Sage Hill Dam Rehabilitation | Roaring Fork Eng.

Water resources

Sage Hill Dam Rehabilitation

Roaring Fork Engineering led the rehabilitation of a private jurisdictional dam, including the hazard classification study required by Colorado dam safety regulators. We designed the new outlet system and spillway, and the work was approved and inspected by the Regional Dam Safety Engineer.

Roaring Fork Engineering led the rehabilitation of an existing jurisdictional dam on private property upstream of the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport. Because the dam is jurisdictional, every element of the work was subject to review and approval by the Dam Safety Division of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources.

Challenges & highlights

The central piece of this project was a full hazard classification. This study determines what would happen if the dam were to fail, including the risk of loss of life or property downstream. Our team ran multiple models and conducted field survey work to evaluate the downstream consequences of a failure.

The study classified the dam as low hazard, meaning there is no significant risk to life or property downstream. That classification sets the design standard, and for a low hazard dam the spillway must safely pass the 100-year flood. Our analysis showed the existing spillway was not large enough to do so. The dam’s location upstream of the airport made the downstream evaluation especially important.

The design was reviewed, approved, and inspected by the Regional Dam Safety Engineer.

The results

The rehabilitation included a new outlet system to safely drain the pond, a new emergency overflow spillway sized for the 100-year flood, and new sections of pond liner to address leaking. The dam now meets current state safety requirements and is better equipped to handle major storm events.

Location: Pitkin County, CO

Full hazard classification study used multiple models and field survey to evaluate downstream consequences of a failure, including the nearby airport
Dam was classified as low hazard, which requires the spillway to pass the 100-year flood
Analysis showed the existing spillway was too small
Rehabilitation added a new outlet system to drain the pond, a new emergency overflow spillway, and new pond liner sections to address leaking
Dam now meets current state safety requirements

Infrastructure that lasts

Whether you’re planning a new development, upgrading public infrastructure, or improving community systems, our team is ready to help bring your project from concept to completion.