In December 2005, the upper reservoir at Ameren’s Taum Sauk pumped storage plant near Annapolis, Missouri, failed. Before the reservoir could be rebuilt with roller-compacted concrete (RCC), Ameren UE selected Kolb Grading as general contractor to build RCC test pads and evaluate the foundation preparation the rebuild would require.
Kolb recovered and processed fly ash from Ameren’s Meramec plant, set up an on-site RCC production facility, and built test pads using the proposed mix design while testing variations in placement methods. Crews also removed overburden, drilled and shot fractured rock, built a grout curtain, and placed dental and leveling concrete to prepare the rock foundation.
Scope of Work
- Recovered, processed, and transported fly ash from Meramec to Taum Sauk
- Procured and set up an on-site RCC production facility to replicate the materials and procedures for the reservoir rebuild
- Constructed RCC test pads using the proposed mix design while testing variations of installation means and methods
- Removed overburden using excavators and articulated trucks
- Drilled and shot thicker sections of fractured rock
- Grout curtain construction
- Intricate dental work
- Installed dental concrete to fill voids and create a level surface
- Installed leveling concrete using a crane and bucket