Rizzo was selected for its significant role in the forensic investigation, design, and construction management of the project. The rebuild of the failed dike included several innovative methods, including recycling flyash from a nearby waste pond for use in the concrete mixes; adapting the fundamentals of gravity dam design and the use of roller compacted concrete (RCC) from a conventional shaped gravity dam to one of a symmetrical cross section (much like a steep sloped earthfill dam) with relatively low strength RCC – necessary for placing a gravity dam on the relatively poor rock at Taum Sauk; and devising a complex water pumping system to move water from the lower reservoir to a 750,000 gallon storage tank. The water was used for various construction necessities including dust suppression, water jet cutting, curing, and concrete production.
Taum Sauk became fully functional again in May 2010, and is once again able to provide electricity to Missouri and the surrounding regions. The finished dam is currently the largest RCC dam in the Western Hemisphere.
The ESWP Awards will be presented in a ceremony at the 127th ESWP Annual Banquet, held in Pittsburgh, PA, on February 23, 2011.
In mid-January, it was also announced that Dr. Paul Rizzo has been named one of Engineering News-Record (ENR) Magazine’s Top 25 Newsmakers for 2010. Selected annually by ENR editors, the Newsmakers are chosen for their innovations and achievements, for giving back to the industry and the public, and for going beyond the duties of their day-to-day jobs.
