Custom Dewatering System
Built a customized dewatering and excavation support system
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The Challenge
- Construction in close proximity to residential and historic structures
- Reduce the risk of structural damage and ensure stability of adjacent buildings during construction
- Shallow groundwater and highly permeable soils
A developer in Atlanta, GA required a dewatering and excavation support system designed to minimize predicted ground settlement, thereby reducing the risk of structural damage and ensuring the stability of adjacent buildings. Given the presence of shallow groundwater and highly permeable Piedmont residual soils, the risk of inducing settlement during excavation was significant.
The Solution
A typical dewatering system would have significantly lowered groundwater levels near the adjacent buildings, resulting in soil consolidation and large differential settlements. Geocomp opted for an unconventional approach:
- Installing dewatering wells within the excavation footprint while placing recharge wells outside the excavation to maintain groundwater balance around critical structures.
- A 36-inch soil-mix wall reinforced with steel H-piles for excavation support
- Geometry and tieback configuration based on the proximity of sensitive structures, the most robust configuration nearest to the adjacent home and historic building
- Real-time monitoring using automated prisms and piezometers to track soil and structure movements and pore pressure below and around the outside perimeter of the excavation
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