognition of this achievement, Duke Energy presented Alberici with a Supplier Excellence Award for “Safety Supplier of the Year.”
“Alberici’s work has consistently exemplified Duke Energy’s values by protecting the environment without any preventable environmental events, while protecting workers without any OSHA recordable injuries. Additionally, Alberici has supported our communities by hiring 75 percent of the workforce for the Linville project directly from the local community.”