The critical water outlet valve at Geist Reservoir has been replaced to ensure continued water supply to our Central Indiana service territory.
Teamwork among Water Operations and Capital Programs & Engineering enabled replacement of the outlet valve last fall without interruption of water supply during dry conditions.
“For nearly 80 years, Geist Reservoir has served Central Indiana as a dedicated drinking water reservoir. The key feature of Geist Reservoir – the one set of mechanisms that allows use of the reservoir during drought conditions – is the outlet works,” explained Bruce Cooley, Project Manager in Capital Programs and Engineering.
Geist Reservoir captures water during periods of ample water supply for use during drought-like conditions. To make use of the impounded water when the water elevation is below the dam crest (the top of the dam spillway), Water Operations staff open the original cone valve to allow water to bypass the top of the dam and proceed downstream through the dam in a controlled manner. Water in Fall Creek is then withdrawn near the Indiana State Fairgrounds to be treated at the Fall Creek Water Treatment Plant and at the Fall Creek-to-Canal Intake to be treated at the White River Water Treatment Plant.
Replacement of the valve became necessary due to the unavailability of parts and recent challenges operating the valve. The Water Operations and Engineering teams thoroughly assessed the outlet works. Selections were made regarding concrete repair work and valve replacement work. This past fall, Bowen Engineering Corporation partnered with Citizens to repair concrete and replace the Geist dam outlet works valve.
“Drought resiliency is vital to the Central Indiana community. The work executed by Citizens staff and partners such as Bowen Engineering Corporation helped ensure the citizens of Indiana will continue to be well-served by Geist Reservoir for decades to come,” Cooley said.
The relatively new Citizens Reservoir, a converted stone quarry adjacent to Geist Reservoir, played a key role in completing the outlet valve replacement while ensuring continued flow down Fall Creek during abnormally dry conditions across Central Indiana last summer and fall.
“While bypassing the dam with a pumping and piping system was employed in a limited fashion, use of Citizens Reservoir to increase the flow over the dam was more economical. Stored water was pumped from our 3-billion-gallon Citizens Reservoir system to Geist Reservoir. This increased the water surface elevation in Geist Reservoir such that water continued flowing over the dam during the outlet valve replacement project to meet downstream water needs,” Cooley explained.
