Providing Solutions for Efficient, Safe, and Durable Infrastructure

Dams, reservoirs, and hydroelectric power plants are a critical part of our country’s infrastructure—maintaining their safety, compliance, and efficiency is crucial for the long-term success of these important assets. 

Providing multiple benefits to public and private interests, dams and reservoirs are also accompanied by substantial and varied degrees of risk. Hydroelectric power plants are the dependable backbone of the power grid and the most reliable renewable generation source possible, but they require specialized engineering and regulatory support to maintain their performance and compliance. 

While dams, reservoirs, and hydroelectric plants are often out of sight and mind, the general public doesn’t tend to focus on them until a disaster occurs. But at Morrison-Maierle, we can provide the expertise and resources to ensure these critical facilities serve the public faithfully for decades to come. 

Dam Safety Services

  • Dam safety inspectionsanalysis, and studies 

  • Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) independent consultant, subject matter expert, and facilitation services for part 12D inspections 

  • Potential Failure Mode Analysis (PFMA) facilitation

  • Emergency Action Plan (EAP) updates, dam breach modeling, and inundation mapping

  • Hydraulic and hydrologic studies including Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) studies and Inflow Design Flood (IDF) determinations

Morrison-Maierle developed a plan to increase gated spillway flow capacity on the main dam at the Thompson Falls Hydroelectric Project. The FERC-regulated facility is on the Clark Fork River near Thompson Falls, Montana.
During the project: Replacing the original, 100-year-old turbine and generator units in the Madison Hydroelectric Plant Powerhouse required unique approaches and creative design-thinking.
After the project: It took a large-scale demoltion, dewatering, and new structural concrete and anchorage to place the new turbines in the historic building that had minimal and rudimentary original floor plans.

Dam and Hydropower Design Services

  • Feasibility studies and alternatives analysis 

  • Dam repair and upgrade engineering including concrete rehabilitation, structural analysis and design, spillway, intake, and low-level outlet gates, trash screens and rakes.

  • Powerhouse and dam crane systems

  • Hydroelectric plant design and rehabilitation. Balance-of-plant systems, including cooling water, hydraulic power units, shafts, valves, and control systems

  • Local, state, and federal permitting and compliance work

Experience You Can Count On

No two projects are ever the same when it comes to dams, reservoirs, and hydropower facility systems. Successful outcomes require an intimate understanding of both design and operations.

From new facilities to upgrades of existing infrastructure, our experienced professionals tailor designs to the needs of both major and minor projects, serving federal, local, and private clients throughout the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain West.

Ready to discuss your next project?

Related Projects

Thompson Falls Radial Gates

Thompson Falls, Montana

NorthWestern Energy hired Morrison-Maierle to develop a plan to increase gated spillway flow capacity on the main dam at the Thompson Falls Hydroelectric Project.

Morony Dam Spillway Modifications

Cascade County, Montana

Morrison-Maierle provided procurement specifications for the new gates, hoists, heated guide system, construction sequencing for the spillway and pier modifications, and hoist house enclosure design.

Madison Hydroelectric Plant Powerhouse

McAllister, Montana

Morrison-Maierle was the design engineer for the civil improvements to replace the 4 original 100-year old turbine and generator units at the Madison Hydroelectric Plant Powerhouse.

Holter Dam Spillway Concrete Repair

Wolf Creek, Montana

NorthWestern Energy hired Morrison-Maierle to help with the Holter Dam’s spillway concrete repair. Holter Dam is a 1,364-foot-long and 124-foot-high concrete embankment dam on the Missouri River.

Flower Creek Dam

Libby, Montana

Morrison-Maierle’s new Flower Creek Dam project allows the City of Libby to control the level of the reservoir that helps protect downstream fish habitat with a simplified operation.

Hauser Dam

Helena, Montana

The Hauser Dam project required surveying the space and replacing its old horizontally-designed turbine with a new vertically-designed version in the powerhouse that was built in the early 1900s.

Jocko Area Canal Conversion

Arlee, Montana

Morrison-Maierle designed the first two phases of the Jocko Area Canal Conversion pipeline project. The pipeline design consisted of over 110,000 linear feet of pipeline ranging from 48-inch diameter

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