The winch cables run up the center of the spar pole and over pulleys at
the top. The main spillway is visible on the right.
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Winches are called upon to do lots of things, but they don't often come to the rescue of salmon. But that's just what's happening at Ice Harbor Dam, located on the Snake River in Washington State.
Make no mistake—preservation of salmon in the rivers of the Pacific Northwest is a priority of the U.S. government. The extensive network of dams on the Columbia River and its tributaries has brought important benefits to the region, but the once plentiful salmon are now endangered, partly because of the changes in their habitat caused by the dams. The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, who owns Ice Harbor Dam, is working hard to find ways to mitigate the harmful effects on the fish.
One project involves a set of pumps to allocate water to the fish ladders, a special channel that allows the fish to move upstream beyond the dam. The pumps require maintenance, and a large crane is needed to lift them. Ederer Co. in Seattle has designed a special crane that mounts directly to the dam for this purpose. Their choice of winch for the crane was the Allied LANTEC winch.
The crane has two winches—the luffing winch, to control the position of the top of the boom, and the main winch, which raises and lowers the load. The winches are the LANTEC model 542-151. Power to the winches is from a hydraulic power unit designed by Ederer.
Ederer specified LeBus® lagging for the winch drums (see "Q & A" section). This type of drum reduces the distance from the winch to the first sheave. For this installation, the use of LeBus lagging reduced the amount of support structure required, and thus reduced overall project cost.
The winches are not used frequently, but they need to be ready to run at a moment's notice. The LANTEC winch has proven to be a winch of remarkable durability with a minimum of operating problems. The Corps can expect years of excellent service from this winch.
The next time you enjoy some tasty, fresh salmon from the clear waters of the Pacific Northwest, don't forget that Allied had a small part in getting that fish to your table. Bon appétit!
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