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Blasting Halted - FERC shut it down - someone blasted in an area they weren't supposed to - blamed on "miscommunications"

An interesting development. Kiewit has been shut down in blasting as FERC discovered blasting in an area that was not permitted. Now analysis is underway to determine the damage from this blasting. The "PR" version statement is it was from a "miscommunication".

Kiewit is known to have their act together. Kiewit likely is depending on communications and engineering info coordination between DWR & FERC. The fact that FERC discovered this and shut it down (blasting) is telling. Someone is not paying attention to details. The inference is it's DWR (given their past performance on the QCIP fumbling).

Shutdowns like this hurt schedules. Paying attention to details, and with competency, are the life blood of good engineering organizations. No time to "cut teeth" in learning the ropes.

Prior DWR debacle in QCIP with FERC:

DWR gets "schooled" by FERC - FERC almost run out of letters in the alphabet in the sub-identifiers in corrections to DWR in QCIP

= = Article Clip Oroville >> Blasting has been halted temporarily on the Oroville Dam spillway reconstruction, apparently because someone blew up something they weren’t supposed to.

But officials expect blasting to resume in a couple of days and say the spillway reconstruction is still on schedule.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission sent a letter to the state Department of Water Resources on June 15 noting it had learned “blasting was performed in an area specifically identified in the blasting submittals as an area blasting was not to be performed.”

It ordered an assessment whether the blasting caused any unwanted damage, and if so how it would be fixed. It also ordered steps to make sure unauthorized blasting didn’t happen again.

In a media call Wednesday, Jeanne Kuttel, project manager for DWR, said the blasting had been stopped. She said DWR and Kiewit, the lead contractor on the spillway reconstruction, were meeting this week with FERC and the Division of Dam Safety, and as soon as approvals were obtained blasting would resume.

She and others on the call insisted the construction was on schedule to be completed by Nov. 1 as planned.

The unauthorized blasting was blamed on “miscommunication.” No damage impacting the reconstruction was said to have occurred.

= = end clip More at link

http://www.orovillemr.com/article/NB/20170705/NEWS/170709887