Dam Construction and Repair

Dam Construction and Repair Services

SSG Shotcrete supports dam construction scopes that require structural concrete placement, rebar integration, and durable finishes built for constant moisture, freeze-thaw cycles, and hydraulic forces. We work with owners, engineers, general contractors, and public agencies across New England. That includes new construction, major upgrades, and phased work that keeps water control systems operating.

What does Dam Construction Entail?

Dam construction is the work required to build or rebuild water-retaining and water-controlling structures, using reinforced concrete and engineered details to handle hydrostatic pressure, uplift, abrasion, and long-term exposure. It can include new structures, major reconstruction, and safety upgrades such as spillway capacity improvements, training walls, stilling basins, cutoff walls, and buttressing.

Dam construction also includes the enabling work that makes placement possible, like demolition, surface preparation, drilling and epoxying dowels, rebar cages, embedments, and forming where needed. The goal is straightforward, restore or deliver the design capacity, and meet the project’s inspection and documentation requirements.

Common Dam Construction and Spillway Repair Projects

Dam projects vary by site, but the scopes below show up often in New England work:

• Spillways, training walls, and chute walls (including profile restoration and structural rebuilds)
• Stilling basins, aprons, and downstream erosion protection
• Intake structures, gate bays, and valve chambers
• New concrete overlays and thickened structural sections
• Cutoff walls, seepage control features, and joint rehabilitation
• Access upgrades, concrete pads, and equipment foundations

If your scope is spillway-related, our spillway repair work overlaps with many dam construction details. For water and wastewater assets tied into dam sites, see water treatment plant repair.

Why Shotcrete is used in Dam Construction and Repair Projects

Shotcrete is concrete placed pneumatically at high velocity. That matters on dams because many placements are vertical, overhead, or shaped by existing geometry. Shotcrete can reduce formwork in the right locations, improve access options, and help crews place structural material where a traditional pour is slow or impractical.

Shotcrete is also useful when the work window is tight. You can stage material and pumping to match sequencing, which helps when projects must coordinate with water level controls, weather, and inspection hold points.

SSG’s Approach to Dam Construction and Spillway Repair 

Dam work is not just placing concrete. It is planning access, controlling water, coordinating inspection points, and executing safely around moving equipment and hydraulic hazards. We support projects with a contractor-style workflow and field execution that matches heavy civil expectations.

• Preconstruction input on access, sequencing, and constructability
• Surface prep, demolition coordination, and bond strategy planning
• Drilled and epoxied dowels, rebar placement, and embed coordination
• Wet-mix and dry-mix shotcrete placement options based on the spec and access
• Finish work aligned with hydraulic requirements (flow surfaces, tolerances, transitions)
• OSHA-trained crews and jobsite safety documentation

Where We Work

SSG Shotcrete supports dam construction work across New England, including Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont. We understand cold-weather placement planning, freeze-thaw durability considerations, and the access realities that come with rural and remote sites

Get Support for your Dam Construction or Spillway Repair

If you are planning a dam construction project, bring us in early. Early coordination helps with sequencing, access, and realistic production planning.

Contact us to talk through the scope, schedule, and site constraints.