Cowetta Wiers

Location: Otto, North Carolina

Project Description:

The Coweeta Weir Project is to replace small concrete dams that were built by the CCC during the late 30's. The concrete has deteriorated as the result of years of freeze thaw cycles and the natural acidity of the mountain water. We first had to excavate to expose the dam, remove the dry laid stone side walls, and then cut the concrete to the limit of what was to be removed. We then demolished the concrete and removed it from the site. The forming for the new concrete is complicated by the fact that the use of normal form ties is prohibited in the contract. The forms are totally externally braced and supported. As a result they are very complex and expensive. We had a form failure on the first pour and had to stop the pour and repour at a later time using a even more heavily reinforced form design. We have two of our three weirs poured and hopefully will be pouring the third on Monday. We have had to contend with a lot of rain and high water during the course of the project, to include 6" of rain on Tuesday.

Below are some pictures of the project as it is being constructed. The pictures are thumbnails, click on them to view a larger image. Be aware that most of the images are large file sizes and need time to download.

Wier Two Pictures

Wier Three Pictures