Project location

Summary

• Detroit, Michigan

Infrastructure Alternatives dredged and dewatered 180,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediments from a one mile section of a waterway as part of the construction of a 1 billion gallon per day combined sewer overflow (CSO) control facility. The sediments entered the waterway through a municipal storm water system as well as CSO outfalls.

Dredging was performed with a combination of an 8-inch hydraulic swinging ladder dredge and a 8-inch auger head dredge. The sediments were dewatered in 60-foot circumference Geotube® containers. The dredge slurry was conditioned with polymers to aid in the dewatering process.  Geotube® containers were stacked three layers high over three separate dewatering areas.  

Infrastructure Alternatives' certified wastewater treatment plant operators operated and maintained an on-site treatment facility to treat the Geotube® filtrate water prior to discharge back into the waterway.

In addition to removing soft sediments from the creek bottom, the natural depth of the waterway was also increased to provide hydraulic capacity to handle the effluent from the CSO control. This was accomplished by mechanically excavating 20,000 yards of natural clay bottom.

Our client

• Walsh Construction for the City of Detroit

Services provided

• Hydraulic dredging
• Mechanical dredging and thickening
• Hydrographic surveying
• Geotube® dewatering
• Wastewater treatment operations
• Design engineering

Contact us about this project

• E-mail Mr. Paul Stage

Project Photo Gallery

(Photo 1 of 5) Two dredges were used during the hydraulic dredging portion of the project.  The primary dredge was an 8 inch diameter swinging ladder dredge.

(Photo 2 of 5) The second hydraulic dredge utilized was an 8 inch diameter auger dredge.

(Photo 3 of 5) An excavator placed on a barge was used to remove large debris and trash from the dredge path. 

(Photo 4 of 5) Geotube® containers were used to dewater 100,000 cubic yards of hydraulically dredged sediments.  The Geotube® containers were placed over three separate dewatering areas, which were used in rotation.

(Photo 5 of 5) Excavators and front end loaders were used to remove the dewatered Geotube® containers and their contents from the site for final disposal.  The dewatered material in the containers approached 50% solids at the time of disposal.

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