June 2015 Luncheon
Speaker: Alex Rutledge, PE, PG, and Gerald Robblee, PE, GE with Schnabel Engineering
Date: Thursday, June 18, 2015
Topic: The Rehabilitation of a 100-Year-Old Reservoir at Williams Water Treatment Plant, Durham, NC
Presentation: PDF
Summary: The Williams Water Treatment Plant in Durham, NC was built in the early 1900s, and will undergo major renovations and upgrades over the next several years. One component of the plant that will be rehabilitated is the Terminal Reservoir, which is a 60 million gallon regulating reservoir and backwash basin for the water treatment plant. The slopes of the reservoir are lined with concrete that has been in service since original construction, and the concrete has severely deteriorated over the last 100 years. Schnabel Engineering of Greensboro, NC was retained by the City of Durham to evaluate alternatives for repair or replacement of the reservoir slope lining system, and to design the selected alternative.
Prior to construction of the new slope lining system, approximately 100,000 cubic yards of normally consolidated backwash sediment will be removed from the reservoir. Schnabel also evaluated alternatives for dredging the backwash sediment and prepare construction bid documents for the selected alternative. The primary dredging alternatives considered for this project were hydraulic dredging with a full reservoir and mechanical dredging after the reservoir is drained.
At this month's ASCE dinner meeting, Alex Rutledge, PE, PG, and Jerry Robblee, PE, GE, will present an overview of the alternatives analyses performed by Schnabel for the reservoir lining and the sediment removal portions of the project. They will also discuss the many constraints that affected alternatives selection and design, including plant operational constraints and coordination with other plant upgrade projects. Finally, the selected alternatives will be presented with the City's rationale for making their selection.
About the speakers:
Alex Rutledge, PE, PG, Schnabel Engineering, Greensboro, NC, ASCE Member
Alex Rutledge is a Senior Engineer and Geologist at Schnabel Engineering in Greensboro, NC. Mr. Rutledge has worked on over 50 dam projects including investigations, inspections, evaluations, rehabilitation designs, new dam designs, and construction phase services. His diverse background in geology, geophysics, and geotechnical engineering has allowed him to work on and manage many different aspects of dam projects, including geophysical, geologic, and geotechnical investigations; seepage modeling; rock and soil slope stability analyses; seismic and liquefaction evaluations; grouting and foundation improvement; earthwork; concrete and asphalt repairs; reservoir dredging; rock anchors; karst evaluations; seepage cutoff and controls; drain and filter design; and scour and erosion studies.
Mr. Rutledge received a BS in Geology from West Virginia University in 2002, a MS in Geophysics from the University of Kentucky in 2004, and a MS in Geotechnical Engineering from Virginia Tech in 2006. He is currently serving as the Chair of the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists (AEG) - Carolinas Section, and on the national AEG Board of Directors and Governance Committee.
Gerald Robblee, PE, GE, Schnabel Engineering, Greensboro NC, ASCE Member
Mr. Robblee is a professional engineer with an emphasis in geotechnical engineering and has 27 years of experience in a wide range of dam and infrastructure projects. He is a registered Civil Engineer in six states, a registered Geotechnical Engineer in CA, and a FERC-approved Independent Consultant. He received both his MSCE and BSCE from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, MA. Mr. Robblee was responsible for the geotechnical investigations, evaluations, and design aspects of the Lake Townsend Dam Project in Greensboro, NC which was awarded the 2012 ASDSO Rehabilitation Project of the Year award. He is currently serving as Schnabel's Project Manager for the rehabilitation of Lower Longview Lake Dam in Raleigh, NC which is part of the City of Raleigh's Stormwater Utility's Lake Preservation Program. Mr. Robblee is also Schnabel's Project Manager for the proposed enlargement of the West Fork of Eno Reservoir owned by the Town of Hillsborough.
Sponsor: Smith+Gardner