An Earth Fill Dam on Permafrost: Hess Creek Dam, Livengood, Alaska.

• Main Authors: Kitze,F. F., Simoni,O. W.
• Other Authors: COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER N H
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1972
• Subjects: Snow; Ice and Permafrost; Civil Engineering; *PERMAFROST; DAMS; ALASKA; ARCTIC REGIONS; CONSTRUCTION; CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS; REVETMENTS; REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; FEASIBILITY STUDIES; *COLD WEATHER CONSTRUCTION; Arctic; Hess; Ice; permafrost; Alaska
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/AD0742216; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=AD0742216

The Hess Creek Dam is a combination hydraulic fill and rolled earth fill structure containing about 479,000 cu yd of earth fill. A steel sheet pile cutoff wall runs along the base centerline. A 48-in.-diam metal pipe outlet with control gate was installed through the embankment at one end and a spillway 1300 ft long and 100 ft wide was built to accommodate flood flow. The performance and present condition of the dam suggest that construction of earth fill embankments on permafrost is feasible and practical. The embankment appears to have had little or no detrimental effect on the underlying permafrost. The refrigeration system installed at the base of the embankment seems to have accomplished its purpose of refreezing foundation soil thawed during the summer construction period. (Author)