Meet GTTSi’s Principal Consultant Earl Hamil, the first member of the Independent Design Review Board working with the Lake Conestee Dam Restoration Project (LCDRP).
Lake Conestee Dam impounds the Reedy River to form Lake Conestee near Greenville, South Carolina. Constructed in 1892, this stone-masonry dam had a 50-year life expectancy to provide power for the Reedy River Factory, later called Conestee Mill. The reservoir created by this dam, originally ~135 acres, is now filled with 2.5-3.25 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment. Contaminants originated from industries upstream from the time the dam was built until the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972. Sediment has since capped the contaminants in place.
The SCDHEC Dam Safety Program rated the Lake Conestee Dam in “Poor” condition in 2016 per definitions used for reporting to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Lake Conestee Dam Restoration Project, LLC, owner of the dam, recognizes the dam is vulnerable based upon its construction, age, and condition. A dam breach would result in a release of contaminants with potentially grave environmental impacts such as degradation of recreation and natural resources, impact to public and private economic resources, and elevated ecological and human health risks.
Today, a 3-year plan, funded by the state and local stakeholders for >$45 million, is underway to prevent the 130-year-old Conestee Dam from breach. This plan includes a new dam to be built downstream of the original dam, designed to meet modern engineering standards and expected to last well into the next century. The schedule has the new dam in place by fall of 2026.
As a member of the LCDRP Independent Design Review Board, Earl Hamil brings 50 years of engineering, procurement, and construction experience in the energy sector to the project. He has contributed to >150 capital projects on 4 continents, including CC and SC gas generation plants, aeroderivative gas turbines, hydroelectric power, pumped storage, LNG, chemicals and refineries, and desalination projects. His experience includes 20 years with contractors including Bechtel, Stone & Webster, and Fluor, 14 years with GE, 9 years as an owner (Dominion Resources), and 7 years as a Senior Consultant.
Earl holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from RIT, is a Registered Engineer, and holds US Patent 7861532 for HRSG hot purging.
GTTSi is proud to be a part of this historic project, and our participation is made possible by working with technical experts like Earl Hamil.
