Mitchell Dam is a vintage hydroelectric facility located on the Coosa River, halfway between Birmingham and Montgomery.
The state’s second oldest dam was named for James Mitchell, Alabama Power’s president from 1912–1920. Built by Dixie Construction Co., the facility was dedicated Dec. 19, 1921. The dam went into service less than two years later, on Aug. 15, 1923.
Since then, 23 spillway gates have helped control water flow while preventing flooding and maintaining water levels. This spring, with ongoing modernization efforts, the company has begun replacing the more than 100-year-old spillway gates.
The original gates were gear-driven, requiring two operators to manually open and close them. The new gates will allow for more flexibility in operation, with the ability to be controlled from the control room or manually. This modernization enhances safety and efficiency. Montreall Hearn, superintendent at Mitchell Dam, fully realizes the importance of this project.
“With the old gates, they were either all the way open or closed,” Hearn said. “These new gates will allow us to have more control over the water flow and will be safer to operate.”
It takes time and care to safely retrofit the dam’s infrastructure. The river’s formidable flow rate of 6,000 cubic feet per second adds complexity, and weather conditions also play a role. During flood control operations, work must pause for safety reasons.
“Safety is our number one value, and projects like this take time to do it safely,” Hearn said. “When working, we create what’s called a red zone. This is an area where the surrounding spillway gates can’t be operated.”
When this multiyear project is complete, it should help provide clean and reliable power for the next generation of customers.
