Fall Creek Falls: Enhancing the Park Through Infrastructure
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) collaborates with the the State of Tennessee’s Real Estate Asset Management (STREAM) Program to support projects involving state-owned properties. McGill has successfully completed a variety of state park projects with these organizations.
Fall Creek Falls Offerings
Fall Creek Falls State Park is a 30,638-acre park that is centered on Upper Cane Creek Gorge in Spencer, Tennessee. It is home to Fall Creek Falls, which is one of the highest waterfalls in the Eastern United States—it is 256 feet high! There are a few other waterfalls in the park, including Piney Falls, Cane Creek Falls, and Cane Creek Cascades. The park has rock climbing, hiking, boating, interpretive programs, swimming, biking, fishing, birding, and year-round camping access.
The Park Encourages Education
On site, there is a Nature Center, Campground, and Inn, all of which support recreation. Notably, the Nature Center has environmental education opportunities, including naturalist-led programs as well as arts and crafts, movies, campfires, games, and live music. Schools in the area bring students to the Nature Center for field trips because the park provides low-cost, high-quality trips for a hands-on learning experience.
McGill’s Sewer Work
At Fall Creek Falls, McGill replaced approximately 9,500 linear feet (LF) of sanitary sewer force main that range between two- to six-inches in diameter. This work was completed for force mains serving the Betty Dunn Nature Center, the Lodge at Fall Creek Falls hotel, and Campgrounds Areas A-E. Our technical team provided design, bidding, and construction phase services. Due to the park’s challenging landscape—characterized by steep terrain, shallow bedrock, numerous streams, and a 345-acre lake—our team used innovative solutions during the design and construction of the project.
Innovative Design
The Lodge force main had to cross Fall Creek Falls Lake to reach the park’s on-site wastewater treatment plant. Design and installation of the force main required innovative techniques. Our team designed the force main to be installed by pipeline sinking. This technique required special design considerations including bathymetric survey, subsea pipeline calculations, submerged pipeline crossings, and extensive erosion and sedimentation controls.
Divers were used before and during installation to verify existing conditions and aid in pipeline installation. During construction, our team worked closely with the contractor to coordinate installation. The pipeline was assembled on the shore and then placed on floats and pulled across the lake. Once positioned correctly, the pipeline was slowly lowered to the lake bottom. To make sure the pipe was falling where it should, and was not obstructed by blockages or kinks, divers followed the pipe as it sunk to the bottom of the lake.
Before it was a lake, this area of the park was a road, which made the lakebed easier to work with. This method was cost effective, providing a lower cost of work than a drilling/boring method would have.
The Beginning of a Longer Project
Replacing the failing sewer lines was the first step in a string of other projects. The sewer lines needed to be replaced so that the State could begin upgrading the buildings and facilities, like cabins, restrooms, and educational centers. Our team was excited about this project for a variety of reasons, but one of the key aspects of this work is how it supports Tennessee tourism. By replacing the sewer lines, McGill helped the State move this project forward, which advances tourism opportunities.
Other STREAM Projects
In addition to Fall Creek Falls, McGill has completed a variety of other projects for STREAM, including water improvements at Norris Dam State Park and Cove Lake State Park and sewer rehabilitation at Blue Ridge State Park.
At Norris Dam State Park, the water distribution system needed to be replaced, and we provided schematic design, design development, bidding, and construction services. We replaced approximately 36,500 LF of pipeline and all related appurtenances.
The water distribution system at Cove Lake State Park also needed to be replaced, and we provided schematic design, design development, bidding, and construction services there as well. For this system, we replaced 20,500 LF of pipeline and related appurtenances.
Learn More
McGill has an office in Knoxville as well as offices across the states of North Carolina and Virginia. One of the unique aspects of our team is that we live where we work, and many of our employees frequently take advantage of the recreational opportunities in the area. We are excited about these projects at state parks because the improvements help to keep the amenities in good condition, which means they can be used for years to come.
To learn more about our work in Tennessee or our Knoxville office, reach out to Jamie Carden, PE, at jamie.carden@mcgillassociates.com.
