What We Do

Located downstream of the Nipawin Hydroelectric Station the project required the restoration of an eroded drainage channel that bypasses the dam. Restoration included removal of existing CSP piping, reshaping of the eroded valley slope and installing a new HPDE pipe to carry flow down the slope and into an energy dissipation structure at the bottom. Improvements were also made to the upstream intake where a sediment collection structure was constructed. Environmental protection was a key component of the project working adjacent to the Saskatchewan River while handling surface and ground water throughout the project.

Morrison Dam is located on the East Poplar River near Coronach, Saskatchewan less than 4 kilometers north of the U.S. border. The dam was constructed between 1975 and 1977 to create a cooling water reservoir for the Poplar River Power Station. Phase 1 of the rehabilitation involved upgrading the auxiliary spillway, deepening the main earth channel, excavating a pilot channel, constructing a two-stage fuse plug, and installing riprap and a concrete apron slab for erosion protection. Upgrading the riparian outlet includes installing a raised intake in the reservoir to avoid sediment blockage, installation of 60 meters of HDPE pipe liner for an unlined portion of the upstream conduit and the replacement of existing control gates in the 15 meter deep gatewell.

The project also required the installation of a soil-cement-bentonite (SCB) seepage cutoff wall through the main dam embankment extending down to a depth of 22 meters below the top of dam. A jet grout cutoff wall was constructed below the spillway and tied in with the SCB slurry trench cutoff wall to provide a continuous seepage barrier. To facilitate the cutoff wall construction the top of the dam was lowered by 2.5 meters and was then replaced afterwards.

KPCL’s scope of work included the supply and installation of erosion protection in the Boundary Dam Power Station forebay , which involved the construction and removal of an earth cofferdam in water up to 5 meters deep and the supply and placement of 9,000 tonnes of rip rap up to 1.5 meter in diameter. Key challenges included de-watering and removal of 50 years of build up of sediment in the spillway’s forebay.

This project involved the complete replacement of a 55-year-old spillway chute, stilling basin and drainage system.  KPCL was subcontracted by PCL Construction for the demolition of the old spillway chute and stilling basin, installation of new spillway drainage system, placement of backfill and 20,000 tonnes of rip rap for the new structure. Key challenges involved constrained working space as majority of excavations were completed approximately 16 meters below surrounding ground within existing structure footprint, slope and stability issues appeared after start of construction, and a tight completion schedule.

KPCL was contracted on two projects for the construction of diversion channels. Total excavations amounted to 2.2 million cubic meters. Notable that even though project involved highly plastic clay wet of optimum moisture content and a compressed construction schedule, both projects were completed ahead of schedule.

This project involved the construction of a diversion channel, dykes and three small dams totaling 2.2 million cubic meters of excavation and fill. Two concrete control structures were installed. KPCL had proposed an alternative construction methodology that significantly improved productivity and completion of the project.

The Alameda Dam was built to control water level and flows on the Moose Mountain Creek and Souris River in Southeast Saskatchewan and North Dakota. Key elements included total fill placement of 5.5 million cubic meters, placement of approximately 200,000 cubic meters of rip rap, and the construction of 6-meter diameter culvert with bin walls for railway pass through. Key challenges included constructing embankments on deep seated shear plane which required controlled fill placement to achieve full height, and river closure on flowing creek during high precipitation construction season.

Developed in conjunction with Alameda Dam from 1988 to 1995, Rafferty Dam ensures that a more reliable water source is available for power generation, domestic and agricultural use. This project involved the construction of dam embankments on the Souris River, with excavations totalling 3 million cubic meters, the placement of 2.2 million cubic meters of compacted fill, and the supply and placement in excess of 150,000 cubic meters of rip rap. Key challenges included a highly compressible and saturated foundation that required the installation of wick drains in the foundation to assist in the dissipation of excess pore water pressure during construction; controlled fill placement was required to ensure dam stability during construction.