Project Background
The Lawrenceburg Flood Protection Project (LFPP) was originally designed and constructed between 1940 to 1944 under the direction of The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The LFPP consists of earthen levees approximately 18,300’ long and up to 44’ in height. The levee system utilizes 5 pumping plants and more than 170 uplift pressure relief wells along the toe of the embankment segments.
Between 2008 and 2011, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ordered geotechnical investigations be performed involving numerous borings as part of the levee’s certification process. Additional evaluation of the levee’s relief wells between 2013 and 2015 determined that additional subsurface characterization was warranted to further evaluate levee seepage.
Ultimately, the Lawrenceburg Conservancy District (LCD) contracted a scope of work to install and test five new relief wells. Moodys of Dayton was hired by the LCD’s consultant, Mundell and Associates, who brought Bowser-Morner on board to assist with the subsurface characterization and the required geotechnical laboratory testing.
Project Approach
Bowser-Morner mobilized a SONIC crew to the project site in September 2017. Over the course of a week and a half Bowser-Morner advanced five borings with continuous sampling in tight locations at the toe of the levees. Depths of the borings ranged between 82’ and 125.5’ and resulted in the taking of 15 undisturbed shelby tube samples and the tagging of bedrock.
The borings were not grouted because these were locations of future relief wells.
Upon completion at the project site, Bowser-Morner’s crew delivered the samples to our geotechnical laboratory in Dayton, Ohio for testing and analysis. Sample testing consisted of moisture content, atterberg limits, unit weights, undisturbed permeability, unconsolidated-undrained triaxials, and long graded sieves.
Project Solutions / Value Add
A fleet of subsurface exploration rigs allowed Bowser-Morner to maintain tight control over the project’s schedule and the quality of the samples collected, resulting in the project being completed on time and within budget.
