Winter weather results in $235,000 of damage to AEDC

  • Published
  • By Kathy Gattis
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  Frigid temperatures are impacting Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) from the heart of middle Tennessee to Silver Spring, Md.

The colder-than-normal winter weather is being blamed for 31 water leaks resulting in about $200,000 in damages. At AEDC's remote operating site, Tunnel 9, freezing temps are blamed for a major water main break with an additional $35,000 in damages.

While $235,000 isn't cheap, AEDC Civil Engineer John Laviolette says it could've been much worse.

"AEDC has a robust freeze protection program, but recent events called for extraordinary actions by AEDC's operating contractor, Aerospace Testing Alliance (ATA), and government personnel," Laviolette said. "These unusual conditions required balancing AEDC Electrical Power and Cooling Water systems to ensure the right equipment was running at the right time for freeze protection while at the same time avoiding excessive use of power.

"ATA monitored the temperatures in the cooling water system around the clock and energized additional pumps that can move almost one million gallons of water per minute to keep the water temperatures above freezing."

This effort was further complicated by the fact that Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), AEDC's power supplier, was faced with record power demands in January (five days of the top 10 days in history) that required constant partnering with TVA to ensure AEDC had adequate power to fully implement the base's freeze protection program. At one point, AEDC worked with TVA to obtain an additional four megawatts of power to supplement freeze protection measures. Four megawatts is enough electricity to supply over 2,000 average homes for one day.

"AEDC facilities have nearly three-million square feet with miles of water piping and numerous pieces of equipment that contain water... all of which were susceptible to damage by freezing temperatures," Laviolette said.

Laviolette said leaks occurred primarily in areas not normally impacted by freezing conditions because of their location.

At Tunnel 9, the snow and freezing temperatures also forced closure during the last few months. "Living and operating in the Northeast, Tunnel 9 has learned how to weather the storm," said Dan Marren, director of Tunnel 9 in Maryland. "We have good emergency policies in place and a dedicated staff who get us ready. Even so, this year we have been hit hard repeatedly by bad weather. With a completely full test schedule, it means that customers will suffer."

In the last couple of months AEDC Commander Col. Raymond Toth asked all employees to conserve power whenever possible by turning out lights, and unplugging heaters, coffee pots and other appliances as the demand for power throughout Tennessee and Maryland remains at all-time high levels of usage.