Tag Archives: Dams

Ghost in the Conduit

18 Thursday May 2017

Posted by in Dams, engineering, HISTORY, water history

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Awhile back I had posted some photographs of the construction work at Loch Raven. The contractor hit and poked a hole through the ten foot conduit that supplies water to Baltimore from the Loch Raven Reservoir. Fortunately, another one of the conduits was in service, so the damage did not affect our drinking water supply. This conduit was installed in 1915. It is riveted, welded steel. Some portions are encased in concrete and a good portion is lined with cement.

I would like to thank Pure Technologies for giving me permission to use their photographs.

Pure crew heading into the conduit. This is near Mine Bank Run, heading towards the dam. The water would eventually be at chest level.

This was interesting and took a little research to figure it out. The smaller opening on the right connected to the 1880 rock and brick tunnel. In 1937 they built a parallel pipe line from Loch Raven to Baltimore and that is the conduit on the left. There is a valve in the smaller pipe stopping the flow of water towards Baltimore. Down stream further, the raw water pipeline becomes potable water from Baltimore, to Towson, at Cromwell.

Continuing the inspection of the conduit. Pretty good shape for being over 100 years old.

The fish like the water (Baltimore water finished in the top ten again this year in a national taste test)

Not sure what this is. Looking at the drawings I saw where there is a drainage system under the steel conduit. But didn’t see this in the drawings.

Pure finally reached their destination. The damage is a little more than we thought. The cement lining has been knocked off.

It is about a 3’x4′ section of damage.

This is the hole that the excavator punched through. There are also about 5-6 dents in the pipe.

When the inspection crew climbed out, I think they brought something with them…

Salisbury Zoo

30 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by in Hiking, nature, Photography

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Before Salisbury had a zoo, it had a lake – Lake Humphreys, which was created by the building of a dam in 1743. On May 28, 1909 the dam gave way and the lake went dry. Or actually it turned into a mud flat. And it sat like that for a while until the City Park was built, This included building a zoo.

It was a nice day out Saturday and Kathy says “Let’s go to the zoo!” So we did –

Jumped in the car, took a couple back roads and came across these guys. They were kind of far away and I didn’t have my good camera with me. After a while on the side of the road we started heading back to the highway. Me: Where we going? Kathy: To the zoo. Me: I thought that was the zoo?? Duh…

So into Salisbury we go. The City park is really nice. Nice family atmosphere with walking trails, picnic areas, horse shoes, etc. This is what you get for being the Director of Public Works for only 4 years. A bronze propeller.

Nice walking trails around the park.

The zoo. It is free and it wasn’t until we got back to Kathy’s parents house that I was told there is a donation box there. I didn’t see it.

This guy has some sort of attention disorder. He couldn’t stop looking up over the wall to see what was going on.

Not much you can say about this guy other than magnificent.

One thing I’ve never liked is seeing eagles caged up.

Acting up for the camera.

Relaxing.

Where’s John Waters??

These two guys share this spot with a bird, who keeps shitting on them…one day the bird will be in their jaws, wondering, well how did I get here?

Did a complete loop around the park and ended up at this little dam. I imagine the sluice gates are to allow water down stream if the level drops below the top of the dam. Nice walk in the park.

Updates: Batcave and Drain

20 Monday Mar 2017

Posted by in Baltimore, engineering

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When I was up Loch Raven checking on the drain pipe to the 10′ tunnel, I checked on the unknown tunnel that was busted a couple days before. The contractor took it upon himself to start digging it out before anyone could verify what it was. As said before, this thing was built prior to 1875.

Fortunately the City’s closed circuit TV guys showed up before it was totally destroyed. In the upper left shows the rocks removed, that were used to build the tunnel. From where the spool is, center of photograph, to where the front of the excavator is, is what they dug out.

Here is the remote camera. Pretty neat toy. They burnt me a dvd of the exploration.

What was unexpected was that the tunnel branched off to the right. The camera couldn’t make the turn. It went about 38′ in at both areas. This side had a built up wall at the end. The other side was collapsed, probably from them compacting the soil for the new building. Real shame that we don’t know what this was. I personally believe it was an aqueduct, to bring water from Shanghai Run or Towson Run down to the farm?

Meanwhile, back at the drain. The contractors removed the steel bars in front of the drain opening.

The flow was better but the contractor needs it opened more to drain the 10′ tunnel, so they can start repairs. I believe the above photo is at 8 turns, 20%.

And this will be at about 40%. They installed the metal plates in hopes of stopping the erosion of the shore line. I am concerned with the bed of the stream, They think it will be alright. We will find out if the steel plates start slipping downwards…

Busted Pipe

17 Friday Mar 2017

Posted by in 1972, Baltimore, Dams, water history

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As I mentioned a few weeks ago, the contractor building a new maintenance facility at Loch Raven, busted a hole in the 10′ water pipe.

The site of the new complex, along the west bank of the Gunpowder River. The caution sign is the area where they broke the pipe. It is now covered with steel plates.

Here is what the conduit looked like when it was installed in 1913. It is a steel pipe, welded and riveted together.

As the conduit was installed, they encased some sections of it in concrete, to give it some strength. Loch Raven Drive is directly above this pipe in some areas.

Looking under the steel plate I ask – how the hell do you NOT know that this pipeline is there?? In the photo can be seen above the wood stake, water pouring out of the pipe. Surrounding the stake is the rebar the contractor had to break thru in the cement to strike the steel pipe. The contractor is lucky that the dam has two independent conduits coming out of it.

There was built a parallel pipeline back in 1972. I’m not sure why or even why it is called the Parallel Pipeline. It kind of zig-zags across the river.

The contractors of 1972 had their fair share of problems – like the worksite getting flooded. The lower, smaller dam is in the background.

In order for the present day contractor to fix the hole he made, the City was asked to drain the pipe.

After searching thru some old drawings, we were able to find the location of the drain pipe. This is a 12″ drain connected to a 10′ pipe.

My favorite valve guys came out to try and open it by hand but were unable to. It has been a very long time since this was open. They ended up having the contractor core drill a hole in the vault roof above the valve. They then used their valve truck to turn it.

This is at 8 turns, 20% open. This will take quite a while to drain. The contractor is impatient.

But. as you can see, opening it up too far will erode the stream bank right under this bridge. Today the contractor was given the ok to place steel plates in the stream to divert the flow away from the bank.

Meanwhile, I roamed around some and took some pics – of other than work related stuff. A stone snowman walking his stone snow duck.

Root system.

View across the reservoir. Days like this, I like my job…

 

Hiking and History

21 Tuesday Feb 2017

Posted by in Baltimore, Hiking, HISTORY

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Kathy just loves it when we go on hikes and I fill her head with a bunch of useless information! Went to Loch Raven Saturday since it was so nice out – looking for eagles.

Before the eagles, we saw this guy trying to hide from us.

I guess we saw about 4-5 different eagles. This one was trying to hide too.

Kathy has known that I always wanted to go to the other side of the dams (in all my years hiking, I’ve never been there), so she grabs up Molly and starts heading across the rocks.

Looking for more eagles.

Top of the east side of the old dam. Across the way are the gate house valves.

Next we headed towards the newer dam, which actually underneath is a 100 year old dam.

Look! An Eagle! Damn – too slow on the shutter!

Here is the same dam in the 1970s – it was falling apart really bad. Looking close you can see a circular cap on the lower face.

When they refinished the face of the dam, the round hole became square. It was locked.

Besides the face lift the dam gets, they also built a Zebra Mussel station – tall white building in background. They never used it and now more construction is going on behind it – an admin building of some sort.

How Loch Raven dam looked in 1922. Notice on the lower portion across the water. The land is at the same elevation as this side, but…

Now it is elevated by the placement of this pipe. This pipe is covered in dirt. I’m still not sure why they installed this pipe into the face of the dam??? I have the drawings and project photos, but nothing to say why?

So all this is to say that the original dam, under this one was built in 1914. It was at an elevation of 188′. The newer dam was placed on top of it in 1922 – elevation 240′. Then in the 70s and again in 2005 it received various face lifts and this is why it will never get a historic designation..

Holy Bat Cave Batman

16 Thursday Feb 2017

Posted by in Baltimore, Dams, engineering, water history

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The other day I received an email with the following photograph. It asked if I knew what this ‘tunnel’ was for? It was holding up progress on the construction of some new buildings. In the email there was an attached drawing of the building site with the location of the tunnel circled in red. Holy crap! The drawing, to scale, would mean that this tunnel was about 30′ wide! After researching drawings from 1873 onwards, not finding it in any, I went up to look.

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What I found was an opening of about 18″ x 24″. Talk about a let down! Below is the contractor’s foot, for size reference.

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So, since I was there I stuck my camera into the hole to get some pics – glad I didn’t climb in there. Do you see what I see on the left, dangling from a crevice in the rocks??

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Well so much for finding part of the Underground Railroad or an Indian Burial Ground or a secret cache of moonshine (yes, that was suggested). After about 2 hours of meetings and investigations, I took a walk.

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Looking across the construction site to the upper dam.

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The lower, older dam is my favorite. The inspector told me that since it is marble, someone should pressure spray it clean. Ok, I’ll get right on that!

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First, get someone to remove that log, which has been on there since the storm of 2010!

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This dam has held up pretty good since 1880

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The valves which were inside the old gate house.

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Sorry Batman – the only bat cave I could find…

Love – Hate Relationships

14 Tuesday Feb 2017

Posted by in engineering, HISTORY

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Sorry, this is not a Valentines Blog! This is in regards to my job. Co-workers know I do the archiving, so when they think it’s time to clear out some filing cabinets, they bring all their junk drawers to me. I hate it! So I sort and document and throw out a bunch of stuff…but then, hidden between the pages of some obscure files, I find a folder of photographs! I love it! This particular group of photos are from the 1913-1915 building of the Loch Raven dam. They are the actual prints from the glass plate negatives. Some of which I’ve never seen or ones that I have, scanned from plates that were cracked or silvering. Poor quality. These are near perfect prints.

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 I have a very poor quality of this one with no real description. On the back it says – “Crushing Plant at Department Quarry near Bridge #1”

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Building Bridge #1 which is the first bridge up Loch Raven Drive from the dam. One thing I don’t understand about engineering is…

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…how do they take the upside down bridge and turn it right side up??

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I’m not sure what this one is, which is ok. I will look thru the old records and see if I can match it up some how. I thought it was of the construction of bridge #1 but the date wouldn’t be right.

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No description on this one either, but I like the guy in the back with a hatchet, wearing Frye Boots!

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This one is of the building of the bridge. Look close and you can see a typical City worker, sitting down on the job to the right!

From the Water Archives

19 Monday Dec 2016

Posted by in Baltimore, water history

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From the City Council Records: It says –

Resolved by the first and second branches of the City Council of Baltimore, that the Mayor be, and he is hereby authorized and requested, to give public notice, that proposals will be received at his office, until the first day of June next, for introducing a copious and permanent supply of wholesome water, into the City of Baltimore, or into any part thereof, by any individual or Company; and that whenever such proposals have been received, as in the opinion of the Mayor are worthy of consideration, he convene the City Council to deliberate thereupon.
Baltimore Feb. 23, 1804 In 1st Branch read and agreed upon.
The concurrence of the Second Branch is requested
Feb 23, 1804 In the 2nd Branch read and agreed to.

Noted from Early Water History, Annual Reports:

1804 Baltimore Water Company: On April 30, Samuel Smith, W. Cooke, E. Ellicott, Robert G. Harper, Thomas McElderry, Alex Mckim, and John E. Howard agreed to form The Baltimore Water Company. The Baltimore Water Company, a private company, furnishes water to a portion of Baltimore City. Company purchased parcels of land above and below the Belvedere Bridge, which crossed the Jones’ Falls, and built a dam and bought a lot at the southeast corner of Center Street and Calvert Street for the purpose of constructing a reservoir at that site. Water to this reservoir was supplied from the water at the dam by means of an open channel. The open channel ran between Calvert Street and the street known today as Guilford Avenue.

1805 Baltimore Water Company: The Baltimore Water Company receives an act of Incorporation.

 

Conowingo During Agnes 1972

21 Friday Oct 2016

Posted by in 1972, Dams, engineering, Floods

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Came across this Sun Paper photograph showing, what it says on the back, that all 53 gates of the dam were opened during the storm. It doesn’t look like all 53 are opened. In a 2008 interview, a former Conowingo Employee, Elder Silvercloud tells us that many of the flood gates wouldn’t open. They were stuck. Another article I read said they were going to dynamite a portion of the dam to relieve pressure? In 2011 another storm caused them to open 43 gates. For more info, Google Search Conowingo Dam Agnes.

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Notice there are no watermarks saying ebay or sun paper – that is because I do not steal these photos off the internet. They are in my personal collection.

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Almost Done

19 Wednesday Oct 2016

Posted by in engineering, filtration, water history

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Construction Management sent me this photo and asked if I know what lake this is! If you ever need a pond or lake dredged, these guys do it right. And ahead of schedule.

That cove on the right hasn’t been cleared in about 40 years! I need to bring my kayak to work! For inspection purposes of course!