NRCS Team: Abigail Ericson, Charlotte Sappo, Maya Kutz, Lauren Weston
2014-2015: In collaboration with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, this student team completed a dam rehabilitation design for the Tyler Dam in Marlborough, MA to prevent erosion of the earthen portion during overtopping flows. Tyler Dam requires rehabilitation so that it can maintain its floodwater protection function with increased flow conditions resulting from upstream development and environmental changes.
The team determined the key requirements for the rehabilitation design by surveying the site, preparing and analyzing hydrologic and hydraulic models, and evaluating geotechnical models and soil conditions. The team then generated a wide range of design alternatives and narrowed their selection to the one that would best meet the lifetime requirements and withstand the identified stresses at the lowest cost: HydroTurf. The team designed an armoring system of HydroTurf to cover the entirety of the crest and downstream slope of the dam, including considerations for guardrails, anchoring trenches, and utility poles.
The team delivered complete drawings, construction and material specifications, and cost estimates to their NRCS liaisons. Once approved, the design will be sent out to bid with a goal of completing construction by October 2016.