Blue Mesa Dam is a 390-foot-tall (120 m) zoned earthfill dam on the Gunnison River in Colorado . It creates Blue Mesa Reservoir , and is within Curecanti National Recreation Area just before the river enters the Black Canyon of the Gunnison . The dam is upstream of the Morrow Point Dam . Blue Mesa Dam and reservoir are part of the Bureau of Reclamation's Wayne N. Aspinall Unit of the Colorado River Storage Project , which retains the waters of the Colorado River and its tributaries for agricultural and municipal use in the American Southwest. Although the dam does produce hydroelectric power, its primary purpose is water storage . State Highway 92 passes over the top of the dam. Blue Mesa Dam houses two turbine generators and produces an average of 264,329,000 kilowatt-hours each year.
13-687: Blue Mesa may refer to: Blue Mesa Dam , an earthfill dam on the Gunnison River in Colorado Blue Mesa Reservoir , the largest body of water entirely in Colorado Blue Mesa (album) , a 1989 album by Peter Ostroushko Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Blue Mesa . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
26-444: A national park), a 40 miles (64 km) length of the river. Initially planned as a concrete dam, the project was changed to an earth-fill design. Work on the dam started in 1961, with foundation drilling and survey work. Construction of the reservoir required the relocation of US 50 and State Highway 149 . This relocation was among the first work to be performed, starting in 1962 and continuing through 1964. The Sapinero Cemetery
39-742: Is fed by one 16-foot (4.9 m) diameter penstock , which supplies two turbines, as well as feeding the outlet works. The laterals feeding the Francis turbines are controlled by 156-inch (4.0 m) butterfly valves. The initial generating capacity was 60 MW, increased in 1988 to 86.4 MW. The powerplant is located above ground at the toe of the dam. It operates as a peaking plant . Riprap Riprap (in North American English ), also known as rip rap , rip-rap , shot rock , rock armour (in British English ) or rubble ,
52-408: Is human-placed rock or other material used to protect shoreline structures against scour and water, wave, or ice erosion. Riprap is used to armor shorelines , streambeds, bridge abutments , foundational infrastructure supports and other shoreline structures against erosion. Common rock types used include granite and modular concrete blocks. Rubble from building and paving demolition
65-520: Is situated at a narrows in the river valley where the Gunnison enters the upper reaches of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison . The dam has a volume of 3,080,000 cubic yards (2,350,000 m ) and the spillway intake structure has two radial gates. These discharge into a concrete-lined tunnel which in turn discharges through a flip bucket into a stilling basin. The Curecanti Project (later renamed
78-410: Is sometimes used, as well as specifically designed structures called tetrapods or similar concrete blocks . Riprap is also used underwater to cap immersed tubes sunken on the seabed to be joined into an undersea tunnel . Riprap causes morphological changes in the riverbeds they surround. One such change is the reduction of sediment settlement in the river channel, which can lead to scouring of
91-676: The Wayne N. Aspinall Project) was conceived in 1955, initially with four dams. It was approved by the Secretary of the Interior in 1959, comprising Blue Mesa Dam and Morrow Point Dam. Crystal Dam's design was unfinished and was approved in 1962. Plans for a fourth dam were dropped as uneconomical. The project was restricted to the stretch of the Gunnison above Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument (later designated
104-450: The amount of organic material in a waterbody by acting as a filter, catching wood and leaves before they can enter the water. Riprap also covers and prevents plants from growing through, which can reduce shade over the water. Introducing ripraps creates a rocky environment which can affect the ecology of a waterbody by making the ecosystem more heterogeneous. While it can negatively affect some organisms by removing shoreline vegetation,
117-473: The foundation to bedrock immediately after. Placement of the dam embankments started in 1964, and continued through the year, with the dam embankment completed at the end of 1965. The diversion tunnel was partly closed in December and the reservoir began to fill, with the final closure of the diversion tunnel on February 7, 1966. The dam project was declared complete on October 19, 1966. The powerplant project
130-473: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blue_Mesa&oldid=932728338 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Blue Mesa Dam The dam stands in an area where sandstone and shale overlay pre-Cambrian granite , schist and gneiss . It
143-457: The river bed as well as coarser sediment particles. This can be combatted by increasing the distance between the pieces of riprap and using a variety of sizes. The usage of riprap may not even stop erosion, but simply move it downstream. Additionally, the soil beneath the riprap can be eroded if the rock was just placed on top without any buffer between the layers such as a geotextile fabric or smaller riprap ( crushed stone ). Riprap affects
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#1732780497313156-614: Was also relocated. The primary construction contract for the dam was awarded to the Tecon Corporation of Dallas, Texas , with notice to proceed on April 23, 1962. The diversion tunnel was holed through on September 7, 1962, with the excavation of the spillway tunnel completed by April 1963. Drilling and grouting for the dam's foundation started in March 1963. The Gunnison was diverted through its tunnel in October, with excavation of
169-537: Was delayed by a delivery accident to a transformer, which was damaged in an accident in September 1966 near Monarch Pass and had to be shipped back to its manufacturer in Sweden for repair. The powerplant was completed on February 16, 1968. Spillway modifications took place in 1984-85 to repair the damage, while a uniform and largely cosmetic covering of riprap was applied to the dam face. The Blue Mesa Powerplant
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