A New Look for the South Boulder Diverter in Eldorado Canyon

Located in Eldorado Canyon, the South Boulder Diversion Structure channels water into Denver Water’s treatment system. Constructed over 75 years ago, this site was due for some upgrades and Coblaco Services was selected to perform the industrial coatings portions of this rehabilitation.

Due to Denver Water’s storage and capacity needs, a rigid schedule was set. Three periods were identified during which the water levels at the Diversion Structure could be lowered. But before the project began, Coblaco was asked to make every effort to complete the work utilizing only two of the shutdowns, one running from October 2017 through December 2017, the other, January, 2018 through February, 2018. Our sites were set on executing this tall order.

Accessing the Diversion Structure can be difficult on the one-lane road through the Canyon.  In addition, site staging was an element of the project that had to be carefully considered by Coblaco’s Operations team in order to effectively position the large equipment required.  Full containment and dust collection would be needed for surface prep on the largest and most complex components of the Diversion Structure.

The two trash racks and two tainter gates receiving coating are complicated structures with edges and angles that command diligent use of good painting practice in order to coat adequately. The winds that howl down the canyon tugged at the containment setups and drove temperatures down. Tarps and scaffolding were reinforced and heaters were utilized to ensure proper application conditions.

Top-coat application was conducted using plural component equipment, all while the shutdown windows dwindled. Despite the difficult conditions and complex nature of the project, Coblaco was able to complete all of the work requiring shutdowns without performing work during the 3rd shutdown window.

Check out the attached link for more information about the project and the history of this unique facility.

https://denverwatertap.org/2017/10/26/modernizing-an-80-year-old-dam-has-its-challenges/