Portland-based Advanced American Construction (AAC) is entering the third construction season of a four-year U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project at Spirit Lake near Mount St. Helens, where crews are rebuilding critical outlet infrastructure designed to prevent catastrophic flooding downstream from the volcanic lake. The Spirit Lake outlet system was originally built by the Corps in the 1980s after the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption blocked the lake’s natural drainage with volcanic debris, ash, and timber. AAC President Dee Burch told WorkBoat this season will focus on the largest phase of construction — rebuilding the outlet works structure itself.

The remote, high-elevation work site is reachable only through a 3.5-mile temporary access road built along steep switchback logging terrain. Environmental restrictions and seasonal snowpack limit crews to a four-month annual work window, requiring AAC to set up a temporary camp on site and remove all temporary infrastructure at the end of every season before rebuilding it the following year. AAC partnered with Battle Ground, Washington-based Tapani Inc. on the roadway, and is using modular Flexifloat sectional barges manufactured by Robishaw Engineering of Houston for in-water work.

Crews must also navigate Spirit Lake’s massive floating log mat — a remnant of the 1980 eruption that drifts across the lake with the wind, often complicating access to the work area. Environmental rules prohibit permanently clearing or containing the logs. Burch ranked the project among AAC’s top 10 most challenging assignments, citing the combination of complex logistics, environmental restrictions, and remote conditions. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been AAC’s largest client since the company was founded in 1983.