 These two barges not only contributed to meeting the Canal Zone’s power requirements, but also made possible the saving of vast quantities of water that otherwise would have been needed to operate the hydroelectric power station.The Corps of Engineers estimates that over one trillion gallons were saved (or, rather, freed up) between October 1968 and October 1972 – enough to permit fifteen additional ships to pass through the locks of the canal each day.After one year of operations in the Canal Zone, the MH-1A reactor had to be refueled, a process which took one week (17–25 October 1969), according to a 1969 Corps of Engineers report.