2019 SAFETY AWARDS


Team Mitigates High Hazards to Successfully Complete Calaveras Dam Replacement Project


By Carol Eaton D


uring the seven-and-a-half years that Dragados USA, Inc, Flatiron West, Inc. and Sukut


Construction, Inc., Joint Venture (DFSJV) constructed the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project (CDRP) near Sunol, CA, the project team implemented one of the largest and most comprehensive programs ever undertaken to mitigate the extreme hazard of Naturally Occurring Asbestos (NOA) on a jobsite. Te team’s proactive efforts to


overcome major safety hurdles and myriad other challenges on the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project led to their successful delivery of a critical resource that supplies drinking water to 2.7 million people in the Bay Area. AGC of California recently named the project recipient of the 2019 Construction Safety Excellence Award for Safety on a High Hazard job.


Critical Bay Area Resource Te San Francisco Public Utilities


Commission (SFPUC), owners of the dam, selected DFSJV to build the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project in 2011, using a prequalification process and competitive low-bid award. With


“Numerous unforeseen technical and logistical challenges appeared throughout the project, and due to the technical expertise of the Dragados, Flatiron and Sukut Joint Venture NOA Team and the


JV’s high standards and expectations, each were identified, analyzed and solved without impact to budget or schedule.” - Bradley Erskine, NOA compliance manager


a final contract value estimated at $570 million, it ranks as the single largest component of SFPUC’s $4.8 billion Water System Improvement Program


which is designed to repair, replace and seismically upgrade key components of the Hetch Hetchy Water System. Te project was undertaken to


replace the original Calaveras Dam that was completed in 1925. Seismic concerns related to the nearby active Calaveras fault restricted the reservoir to just under 40 % of capacity since 2001. Te Replacement Project encom- passed construction of a new 220-foot zoned earth and rock fill dam, a 1,550- foot-long reinforced concrete spillway, an intake tower and a 78-inch diameter outlet conduit extending beneath the dam. Te purpose of the project was to re-establish the full capacity of the reservoir and to help provide a reliable source of drinking water to the San Francisco Bay area for years to come. Te joint venture faced numerous


challenges on the project, not the least of which was the need to excavate, process and place over three million cubic yards of NOA-containing material during the course of construction. Te challenge was that rocks that were used in the construction of the dam contained a particularly toxic form of NOA, which is liberated, when disturbed, by drilling, blasting, excavation, loading, and placement of the material.


Honoring Safety Excellence Continued from page 9


400,000-900,000 worker hours – Sully-Miller Contracting


 Specialty Contractors Division Over 4 million worker hours – ACCO Engineered Systems


10 January/February 2020


All finalists in this year’s AGC


of California Construction Safety Excellence Awards competition are also eligible to compete in the AGC of America national Safety Excellence Awards competition, with winners to be announced during the AGC of


America National Convention, March 9-12, 2020, in Las Vegas, NV. For more information on the AGC


of California annual safety awards program or other AGC safety services, contact Kate Mergen at mergenk@ agc-ca.org or (626) 608-5800. 


California Constructor


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