Reviewing refurbishment options for Tempe Town Lake dam, Arizona

Tempe Town Lake, in the middle of the Arizona desert, is an important centre for recreational activities, and has progressively transformed the local economy. The lake is formed by two inflatable rubber dams constructed across the Salt river. One of the downstream bladders failed suddenly in 2010, after only 10 years of service. The replacements, supplied by the manufacturer, are to be decommissioned at the end of the lease period in 2015. Gannett Fleming was hired to evaluate options for replacing the bladders and to design the replacement dam. The selection process included a rigorous review of possible technologies and in particular the detailed evaluation of three options. This paper describes the conditions leading to the failure of the original rubber dam, the process used to select a replacement dam, and details of the recommended solution.