Wire rope carrier system being replaced at dam

Thursday, June 3, 2004 | 10:05 a.m.

When crews at Hoover Dam are lowering a several-ton transformer to the power plant deck, they rely on a cable system that dates back to the very beginning of the world wonder that was built in the early 1930s.

To make sure that cable, which is located about 600 feet from the dam, will not fail, the Bureau of Reclamation is replacing the wire rope carrier system.

Earlier this month, Superior-Lidgerwood-Mundy Corp., a certified small business enterprise based in Superior, Wash., was awarded a $405,602 contract to replace the 150-ton cableway, Reclamation spokesman Bob Walsh said.

"We still use that wire rope system that was installed when the dam was being built to lower very large pieces of equipment to the bottom of the dam," Walsh said. "It has undergone some rehabilitation during the last 70 years. About three years ago we overhauled another part of the cable system.

"It is an important device because there is no other way to transport large pieces of equipment. You can't take it down on a truck."

The wire rope that ensures load-bearing integrity of the system is on special order, Walsh said, noting that the replacement operation is expected to begin sometime this summer and be completed by October. The cable will meet or exceed specifications of the original cable that was installed in 1932, he said.

That work will not affect Hoover Dam operations, water operations, visitor tours, or the Lake Mead water levels that already are at a record low point because of the five-year drought, Walsh said.

The Bureau of Reclamation is the largest wholesale water supplier and the second-largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States, Walsh said. The agency has facilities in 17 western states that also provide substantial flood control measures, he said.

Walsh said that many facets of Hoover Dam that were installed when the dam was built still are used or featured at the site today, including flooring, parts of some of the generators, doors and light fixtures.

"But we've had to replace a lightbulb or two over the years," Walsh said.