Ames Fortifies a Community Resource in Kansas
Ames is engaged in a multiyear effort to repair the 644-foot-wide spillway at the Glen Elder Dam in north central Kansas.
The dam provides irrigation, municipal water, and flood protection. It also forms Waconda Lake, a popular destination with 100 miles of shoreline.
For this Bureau of Reclamation project, crews are replacing 98 spillway panels, which equates to 13,200 cubic yards of self-batched and placed concrete. Project scope also requires the removal of aging concrete, existing drainage material, and pipe; rock excavation; and pipe trench grading.
In the project’s first year, Ames constructed temporary roads, set up the batch plant, and developed the process to produce a consistent batch of concrete that meets owner requirements. In 2023 and 2024, crews removed existing concrete, placed spillway panels, and installed new piping.
Learn more: Bureau of Reclamation
