Grip Strength: DSPC tests bedrock for low water dam project

The Army Corps of Engineers is designing a low water dam on the Arkansas River near Sand Springs, Oklahoma as part of the Arkansas River Corridor Project. The Dam Safety Production Center began conducting anchor testing late in the summer of 2025.

"This low water dam will sit in the Arkansas River, which could be subjected to significant flood flows and a lot of forces on it," said Jeffrey Stevens, geotechnical engineer, Dam Safety Production Center, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "The rock isn't always the same in one location versus another. We have a general idea of how this rock would behave from Keystone Dam just up the road. But to ensure that the localized geology isn't going to significantly impact our results, we want to do a proof verification."

After drilling boreholes, installing the anchors, and cementing them with grout, evaluators allow the mix to cure, and then perform the test with a hydraulic jack.

"When we do the math afterwards, it tells us how much the anchor moved and ultimately the bond strength of the rock," said Stevens.

The Arkansas River corridor Project will promote water quality, ecosystem restoration, and recreation opportunities.

"It's very important, I think, for our stakeholders, for the county, for the City of Sand Springs, for everyone along the river, because this dam is going to essentially be the thing that makes it all go."

Arcadia Dam, placed into operation in 1986, was the last Tulsa District, USACE dam construction project.

"As an engineer, I think it's a really cool thing because we don't get to build new structures anymore. Ninety percent of the time we're working on existing structures," said Stevens. "That obviously is very important work and very cool work to make those old structures safe. But to actually build a new one is it's a very unique experience."