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The Wyoming Area Office completed a full travel gate inspection at Buffalo Bill Dam outside Cody, Wyoming, Aug. 22-24, according to an email from the Bureau of Reclamation.
“The last time we did a full trip test at this facility was in 2015,” said Big Horn Basin Facility Manager Mark Skorick. We’ve been delayed for a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, so we’re excited to finish the investigation.
Reclamation crews perform a full trip test on Buffalo Bill’s two spillway gates every six years to ensure the 28-foot by 20-foot stainless steel-faced gates are working properly and to release water from Buffalo Bill Reservoir.
With the full trip test done at six-year intervals, Reclamation does a 10% test every year to make sure everything is in order. This mandated testing integrates operations and maintenance activities with the dam safety program.
Buffalo Bill Dam’s rehabilitation staff began preparing for the challenge in August. First, the water from the reservoir was cut off by lifting huge metal logs with rubber seals on the upstream face of the spillway structure, blocking the flow of water to the gates.
Immediately after the stop logs were placed, the void behind the spillway gate was drained and the resulting differential pressure pressed the stop logs into place. After the water was filtered, the doors were able to move freely.
The crew and the engineer teams opened the door completely. While the door was moving, the time was visually inspected. The door is checked for damage, the condition of the rubber seal is checked, and the giant hydraulic cylinder is checked when it lifts the load.
When the team was done, he closed the door, refilled the empty space behind it, and relieved the pressure, removing the stop sticks and starting the same process on the second door.
“Overall, we conducted a successful and safe inspection of both doors,” Skoric said. “Both are fully operational and doing what they need to do to ensure water flows from Buffalo Bill Dam when necessary.”
“The planning, safe execution and investigation exemplify the careful commitment to ensure water reaches Wyoming and the American West safely,” the Office of Reclamation said.
Buffalo Bill Dam on the Shoshone River about 4 miles upstream from Cody, Wyoming. The height of the structure is 350 feet and the volume is 87,515 cubic yards. It is one of the tallest concrete dams built in the United States. The reservoir contains 646,565 acre feet.
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