Vernon County

Land & Water Conservation Department

Klinkner Dam Repair
The Klinkner Dam (built in 1954) is being rehabilitated as part of a four-state, National Pilot Project demonstrating the need for and approaches taken to extending the useful life of the country's 11,000 aging flood control structures. 
The Klinkner Dam has overtopped on four different occasions, prompting an "Order to Repair" from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Dam Safety Office. The availability of funds and engineering assistance from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and additional funding from the DNR, allowed the County to accomplish the necessary rehabilitation with minimal input of local tax resources.
This is the dam before it was rehabilitated -

The repairs and rehabilitation components included:

  • Removal of old pipe (30 inch)

  • Installation of new pipe (48 inch)

  • Installation of upstream clay blanket

  • Installation of new stilling basin and outlet channel.

These modifications should extend the useful life of the dam for another 100 years, and protect the structure from overtopping damage up to Probable Maximum Flood flows (28.5 inches of rain in 6 hours).
The rehabilitation project as it progressed:
Part of 154,000 lbs of rebar. Over 400 separate bar marks
Layout of reinforcing steel for concrete stilling basin pads (24”). Seven cells, 50 x 48 will sit at the toe of the articulated block system.
Wet conditions excavating for impact basin.
Subgrade conditions at impact basin.
Foundation of impact basin wing walls.
Ready for impact basin floor pour.
Finishing floor pour.
Impact basin wall form up.
Forms pulled on impact basin.
Forming for a 9-foot pour for Principal inlet riser. A short pour was done to create the radius floor in the riser. Contractor built a "canoe" of 2x4's and masonite.
Tieing in baffle/splitter steel for principal inlet.
Laying 24" RCPP base flow pipe and inlet elbow.
Heavy rains in July flooded out part of the repair. No damage, just a big mess.
Seven "panels" were poured for the downstream embankment stilling basin.
Removal of the old 30" principal spillway.
Completed base flow inlet and inflow channel.
Over 1100 cubic yards of concrete were poured for the stilling basin.
Completed impact basin and outlet channel.
Complex placement of the articulated concrete block system (ACBS) on downstream embankment. Designed to handle 16,000 cfs of flood flow.
ACBS placement nearing completion. Contractor assumed all liability for running crane on stilling basin.
Project nearing completion.
Final condition of Klinkner Dam Rehabilitation ten months after completion.
 
The Klinkner dam rehabilitation was completed in late 2005.
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