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How Worthington’s Barrier Systems Can Mitigate Fire Debris Issues
A Worthington barrier installed at Don Pedro Dam, California, prevents fire-related debris from causing damage.
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he 2020 fire season was one of the worst in recent memory. Immense fires swept across California, Oregon, Washington, and other U.S. states, causing loss of life, property destruction, and air pollution. Perhaps less known, however, is the fact that wildfires also pose significant problems for dam and waterway owners and operators. After a fire, debris is often swept into conveyance channels, ending up in water intakes, spillgates, and reservoirs. This causes operational disruptions, requires extra expenditures, and can even pose a danger to human lives. Worthington Products is a multidisciplinary designer, manufacturer, and installer of waterway barrier systems that can help address and mitigate these problems. In this interview, Worthington President Paul Meeks talks with Hydro Leader about how his company’s products can help dam owners face up the challenge of fire debris. Hydro Leader: Please tell us about Worthington Products.
Hydro Leader: With the many fires in the West, debris
34 | HYDRO LEADER | November/December 2020
Paul Meeks: Debris is going to be a huge and costly issue. One of my first exposures to the issue of fire debris was in Australia in 2003. Worthington sent five ocean containers full of barriers to the snowy mountain region of Australia following a series of devastating wildfires. That’s when I became aware of how much wildfires can affect dam and hydroelectric power operators. Fires, especially the ones that occurred during this 2020 fire season, take a huge personal toll. We see this on the nightly news, and our hearts ache for the people who have lost their lives, homes, livelihoods, and businesses. While the news focuses on the human toll, we do not see the disruptions these fires cause for irrigation companies and other entities that supply water and generate power. The effects on dam safety, power generation, and water quality are significant. Unfortunately, 2020 will go down as a record year for wildfires. It has given rise to a new term: gigafire. The August Complex fire in Northern California has burned more than 1 million acres across seven counties—an area larger than Rhode Island. It is still not fully contained. Four million acres in California this year alone have burned, and that doesn’t include what’s happening in Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and other states. There’s much debate about the causes. The August Complex fire started with a huge, dry thunderstorm. It hydroleadermagazine.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF WORTHINGTON PRODUCTS.
Paul Meeks: Worthington has been around for 20 years. We help our customers to increase their power output and decrease their public safety risk by providing waterway barriers. Those barriers prevent debris from clogging power plant intakes and blocking critical spill gates. This allows hydro operators to generate clean hydroelectric power while being able to safely pass excess flows.
will be a major concern for irrigation districts and water agencies. What barrier options are there for fire debris?
