- 5km tunnel and associated work for new reservoir intake.
- High pressure tunnelling environment under lakebed.
- 6m diameter tunnel with a precast concrete segmental liner.
Arup is leading the engineering design of a critical new intake tunnel at Lake Mead, a source of water for millions in the south-west USA. The new tunnel will ensure water quality and supply amid declining lake levels caused by drought.
Created by the construction of the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River in 1935, the lake is the largest man-made reservoir in the United States. The 110 mile lake and associated river system supplies water to 25m people, but prolonged drought is straining the system and the lake level has fallen by 100ft in the last eight years. One of two intakes that currently draw water from the lake could be rendered unusable if the lake level continues to fall.
The new intake will be on the lakebed, 100m below the surface. From an onshore access shaft dug to a depth of 200m, a tunnel boring machine will cut a six metre diameter tunnel nearly five kilometres long to connect to the new intake. Construction will continue through 2012.
In the last decade, Arup has been involved in the design and construction of 200km of tunnels, including 60 transport tunnels and more than 30 for water and various services.
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