THE 73.2m HIGH LOCH RAVEN dam in Baltimore, Maryland, is to undergo a major structural rehabilitation. The rehabilitation is required to satisfy State and Federal dam safety regulations that require gravity dams to have an adequate Factor of Safety during high flood levels.
This rehabilitation will add significant mass to the existing dam as a public safety improvement. Steel anchors will be installed through the dam, into the underlying bedrock to provide additional stabilising forces. Silt and debris that have accumulated at the base in front of the dam will be removed, and roller compacted concrete berm will be added to the toe of the dam. Roller compacted concrete will also be added to the face of the dam.
The project is expected to take approximately three years to complete.
The upper Loch Raven dam was originally constructed in 1912, to a height of 57.3m. Ten years later, it was raised to its current height of 73.2m, with a 87.8m-wide spillway. In the early 1970’s, structural improvements to the face of the dam and mechanical improvements to the intakes were completed.