Dams
Repairing Virginia’s Critical Water Structures
Building on decades of experience in dredging, lake management, stormwater infrastructure, and civil construction, Harbor Civil & Marine provides comprehensive dam rehabilitation and repair services throughout Virginia. An interesting fact about Virginia is that only two of the state's lakes are naturally occurring—meaning the vast majority of our lakes and reservoirs depend on constructed dams. Since expanding into dam services in 2020, our experienced team has developed the specialized knowledge, equipment, and capabilities required to address the unique challenges associated with maintaining and restoring these critical structures.
From earthen embankments and spillways to concrete structures and outlet systems, Harbor Civil & Marine provides practical solutions to restore dam integrity, improve performance, and extend service life. Our capabilities include embankment stabilization, erosion repair, spillway rehabilitation, outlet structure repair, drainage improvements, dredging, and general dam maintenance. Whether performing targeted repairs or comprehensive rehabilitation, HCM brings together our civil, stormwater, and dredging expertise to deliver safe, reliable, and lasting solutions.
Pump Road Dam
This project was designed to eliminate erosion on the backside of the existing dam by reinforcing it with a product called Hydroturf. This product is an artificial grass that allows water to sheet over the top without causing any erosion, this was the first time this product was used in this nature in Virginia. We completed this project by excavating a uniform 6” of material from the backside of the dam as well as an anchor ditch around the entire perimeter of the site. We then brought in the same volume of stone to install and compact on the backside of the dam. The Hydroturf product was then installed on the compacted stone and once completed, we poured concrete in the anchor ditch to secure the Hyrdoturf in place. This project also included installation of rip rap, erosion control materials, clearing and grubbing, and traffic control to be completed successfully. Now in place, the dam will be safe from erosion for the foreseeable future.
