Headgate Surgery and New Footings

September and early October went to the oldest machinery on the site: the headgate.

The headgate is the gate that controls water flow from the pond into the penstock — the plant's main on/off valve, operated through a system of shafts, bearings, and cast iron pinions that date to the dam's construction. This is genuinely 19th-century machinery, and it has been asked to do its job with essentially no maintenance for longer than anyone alive can remember.

With the coffer dam holding and the work area dry, we pulled the headgate control shaft, its bearings, and the pinions for refurbishment and replacement. Some parts will be rebuilt; the ones too far gone — including gears with a century and a half of wear — will be replaced with newly manufactured equivalents.

Around the headgate, the supporting structures got attention too. The platform subfloor — the deck crews stand on to operate and service the gate — was replaced entirely, and new concrete footings went in around the pumphouse.

October also brought a fit-up milestone: the new penstock adapter tube — the transition piece that will connect the rebuilt intake to the existing penstock — was prepped and dry-fitted into position, then pulled back out for final fitment work. Measure twice, weld once.

Mid-month, the river reminded us who's boss: a minor breach of the coffer dam on October 17th. It was caught early, repaired quickly, and caused no real damage — but it was a warning shot. Fall rains are coming, and the coffer dam's workload is about to go up.