WEBVTT

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Can you come down on each side . My

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name is Billy Thompson . I'm a project

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manager . We are at , uh , Orwell Dam

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in Fergus Falls , Minnesota on a

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beautiful September afternoon , and we

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are doing repairs , inspections , and

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maintenance , uh , on the Orwell Dam

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structure . There's 5 main activities

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that make up the . Project today . Uh ,

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the first was the gradual drawdown of

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the Orwell Reservoir 14 ft over the

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course of 30 days , uh , at half a foot

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per day to facilitate the , um ,

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bulkhead placement , which is the

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second activity . So they had to fix

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the lifting system on the bulkheads ,

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do some general pairs in order to place

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5 bulkheads that are 25,000 pounds each

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to uh close the flow and and allow for

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the third activity , which is the gate

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chain replacement . And that is being

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installed on site today . Uh , the

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fourth component of the work is the

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heat shield replacement of some damaged

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components on the gate , uh , that are

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designed to help mitigate or prevent

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buildup of ice in the winter colder

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months when the dam is elevated from

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the water . And then finally , all the

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divers are on site here as well . Today

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and they are facilitating the floor

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drain rehabilitation that's ongoing .

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The floor drains on this site are a

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critical component for structural

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stability . It's impressive to see all

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of the different disciplines on site

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today to make this happen . The

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maintenance and repair crew is

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completing all of the work on site with

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a 6-man crew . There's 3 primary

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reasons why this work is important .

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Number one , gate exists primarily for

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flood control and for public safety ,

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so the maintenance , repair , and

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ongoing inspections ensure that

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this dam will perform as designed for

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years to come , and then also inform

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future maintenance needs down the road .

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Orwell Dam is important for , uh ,

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water supply , uh , for municipalities ,

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uh , and agricultural needs , as well

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as recreation for hunting , boating ,

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fishing , and other activities around

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the lake itself .