FIRESTONE, COLO. — The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission awarded a $259 million contract to the joint venture of Dragados USA (40 percent), Flatiron (30 percent), and Sukut Construction (30 percent) for the Calaveras Dam Replacement in Sunol, Calif. Preconstruction activities are scheduled for this summer, and project completion is anticipated in late 2015.

The project includes replacement of the original dam with a new 210-foot-high earth and rock fill dam designed to accommodate earthquakes on the Calaveras Fault as well as a new concrete spillway. The dam will be constructed immediately downstream of the existing dam and will have a crest length of 1,210 feet with a capacity of approximately 2.8 million cubic yards. The replacement dam will restore the original reservoir capacity of 31 billion gallons and will be designed to provide the option for portions of the dam to be reused should there be a future proposal to expand the water storage capacity of the reservoir.