First dam benefits USU
First Dam is a popular recreation site in Logan. With volleyball courts, fishing and ducks to feed, people of all ages can find entertainment.
But the dam is also used for other things besides recreation and is classified by the Division of Water Resources as a hazardous dam.
“It is close to residential areas and if it broke, it would cause a lot of damage,” said John Fitch, projects coordinator for facilities design and construction at Utah State University.
Because USU owns the dam, it falls under the university’s jurisdiction.
Fitch said the state engineer issued an official notice to USU in 1993 stating the dam did not meet state standards; it was ranked among the highest-priority dams in the state in need of rehabilitation. After years of planning and design, construction work started on First Dam in August 2001 to bring the dam up to current state and federal dam safety guidelines.
It was determined that the spillway capacity could only pass about 10 percent of the probable maximum flood, and a larger flood would go over the top and fail the dam, Fitch said. The structure would probably fail during the maximum credible earthquake. Recent construction solved these problems and was finished in August. The project cost $2,509,252.
Fitch said First Dam was originally built between 1911 and 1914.
The 30-foot-tall dam is located at the base of Logan Canyon. It supplies water to the Utah Water Research Laboratory (UWRL) and local irrigation companies, in addition to providing power for USU.
Fitch said a new low head turbine generator was added, which will produce 350 kilowatts, which will be fed directly into the USU campus power grid. The Federal Energy Regulator Commission (FERC) licensing requirements mandated that the new turbine generator’s electrical output be close to the 1911 generator. The new generator will out-produce the old generator, though, because of its ability to be efficient at low water levels. The 350 kilowatts produced by the First Dam turbine generator is a small but profitable contribution to USU’s overall power
requirement.
Mac Mckee, the associated director of Utah Water Research, said the dam provides water for hydroelectric experiments. A 48-inch-diameter pipeline carries a large, high-pressure water supply to the labs below the dam. A 50,000-square-foot testing area is located in the labs, where researchers evaluate three fundamental areas. Those areas are: hydraulics, hydrology and water resources engineering, and environment engineering, Mckee said.
“USU students are involved in research along with four dozen faculty and support staff and 40 or more research engineers and scientists,” he said.
Anyone who would like a tour of the water labs or would like to find out more can call 797-3157 or 797-3155.
-kassrobison@cc.usu.edu