Construction Phase Begins on Eklutna Tunnel
Completion of Multi-Million Dollar
Hydro-Electric Project Set for 1954
Back at his desk in Palmer this
week after a trip to the Denver
district engineer’s office of the
Bureau of Reclamation was By
ron G. Felkner, construction en
gineer in charge of Eklutna pro
ject operations.
He reported that the Palmer
Constructors, who received the
contract award for erecting the
low-level tunnel and installing
the underwater intake, were al
ready at work this week. They
have set up camp near the pro
ject site at milepost 34 on the An
chorage-Palmer highway. A cook
house and a couple of dormitories
are being tackled first in antici
pation of the large construction
crew which will soon be at work.
The cook house is expected to be
^ completed by October 15. Twen
ty-five houses will also be built,
although construction may not be
started on them until spring.
Felkner estimated that no more
than 150 men would be working
on the tunnel operations this win
ter. Drilling will begin on the
lower end of the tunnel, and it is
possible that work on the gate
shaft at the upper end of the tun
nel will be started this winter.
To Bring Needed Power
f This multi-million dollar hydro
electric development is being
built under the direction of the
department of the interior, bu
reau of reclamation.
The Eklutna project will be of
beneficial significance to the peo
ple of the Anchorage and Mata
nuska valley area, since there is
an acute need of additional elec
tric power and distribution sys
Homemakers’ Club
EVENING CRAFT CLUB
I
Cutting stencils and making
crayon designs on textiles was
enjoyed by the Evening Craft
club at their recent meeting, held
at the Extension room.
The following members were
present: Agnes Zaborac, Karla
Duff, Rose Kirsch, Eloise Hud
gins, Edith Eggleston, Gladyce
Burrell, Nancy Johnson, Dorothy
Anderson, Genevieve Moffitt, Ol
ava Roetman, Mary Lou Lash
brook and Helen Crites.
CHEECHAKO CLUB
Mrs. Lew Hanks was hostess
for the September 10 meeting of
the Cheechako Homemakers’ club
when the following members
were elected as club officers for
the coming year: Mrs. George
Whetstone, president; Mrs. Harry
W i m m e r, vice-president; Mrs.
Mae Thompson, secretary-treas
urer, and Mrs. Newell Talcott, re
porter.
Mrs. Jane Weidman and Mrs.
Ed. Smith were guests at the
meeting. Refreshments of ice
cream and cookies were served
by the hostess.
Carpenters, Remember I
Carpenters Local 2251
Meets 2nd and 4th Wednesday
Each Month
terns to alleviate the present in
adequate power supply and to
further provide for the increasing
demands for electrical energy in
this rapidly expanding locality.
The entire undertaking, sched
uled to be completed and in op
eration in the latter part of 1954,
will develop 30,000 kva of elec
tric power, to be carried over
transmission lines to the Anchor
age and- Palmer areas.
Congress authorized the pro
ject and appropriated funds in
the latter part of 1930, to initiate
the necessary preconstruction ac
tivities on the Eklutna project.
Headquarters in Palmer
Palmer was selected for the
headquarters of the Bureau of
Reclamation forces, composed of
men picked from similar assign
ments in the States and men hired
locally. Field operations consist
ing of surveys to locate the tun
nel and power house, and explor
atory drilling to determine the
geological formations, necessary
for designing purposes, were im
mediately commenced. Field work
continued throughout the winter
excepting short periods of ex
treme cold and high winds.
The site of the power plant is
along the Anchorage-P aimer
highway, near the northerly base
of the mountains, about 34 miles
northeast of Anchorage.
Project Specifications
The project when completed
will consist essentially of a dam
and spillway control gates at the
outlet end of Eklutna lake, which
is the source of water for the two
25,000 horsepower turbines; an
intake structure, several hundred
feet of 9-foot diameter precast
concrete conduit; a gate shaft
containing a closure valve near
the intake; a 4 1/2 mile long tun
nel, surge tank, penstock, power
house, tailrace channel, switch
FROSH GOT ROYAL
WELCOME, BUT NOW
—THEY KNEEL
As a result of the Freshmen
party Friday night, there are i
some strange looking Freshmen'
around the halls of the Palmer
school this week.
Girls are coming to school in
their dads’ boots and overalls and
their mothers’ pajamas and robes,
while the boys are appearing in
skirts and sweaters and a lot of
curls and head scarfs.
All Freshmen are supposed to
kneel to the Sophomores no mat
ter where they are or what they
are doing.
Some of the Freshmen dodged
the initiation but will make it up
later in the year with various
duties.
The local Matanuska hotel was
humming this week with Eklutna
project construction talk as key
workers of Palmer Constructors
checked in, ready to begin opera
tions.
Ray Hamilton, who will be in
charge of lining the tunnel, regis
tered at the hotel last week-end.
A1 Coker, who is to be resident
manager for Palmer Constructors,
was due at the hotel some time
this week.
yard, transmission lilies, sub-sta
tions, and housing for the Bureau
employes.
Eklutna lake, about 865 feet
above sea level, is located approx
imately 4 1/2 miles through the
Chugach mountain range from
the power plant site. The lake is
reached by a road branching off
the Anchorage-Palmer highway
near the present Anchorage 2,000
kv power plant. Eklutna lake is
fed from Eklutna glacier, a few
miles upstream from the upper
end of the lake. The lake is ap
proximately 7 1/2 miles long, pro
viding the 160,000 acre feet of
needed storage capacity.
The intake will tap the lake ap
proximately 70 feet below the
surface, thereby assuring a con
stant water supply and eliminat
ing any problem due to the lake
freezing ‘over several feet thick
during the sub zero winters. From
the intake structure, the flow will
be by gravity, on a slight down
grade, through several hundred
feet of 9-foot diameter precast
concrete conduit. The water will
then continue through lined tun
nel of the same diameter, and
gradient. The control gate and
mechanism regulating the flow
entering the tunnel will be
housed within a reinforced con
crete gate shaft, extending from
the ground surface to a depth of
about 210 feet. Continuing from
SWALLING CONST. CO.
SUB-CONTRACTORS OF
PALMER CONSTRUCTORS
The Swalling Construction Co.
has the sub-contract from Palmer
Constructors to build the cook
house and the two dormitories at
the Eklutna project site near mile
post 34 on the Anchorage-Palmer
highway.
This company is hiring its own
personnel for these projects.
the gate shaft, the flow will be
through the tunnel; the water
dropping approximately 80 feet
in a distance of about 4 1/2 miles.
The average elevation of tun
nel will be around 750 feet above
sea level. The mountain peak over
the tunnel rises to some 6,000 feet
above sea level, which places the
tunnel bore approximately one
mile below the mountain’s crest.
It is proposed to drive the tunnel
from both ends, drilling two
headings simultaneously, working
around the clock on a three shift
basis. Biological and seismo
graphic exploration of the rock
formations indicate no unusual
difficult problems will arise to
hamper tunnel operations. The
tunnel will be lined with rein
forced concrete, thus reducing
friction losses and safeguarding
against the occasional earth
quakes of moderate magnitude,
characteristic of this region.
A surge tank will be construct
ed on the northerly slope of the
mountain. The surge tank will act
as a “brake” on the water in the
tunnel at such times when the
flow is to be temporarily cut off.
A penstock approximately 1,300
feet long and about 6 1/2 feet in
diameter will carry the water
from the tunnel to the power
plant. Here the flow will pass
through needle valves at high
velocity. This flow will be direct
ed against the impeller blades of
the turbine, which turns the ver
tical shaft connected to the gen
erator.
After expending its energy, the
water will emerge into the tail
race to be discharged into the
Knik river, downstream from the
power plant.
The power generated will oe
distributed from the switch yard,
to be erected near the power
plant. A high tension transmission
line of “H-frame” construction
will carry a portion of the elec
tric power to a substation to be
erected at Palmer. Similarly,
power will be delivered to An
chorage. About 50 miles of trans
mission line will be constructed.
From the substations the power
will be carried on existing dis
tribution lines.
Four-Year Project
The entire project will be done
by contract. It is estimated the
job will require about 4 years to
complete with peak employment
of about 350 men, including Bu
reau of Reclamation and the con
tractor’s forces.
The benefits to be derived from
the Eklutna project will be far
reaching, providing much needed
power, employment for men of
several crafts, improving recrea
tional facilities at Eklutna lake,
and providing low cost power
which will attract new industries
to this area.
ST. MICHAEL’S
Annual Bazaar
OCTOBER 13,1951
Linens, Costume Jewelry, Refreshments, Fish
Pond, Novelties, Toys, and Mony More
ALASKA'S FAVORITE GAME
FREE ADMISSION
School Auditorium
7:30 p.m.-12 Midnight