HINTON, W.Va. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers crossed a major milestone in the ongoing upgrades to Bluestone Dam near Hinton. Construction is officially done on the right side stilling basin below the dam, The work on the project is now ready to shift to the left side of the river.
“We project we’re going to be flowing water on the second of March out of the right side stilling basin for the first time in about five and a half years,” said Josh Miller Project Manager at Bluestone Dam for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Crews removed the cofferdams from the right side last week and will soon move to the other side and begin to construct the cofferdams to create the left side stilling basin. The basins are critical for the long-term life of the dam because they prevent scouring and erosion of the bedrock by passing water. Over time, the scouring effects can weaken the dam. The stilling basin, as the name suggests, “stills” the water after it comes over the spillway and settles it down to flow gently on out the other side and downstream without a violent crash into the river bed.
It’s the final phase of a 30 year project to upgrade the dam which was constructed in the 1940’s. The structure provides flood protection downstream to many communities, including Charleston. The aging structure proved its worth in 2025 when Hurricane Helene struck. The water level at Bluestone Dam from the storm which ravaged North Carolina was inches away from its highest mark. Without the protection of the dam, damage downstream including the Capitol City would have been catastrophic.
Construction teams previously anchored the structure to the bedrock to prevent slippage. Crews drilled through the dam itself and installed steel cables which are now anchored to the bedrock all the way across the span of the dam. The cables were tightened and now hold the dam in place firmly. The work was completed in previous phases. Along with the right side stilling basin, a large divider wall was constructed to split the downstream side of the dam and to separate the flow. That’s a part of the project which won’t have to be replicated on the other side.
Miller said the work on river right will translate into experience they’ll need on the left side to help speed the process.
“Any and all understanding and knowledge gained on the right side will be transferred to the left side and there’s the added bonus the divider wall is already complete. That divider wall is a massive chunk of concrete,” he added.
The concrete in the original structure was poured in1943. Engineer’s have examined its makeup and believe it’s still in good shape. There was one major crack discovered in the dam when the process began, but it was in an area which was not complicated to cut it out and replace with new concrete. Miller said that process was done and went well.
The final phase is expected to be completed in 2030.