CREWS WORK AROUND CLOCK ON CASITAS DAM UPGRADE.Byline: David Greenberg The creator of this article, or someone who has substantially contributed to it, may have a conflict of interest regarding its subject matter. It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. Staff Writer Crews are working 24 hours a day on the $42 million upgrading of Casitas Dam Casitas Dam is a dam on Coyote Creek that forms Lake Casitas near Ojai, California. The dam is located two miles above the junction of Coyote Creek and the Ventura River. Water from the Ventura River is diverted to Lake Casitas as well. to ensure that the most vital portion of the seismic project is finished before the winter rains start, officials said Thursday. Barnard Construction has placed 15 of its 50 workers on night duty - 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. - so that work to strengthen and widen the dam will be done by Christmas, a deadline the contractor must meet to get paid in full. ``He has a very tight schedule, and he wanted to make sure that he was covered for contingencies, should anything arise that was unexpected that could take longer,'' said Matt Sheskier, an engineer with the federal Bureau of Reclamation, which owns Lake Casitas Lake Casitas is a lake in Ventura County, California. It was formed by Casitas Dam on Coyote Creek, two miles (3 km) before it joins the Ventura River. Santa Ana Creek and North Fork Coyote Creek also flow into the lake. . Heavy storms historically occur starting around Christmas, he said. ``We want to make sure certain portions of the project are complete by then.'' The bureau is paying 85 percent and the Casitas Municipal Water District the rest for the project. Workers are widening the dam's crest from 40 feet to 110 feet. They also will excavate loose soil from the foundation, repack Re`pack´ v. t. 1. To pack a second time or anew; as, to repack beef; to repack a trunk. s> it to make it more solid and construct a system to remove moisture from the soil. This $12 million phase of the project is part of an overall plan to improve the earthen earth·en adj. 1. Made of earth or clay: an earthen fortification; an earthen pot. 2. Earthly; worldly. dam so that it could withstand a magnitude 7.1 earthquake. Officials have estimated that 400 people along Coyote Creek and the Ventura River The Ventura River is a river in Ventura County, California. The river forms at the confluence of Matilija Creek and North Fork Matilija Creek, 15 miles upstream from the Pacific Ocean. could be killed if the 40-year-old dam broke. It holds up to 250,000 acre feet of water, enough for about 500,000 families for a year. ``There is always a sense of urgency,'' Sheskier said about earthquake potential. But he said recent earthquakes in Taiwan, Turkey and Mexico played no role in the contractor's decision to keep workers on the job around the clock. ``The earthquake could hit tomorrow or it could hit 100 years from now.'' He said Barnard had long been considering putting workers on duty nights, as well as days, to meet a deadline. Project Manager Bill Pennington said Barnard will be fined if it misses its completion deadline. Workers have already installed seven sirens Sirens with song, bird-women lure sailors to death. [Gk. Myth.: Odyssey] See : Enchantment sirens their singing so sweet, it lured sailors to their death. [Gk. Myth.: Hamilton, 48] See : Singer to sound an early warning, followed by recorded safety instructions in English and Spanish, should the dam ever break. Speakers line the 8.8-mile corridor between the dam and the ocean, ensuring that residents would be alerted. CAPTION(S): Map Map: Santa Paula Santa Paula (săn`tə pôl`ə), city (1990 pop. 25,062), Ventura co., S Calif., on the Santa Clara River in a fertile valley that yields citrus fruits, avocados, vegetables, flowers, nursery products, and walnuts; laid out 1875, inc. |
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