Michael Baker provided engineering services to design modifications for the Hinckley Lake Dam to ensure compliance with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ (ODNR) Dam Safety Regulations. The dam, in its original configuration, did not have adequate capacity to convey the Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) design event over the spillway without overtopping the dam. Michael Baker provided professional services to rehabilitate and modify the dam to meet ODNR regulations. These services included site investigations and assessments, hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) analyses, geotechnical analyses and assessments, structural designs, alternatives evaluations, permitting and rehabilitation designs.
The lake and dam were constructed in 1928 within the Hinckley Lake Reservation and are owned and operated by Cleveland Metroparks. The dam is classified as a Class I, High Hazard dam and is used primarily for recreation. The dam consists of a 150-foot-long straight-drop concrete spillway that is flanked on either side by earthen embankments that total approximately 730 feet long. The maximum embankment height is approximately 40 feet. The spillway weir provides a waterfall visual effect that discharges into a concrete-lined stilling basin immediately downstream of the spillway. The concrete spillway and training walls exhibited signs of concrete deterioration and spalling. A control tower is located adjacent to the left training wall, and the lake drain discharges near the base of the spillway.
Michael Baker developed two alternatives to address the spillway deficiency: embankment armoring or raising the embankment to increase the storage capacity of the lake. To meet stability requirements and address the structural deficiencies of the spillway, Michael Baker considered a replacement spillway or a rehabilitated spillway that addressed stability concerns using additional concrete mass or post-tensioned anchors. Ultimately, the client decided to rehabilitate the spillway using reinforced mass concrete and raise the embankment to contain the PMF design event while the flood flows are discharged over the spillway. Construction began in 2023 and was substantially complete by the end of 2024.
Images provided by the Cleveland Metroparks
At-A-Glance
- Michael Baker provided engineering services to modify and rehabilitate Hinckley Lake Dam to meet Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Dam Safety Regulations.
- The team applied multidisciplinary expertise in site assessment, hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, geotechnical evaluations, and structural designs to guide critical improvement decisions.
- Michael Baker helped Cleveland Metroparks modernize critical infrastructure while maintaining a key recreational asset for the community.
- Michael Baker helped Cleveland Metroparks modernize critical infrastructure while maintaining a key recreational asset for the community.
