Holing Through

A micro-tunneling machine recently “holed through” for a new tunnel that will release water from Schoharie Reservoir to the creek downstream. The landmark moment happened at 9:02pm on April 23 when the machine broke through a wall of rock and entered a chamber on the eastern bank of Schoharie Creek. The unmanned machine is 9.5 feet in diameter and is operated by remote control from the surface. Operators have tracked its progress and performance by watching monitors from inside a control room at the worksite.

The project began with the construction of a 182-foot-deep gate shaft along Route 990V in Gilboa. The micro-tunneling machine was lowered down that shaft last year and in October began work on the land leg of the tunnel, a 930-foot-long section between the shaft and the future valve chamber on the bank of the creek. It will be lowered down that shaft again to build the second leg of the tunnel, a 1,188-foot stretch between the shaft and the bottom of the reservoir. Once that portion is finished, the tunneling machine will be pulled up from the bottom of the reservoir and out of the water.

The milestone is part of a $142 million project to build a low-level release at Schoharie Reservoir. The tunnel will provide DEP with the ability to release water from the reservoir into Schoharie Creek to facilitate dam maintenance, respond to potential emergencies, mitigate flood risk for downstream communities, and enhance downstream habitats for fish and wildlife.