Spotlight on Hearthstone Dam

As part of the NRCS Watershed Rehabilitation Program, VA NRCS developed a 95% Design to upgrade Hearthstone Lake Dam, a high hazard dam, to meet NRCS and Virginia DCR Dam Safety criteria. VA NRCS determined that the dam and spillway system met dam safety criteria for spillway capacity, integrity, and stability. However, there were concerns with potential filter incompatibility between embankment zones due to the presence of oversized particles.

Augusta County hired Schnabel to perform an extensive subsurface investigation to characterize the 100-foot-tall embankment and evaluate the filter compatibility between zones. The program included sonic drilling, large test pits, and field gradation testing of 2,000lb bulk samples to characterize the embankment materials. Through this effort, Schnabel demonstrated that the existing embankment zones generally met NRCS filter compatibility criteria. Instead of constructing a new full-height chimney drain, Schnabel designed a toe drain system that resulted in over $2M of savings to the Project Sponsors.

Videography by Nomad Media.