Fortis recently completed a project at the SaskPower Hydroelectric Station in Nipawin, replacing the old seasonal buoys with a new permanent boom system. The new ODINFloat pontoons made by Worthington Products Inc. have a swivel-free, pipe-through design that allows for the use of high-strength alloy chain to be extended through the center of each boom. This allows the pontoons to rotate freely while maintaining exceptional durability. The pontoons and two 58-inch Spherical Warning Buoys that are attached to each segment are federal standard yellow (FS13655) making the system much more visible especially in circumstances of low visibility.
The boom acts as a physical barrier for the dangerous flow areas around the Hydroelectric Station powerhouse intake and Spillway. With its strength, it can help unpowered or distressed watercraft/persons from reaching danger. However, it is not the intent of the boom to restrain large watercrafts such as tugboats or to restrain any watercraft with the intent to damage.
The new Safety Boom System consists of 266 pontoons divided into six segments, stretching across the lake from West to East shores. On the west shore, a 16 cubic meter concrete “Deadman” anchor block was poured 3 meters subgrade to connect the west side of the safety boom system. The east shore comprised 7 individual concrete “Lego” blocks chained together to support the east connection of the safety boom system.
To Anchor the Safety Boom System underwater, 12,000 lbs and 16,000 lbs “Drag Embedment” instream anchors were placed on the lakebed and set to a prescribed tension to ensure maximum holding strength. Once the new Safety Boom System was successfully installed, the old buoys were removed from the water to complete the project.
Successfully executing projects such as Safety Boom Systems and other Dam-related work is an excellent example of the Northern Strands Group of Companies' diverse capabilities. A significant advantage to selecting Fortis as your field service provider for Dam related projects is the direct access to Northern Strands (Fortis’ Parent Company) as an industry leader for all the wire rope, chain, rigging components, and inspections required to successfully, and safely, execute this type of work.
More information on our capabilities can be found here: NSGC-overview.pdf (12.3MB)