Wilde Lake Dam

Client: Columbia Association

Location: Columbia, Maryland

Services: Structural and Underwater Inspection, Geotechnical Engineering

Constructed in 1964, the Wilde Lake dam consists of a 168-foot long, 28-foot high stepped face concrete gravity overflow spillway. The total length of the dam is 288 feet with 56-foot and 48-foot non-overflow gravity walls at both abutments. Four-foot diameter pressure relief wells and a sand drainage layer control seepage. The dam hazardous classification is Class 2 – Significant.

The Columbia Association contracted KCI as the “Dam Owner’s Engineer” as part of their Emergency Action Plan (EAP). Over the life of the five-year contract, KCI will perform annual dam inspections and provide emergency response actions under an on-going contract with the Howard County Government for stormwater management and watershed evaluation, design and build services.

At project initiation, engineers first conducted a visual inspection of the accessible portions of the dam and associated structures, followed by more detailed structural inspections, assessments, and underwater inspections of the submerged portions of the dam. This initial dam inspection allowed engineers to determine the structural and operational conditions of the dam, spillways, reservoir area, outlet channels, and associated drainage features.

In accordance with the EAP, KCI has designated to on-call senior level engineers to respond to emergency situations. These engineers will be available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and will respond within 1 hour to monitor, record, and develop mitigation necessary for emergency situations, such as large storm events, muddy water seepage, potential overtopping, signs of erosion or slope instability, or the presence of cracks or sinkholes.

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