Great West was selected through the NRCS West Region AE IDIQ to update the Emergency Action Plan and facilitate a tabletop exercise for the Olive Lake Dam in Oregon, located in the Umatilla National Forest.
Olive Lake Dam is a high hazard dam located in the headwaters of the North Fork of the John Day River and was originally constructed in 1907 to provide power generation for mining operations. The current use is limited to recreation and not easily accessible in the winter months. The earthen dam is 40 feet tall, 350 feet long and has a storage capacity of 3300 acre-feet.
Great West began the project with an in-person kickoff meeting which also served as the Initial Planning Meeting. Combining the meetings and having an initial face to face encounter created a stronger client relationship, which in turn facilitated future coordination and communications. This meeting also served as a data collection phase, where any pertinent reports, inspections and outdated/existing EAP(s) were discussed and gathered.
A draft tabletop exercise was prepared, which included: dam overview, inundation maps, EAP discussion, Potential Failure Modes and Selected Failure Mode Scenarios. The dam overview provided a concise narrative of existing conditions, configurations and concerns at the dam. The inundation maps presented large scale maps to better facilitate discussion of specific failure modes. The potential failure modes for earth embankment dams were discussed. Two scenarios were developed for specific failures modes to run through with the group. The tabletop wrapped up with a group discussion component, EAP improvements, and recommendations.
The workshop presentation was shared with the Forest Service for their review and comment. Appropriate modifications were then made to the document.
Concurrently with the presentation, a draft EAP was developed for the dam utilizing the most recent NRCS format. The pre-existing EAP for the dam was on older format EAP. Once a draft EAP was developed, the planning team reconnected as a group, via teleconference, to review the draft in detail. One of the most crucial elements in an EAP is the emergency contacts listed in the notification chart. Those contacts and phone numbers were verified and confirmed, as a group. After the meeting, the EAP was finalized and submitted to the dam owner for final use.
Great West facilitated the tabletop exercise at the Umatilla NF office. During the exercise, special focus was given to making the workshop an inviting and engaging experience. Discussion was had after the tabletop about recommendations to the EAP and attendees were given forms soliciting comment for additional EAP recommendations. During the workshop, special focus was given to making the exercise an inviting and engaging experience. Discussion was had after the tabletop exercise about recommendations to the EAP and attendees were given forms soliciting comment for additional EAP recommendations. Great West also developed a situation manual and participants guide for the dam.