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| A view from the bay as the sheet pile channel finally takes shape |
It's been nearly two weeks since I've updated on progress at the West Pump -- or where the West Pump will ultimately reside . . . sooner than too much later, the way things are now progressing. Except for a couple curve balls, things have gone pretty smoothly (easy for me to say, as I'm not the guy on the equipment or lifting the cables). But as of the start of work this morning, 53 of 56 sheets have been driven.
If all goes well today, the rental hammer (the "Vibro" equipment that gets suspended from the crane to drive each steel pile section) will be returned, and we'll be moving on to pouring the concrete floor, beginning the cap that will serve as the top of the steel wall, installing the bracing struts that will maintain the top width of the channel, and backfilling on the outside of the sheet pile walls. All of this is in preparation for the installation of a 12'-wide channel crossing (which, when complete, will be another key milestone for this project). That makes for an ambitious week, but we're optimistic. Weather conditions continue to look ideal -- both for construction and for duck hunting (highs in the 50s and lows in the mid to upper 30s and generally dry) . . . more on the duck side of the equation soon.
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We ultimately decided to "buy local" and work with Lakecraft -- this 15HP system will move a lot of water when it needs to,
and having the manufacturer 10 minutes away certainly has its advantages |
Speaking of milestones, last week Roy and I also got the opportunity to check in with Lakecraft Corp, a longstanding pump and fabrication company out of Port Clinton that is handling most of the key water management components of our new system.
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| Debris/carp grates |
The pump and motor have been tested (we got to see video of it in action). Now, it just awaits installation day. The shiny paint and stainless (rust-free) pump impeller jumped out right away. But what caught our eyes first was probably the relative size of the motor -- miniature by comparison to the hulking dinosaur we've been relying on (especially when you take away the fish box that we needed for weatherproofing our old system!)
It was really exciting to see the pump itself, but it was equally fun to see the other pieces and parts in various stages of completion. The debris/carp grates (at left) are just about complete. They are extremely heavy duty and are beautifully fabricated. The structural steel that will bear the weight of the pump (below, top) is finished all the way to paint-to-match green. The aluminum floor grating (below, middle) has arrived and is ready to be custom cut to serve as the surround for the pump. A good number of the aluminum stoplogs (below, bottom) have been fabricated and will soon be installed into a custom-built framework that will reside upstream of the gate structures (which are currently en route from California). It has been a long time in coming, but it is all starting to come together!
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| Steel pump base and discharge pipe |
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| Aluminum floor grating |
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| Aluminum stoplogs |
