The first set of new spillway gates destined for the Stave Falls Blind Slough Dam in Mission are being completed at Ebco Industries in Richmond.
The replacement of the radial spillway gates at Stave Falls is the final phase of a 15-year refurbishment of the facility that began in1996 with the upgrade of the main dam and the replacement of the powerhouse. The project will ensure the reliable and safe operation of the Stave Falls spillway gates for decades to come.
HMI Construction Inc, the primary design-build contractor for the spillway gates project, awarded a $1.3 million contract to Ebco to manufacture four new radial spillway gates.
The fabrication of the radial gates is a challenging task due to the need to maintain the proper curvature of the gates throughout the manufacturing process and the very precise nature of the work.
To meet these challenges, Ebco Industries designed a new innovative process and work flow to minimize the risk of distortion, improve precision and allow for efficient fabrication and machining of the gates.
The first completed gate has been shipped for installation. The second gate has been completed and is currently on-site at Ebco, ready for transport. The final two gates are currently in production and are expected to be completed in early 2012.
Each spillway gate is fabricated primarily with structural steel with some of the components being comprised of stainless steel. Each gate is 5.6 metres wide, 6.6 metres in height and weighs over 24,000 kilograms. The lifespan for these spillway gates will be approximately 50 years.