Deer Creek Lake and Dam is a multipurpose flood control and recreation project operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Huntington District in southwest central Ohio.

Key Challenges

As the prime contractor for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Deer Creek Dam Tainter Gate Rehabilitation project in Mt. Sterling, Ohio, Paragon faced several significant technical and logistical challenges in rehabilitating three Tainter Gates.

• The Tainter gates control the lake water level with no stoplogs available to isolate the gates during construction, meaning all work had to be performed while the gates remained in an active, water-retaining environment.
• Flood Demobilization within 24 hours was required due to no USACE stoplogs.
• Extensive repairs were required following AWS D1.1, including pre-blasting all welds for full non-destructive testing (NDT) inspection, detailed third-party NDT reporting, complete repair of the gates, and full abrasive blasting to SSPC-SP5 standards.
• The project involved applying the USACE-specified 5EZ vinyl coating system to three massive 32-ft-high by 42-ft-wide Tainter gates.
• Disassembly and replacement of side seals, followed by reassembly that required custom-designed temporary gate supports.
• Strict environmental and safety requirements for lead paint removal and containment in a sensitive dam setting.
  The need to maintain full gate operability on short notice if lake water levels required it.

How We Met the Challenge

Paragon self-performed all critical scopes—including gate repair, abrasive blasting, lead paint removal, and painting—delivering exceptional quality and control throughout the project. To overcome the absence of stoplogs and minimize risk, Paragon developed an innovative containment and work access system specifically engineered for active Tainter gates. This solution provided safe, efficient access for repairs and coating application while enabling rapid demobilization of all equipment and materials whenever water levels triggered the project-specific demobilization plan

Thanks to these solutions, Paragon successfully completed the Deer Creek Dam tainter gate project 85 days ahead of schedule while maintaining full operational readiness of the gates at all times.