Members of the Memphis District’s Construction, Mechanical and Structural Branches, Area and Resident Offices, and Southern Contractors, Inc., all recently gathered to witness the successful testing of four Tainter gates as part of the Grand Prairie Widened Canal Project near DeValls Bluff, Arkansas.
A Tainter gate is a type of radial arm floodgate used to control water flow.
Prior to grouting the side seals, the contract requires Tainter Gates be tested so that adjustments to the alignment can be made if necessary. As testing was a success, the contractor has been given the “OK” to proceed with the project.
The purpose of the Widened Canal Project is to regulate water levels and reduce wave action in the downstream irrigation canals. Water flows through two 10-feet in diameter pipes and into the widened canal reservoir.
It then releases water into the downstream irrigation canals through the check structure, which is a concrete structure with four steel gates.
This construction project is valued at approximately $19.5 million and the current completion date is set for May 2020.