As the spring weather continues, the Design Team and its contractors remain engaged in several activities on the canal.
Upcoming Work
Groundwater Studies: We will collect data to better characterize how groundwater enters the Canal. We will use this information in the development of future remedial design operations.
- Groundwater Discharge Rates: Based on April’s results, we will install seepage meters in the Canal to measure the flow of water between the sediments beneath its floor and the surface water. The seepage meters will measure and record the water flow in two-day periods to provide information from multiple cycles of the tide.
- Sediment Measurements: We will install specialized probes in the sediment of the canal to measure pressure data. This information, coupled with the seepage meter results, will help us understand the location and rate at which groundwater enters the Canal. We will also determine to what extent, if any, other materials move beneath it.
- Hydraulic conductivity: We will use a barge-mounted drilling rig to collect water samples by installing temporary wells and sediment samples. The data will give us an overall snapshot on the rate at which water travels through the sediment throughout the Canal. We will use this information to develop a model that will simulate groundwater flow in different remedial design options.
Drilling for Bulkhead Study: We will strategically begin drilling geotechnical borings along the Canal. Once drilled we will observe the properties of the soil and assess the structure and foundations of the existing bulkheads.
Photos from Ongoing Work
Deployment of Trident Probe into the Canal sediments. The Trident Probe technology was used as part of the effort to collect data to better identify locations where groundwater may be entering the Canal.
Sediment core processing by field team for evaluation of NAPL characteristics within the Canal.
