Col. Jeffrey Palazzini, district commander, attended the ribbon cutting for the Moose Creek Dam Safety Modification Project near North Pole on Sep. 11. He joined representatives of the Fairbanks – North Star Borough and contractor as well as the USACE team in celebrating the significant milestone.
To execute this project, USACE contractor Bauer Foundation Corp. constructed a mix-in-place cement barrier at the center of 4.7 miles of the eight-mile earthen dam. The newly constructed concrete barrier reaches up to 65 feet deep, adding stability to the foundations of Moose Creek Dam and limiting internal erosion during periods of flooding.
In response to the devastating flood of 1967, USACE constructed the Chena River Lakes Flood Control Project to provide flood mitigation for the Fairbanks community downstream. Moose Creek Dam is an earthen embankment dam within the project that uses flood gates to regulate the flow of the Chena River during events of heavy runoff or snowmelt that threaten people and infrastructure. The newly constructed barrier will ensure that the entire project continues to function at a high level for many years to come.
“USACE has been heavily involved at this site for decades, and we are committed to being a community partner in the greater Fairbanks region,” Palazzini said at the event. “This project represents the culmination of years of outstanding work from our team, contractors and partners.”