Blue Lake Expansion Project (Environmental)

The residents and businesses of Sitka, Alaska, said goodbye to their dependence on imported diesel fuel as a backup energy source with the raising of the Blue Lake Dam. The island community took a pro-active step toward securing its energy future when it approved a bond issue in 2012 to raise the 145-foot-tall concrete arch dam by 83 feet, which has enabled generation of more hydroelectric power.

One of the challenges at this construction project was to work within Sitka’s clean water standards while we were physically working in both their reservoir and the river that runs off of it. One intake feeds both the City’s drinking water line and the new powerhouse. We took great care to avoid raising or creating turbidity. One way we accomplished this was through the use of Alaska’s largest operating crane to place our equipment upstream of the dam.

Blue Lake Expansion Project (Environmental)