The episode features Jennifer (Jenny) Jones, P.E., the Science Technical Director at Kleinschmidt (erroneously transcribed as “Clenchmmit”). The central focus of the discussion is a unique engineering project in New York State: the design of a large-scale hydropower bypass siphon system used to maintain required environmental flows while a dam facility underwent significant upgrades.

Guest Profile: Jennifer Jones, P.E.

• Background: Graduated from the University of Maine in Civil and Environmental Engineering. She spent her early career focused on hydraulic engineering, specifically dam damage modeling and inundation mapping.

• Career Evolution: Transitioned from a staff/project engineer to a section manager due to a keen interest in people management. Five years prior to the interview, she took on the role of Technical Director for Kleinschmidt’s Science Division, bridging the gap between engineering and environmental science.

Project Spotlight: Hydropower Bypass Siphon Design

The project addressed a common but complex problem: maintaining minimum environmental flows at a dam while the primary infrastructure is offline.

• The Problem: A hydropower client in New York State needed to shut down operations and dewater the penstock and generation units for a facility upgrade. However, their regulatory license strictly mandated a continuous minimum flow of 60 CFS (Cubic Feet per Second) passed downstream.

• The Solution: Instead of using cost-prohibitive structural modifications, Kleinschmidt designed a temporary but long-term siphon system consisting of two large 3-foot diameter High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) pipes stretching over 700 feet in length.

Key Design Challenges & Considerations

• Scale & Longevity: Siphons are rarely used for flows of this magnitude over such a long distance (700+ feet), making the scale of the application highly unique.

• Winter Weather: Located in New York, the system had to be engineered to withstand freezing winter temperatures.

• Hydraulic Issues & Cavitation: The engineering team had to meticulously calculate head loss, manage the initial water lift, and design air/check valves to prevent cavitation—the damaging collapse of vapor bubbles that occurs when local pressure drops below a fluid’s vapor pressure.

• Vortex Prevention: The team had to establish precise starting elevations at the inlet to prevent dangerous water vortices from forming if the reservoir drawdown dropped too low.

Team Collaboration and Client Dynamics

• Cross-Disciplinary Effort: The project relied heavily on collaboration between civil/hydraulic engineers (Jones) and mechanical engineers (Brett Hoffman) to accurately size the pumps, air valves, and check valves. Jill Davis served as the Project Manager (PM).

• Client and Contractor Interaction: The project followed a traditional design-bid-build model. The client remained hands-off regarding the core technical calculations but provided essential site expertise regarding real-world reservoir conditions and logistics.

Key Takeaways & Lessons Learned

• Cost and Eco-Benefits: Utilizing flexible HDPE pipe allowed the team to follow the natural terrain grade. This drastically reduced the need for heavy excavation and earthwork, minimizing both environmental impacts and overall project costs compared to steel piping or rigid structures.

• Stepping Out of Comfort Zones: Jones noted that this was her first siphon design. She highlighted the value of relying on internal corporate expertise and senior technical advisors to successfully execute unfamiliar concepts.

• Future Outlook: Jones emphasized that the future of the hydropower industry is exciting because it dynamically balances asset longevity with critical environmental stewardship, such as improving water quality and aquatic habitats.