The Design Team and its contractors continue working on several projects on the canal.

Drilling for Bulkhead Study: As part of EPA’s remedy, dredging will be required along existing bulkheads. Through the bulkhead study, we are learning about the structure of the existing bulkheads and assessing their stability under current conditions, so that we can understand how the bulkheads may behave during and after remediation. Field activity for this work began in June and included installation of borings and collection of soil samples. This activity is expected to continue through September.

Groundwater Studies: We will continue our groundwater studies in mid-July by installing seepage meters at many of the same locations targeted in May 2015. The devices, placed by divers into the canal sediments, will collect data over a two-day period to provide information from multiple tidal cycles. We will compare this information to the data collected in May to determine the variation in groundwater flow rates between the Canal floor and the canal surface water.

Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (NAPL) Mobility Study: Based on the completion of the March 2015 pilot, we will begin a full-scale study of the Canal’s Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (NAPL) movement in late July. The study will use specialized tools to better understand the presence, distribution and mobility of NAPL within the sediments.

Photos from Ongoing Work

A barge and boat used by the field team to perform the studies.

Contractors collect sediment cores from the Canal using a drilling rig.

The team prepares to lower a seepage meter into the Canal.

A diver prepares to install a seepage meter in the Canal.