Foundation Flaws Make Kentucky's Wolf Creek Dam a High-Risk Priority

Engineers say if Wolf Creek Dam had a critical failure, the estimated damages could run up to $6 billion, making it a top priority for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Work is now 74% complete as contractors fight seepage that is dissolving the karst-limestone foundation under the dam. This foundation is layered into what geologists call Leipers and Catheys, which are two similar limestones that can be dissolved by carbonic acid found naturally in underground water. Remediation consists of building a 275-ft-deep, 3,800-ft-long concrete wall composed of secant piles and rectangular panels installed through the clay embankment and into the rock of the dam within a 5-in. tolerance. The depths required and rock hardness make this foundation project unlike any other.