Awards

Withdrawing water from one watershed and discharging it to another has long been an issue in the Great Lakes region. There have been many court decrees regarding water diversion since the early 1900's and today Illinois' diversion is limited to 3,200 cubic feet per second. A number of factors including above average precipitation, high Lake Michigan water levels, Chicago Lock operation for navigation, and uncontrolled leakage through structures separating the Chicago River from Lake Michigan, resulted in Illinois exceeding the diversion limit.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources hired CTE to design and supervise construction of a new watertight cutoff wall, pump station, and four 10-foot x 10-foot sluice gates to control the most serious area of uncontrolled leakage at the mouth of the Chicago River in the Chicago River Turning Basin. The project also included upgrades for power, telephone service and site drainage, a new service drive and access road to the facility, as well as the rehabilitation and upgrade of adjacent public access lakefront facilities.

In addition to controlling lake water leakage, the new facilities add value to the Lakefront. The cutoff wall facilitated construction of a new 450-slip boat marina on the south side of the wall that greatly increased revenues collected by the Chicago Park District. The final design was consistent with the City's unified concept of beautification and its upgrade of the entire Chicago metropolitan lakefront. The new cutoff wall offers a panoramic view of the Chicago skyline.

Contributing to the progress of the engineering profession, a number of technological innovations were applied in the design and construction of the new facilities. For the first time ever, CORE-LOC precast concrete units were used as a unique baffling system. Compared to other alternatives, this new application reduced the length of the structure and the number of sluice gates necessary to convey the allowable discharge by 50%, and promoted a new technique for similar projects. In addition, the use of expanding silicon/rubber sealant and a two-component epoxy for the bolted connections at the main wall reduced construction time and cost. Special design of the cutoff wall prevents excessive ice build-up from affecting the old Coast Guard Station and the access road during the harsh winter months.

Yorkville Dam Safety Improvements & Bypass Channel, Yorkville, Ill.

For Excellence in Engineering Design.

Designed by Teng & Associates - Chicago, Ill.

Creative engineering along the Fox River in Yorkville, Ill., improved water recreational attractions by eliminating a life-threatening turbulence condition generated by a dam. Hydraulic conditions downstream produced a submerged roller effect, which had claimed 28 drowning victims over the last 35 years. The project team incorporated a new stepped dam spillway that eliminated the trapping turbulence, making the river safer for recreation. The design also included an innovative fish ladder and a new bypass channel with waterways for recreational and competitive Olympic-style boating.

EEA entries are accepted into one of 12 project categories: studies, research, and consulting engineering services; building/technology systems; structural systems; surveying and mapping technology; environmental; waste and storm water; water resources; transportation; special projects; small projects; energy; and industrial and manufacturing processes and facilities.

Projects that are winners at state level EEA competitions are eligible for ACEC's national EEA competition.

Because of the age and extent of deterioration of the original Sinnissippi Dam, as determined by Collins Engineers, Inc. during an extensive feasibility study, complete replacement of the steel tainter gate and rubble fill crib dam facility was recommended.

Ultimately, the replacement dam consisted of more than 500 feet of pneumatically operated hinged-leaf gates with an additional 500 feet of concrete 0gee spillway.

Innovative aspects of the design included: heated stainless steel pier face plate embedments to assist in gate deicing and promote wintertime gate operation; a system of galvanized steel stop logs and stainless steel embedded slots to create bulkheads for gate dewatering; a galvanized steel access bridge for crane movements and gate maintenance operations; and a fully automated gate operating system for 24 hour monitoring and proper discharge capacity at the Sinnissippi Dam for all headwater conditions.

The Stratton Lock & Dam project has been awarded a 2022 ASCE award in the >$15M category.  The facilities on the Fox River are operated by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and were aging, deteriorating and unable to meet the demands of traffic from larger boats and water-level requirements. The water-control structures were constructed in 1939, and the lock was built between 1958 and 1960 and could only accommodate four large passing boats at the same time, causing delays of up to three hours. The Hanson team designed improvements to the lock, including doubling its length and capacity, and a new water-level control structure that uses torque-tube crest gates, replacing the outdated gate structure. Innovative designs include a supplemental filling port with a diffuser to raise the water level and keep the level calm during filling, which is safer for boats, and a bypass pipe in the gate structure that guarantees 320 cubic feet of water per second can pass the dam, meeting IDNR’s requirement to supply water to downstream communities.