Northeast Regional Conference: Skelton Dam Field Trip


Northeast Regional Conference: Skelton Dam Field Trip

When: Thursday, May 25, 2023 • 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM Eastern

Where: Skelton Hydroelectric Project

Registration Fee: $95.00

Enhance your conference experience by joining your colleagues on Thursday, May 25 at the Skelton Hydroelectric Project on the Saco River in southern Maine. The Skelton Hydroelectric Project consists of a dam that is about 1,695 feet in overall length with a maximum height of 80 feet. The dam features a 1,200-foot-long earth embankment section and a 495-foot-long concrete gravity section. The concrete section is founded on bedrock and includes an impressive fish lift, a 20 MW powerhouse, and eight (8) 32.5-feet-wide by 20-feet-high tainter gates. The embankment was constructed 1947 to 1948 by placing fill on a natural ridge of marine clay which serves as the low permeability core of the dam. The clay is underlain by strata of pressurized sand and silty sand under the downstream embankment slope. The phreatic surface, seepage, and pressures are monitored with weirs, drains, and several types of piezometers. The hydraulic pressures are reduced with a drain system and pump wells. Skelton is owned and operated by Brookfield Renewable U.S. The high-hazard project is regulated by FERC.