Innovative Use of Slurry Walls at Dam Number 2 Hydropower Project

This paper presents a case study concerning the design and construction of structural and nonstructural slurry walls at the Dam Number 2 Hydropower Project (project) on the Arkansas River. One-hundred four 2.8 m (9 ft, 2 in.) long by four 4.0 m (13 ft) long T-shaped structural slurry wall panels, which included some of the heaviest reinforcing cages ever lifted into place as a single unit, were used along with 24 2.8 m (9 ft, 2 in.) long straight structural slurry wall panels to construct the upstream and downstream channel training walls. Channel training walls guide water to and from the powerhouse at this project. This project is the first known use of structural slurry walls as channel training walls at a hydropower project in the United States. The project also included eight 6.3 m (20 ft, 8 in.) long and eight 2.8 m (9 ft, 2 in.) long straight structural slurry wall panels, and four 4.0 m (13 ft) long L-shaped structural slurry wall panels used to enable powerhouse construction. These panels will eventually be incorporated into the outer walls of the powerhouse. There were also 54,311 m² (584,600 ft²) of nonstructural slurry walls constructed to form seepage cutoff walls around the excavation area and below the powerhouse.