“Great training! Great presentation! The instructors really taught the subject matter well.” – Matt Delmonte, Grand Water Treatment & Technology, Inc., Willbury, MA

Purpose and Background

Groundwater control is a significant issue with all underground construction. Water affects the design of the structure, the construction procedures, and overall project costs. Groundwater is the single most significant source of delays, claims, and litigation in the underground construction industry. Determining the most effective solution to a groundwater issue will be enhanced if engineers and contractors are up to date in their understanding of groundwater phenomena, the methods of identifying and analyzing site-specific situations, and the tools available to control those situations.

This seminar will present the variety of dewatering and groundwater control methods available, including recent developments. Both theory and practice will be discussed, the latter based on actual case histories presented.

Groundwater, and how best to address its potential impact on underground construction, is not generally well understood outside of a limited specialty arena. Through this seminar, industry professionals will gain a greater knowledge and practical understanding of this important topic and how to apply that knowledge to minimize risk and to benefit the design and construction of future underground projects.

Topics covered will include the conditions where different dewatering methods are effective; site subsurface investigation appropriate for dewatering projects, including pumping tests; analysis and design of dewatering systems using analytical methods; installation and operation considerations; grouting and other passive cut-off methods; side effects from dewatering; and practical applications of dewatering for construction and remediation of contaminated sites.

Seminar Benefits

• How to choose the appropriate groundwater control method
• How to plan and perform an effective geotechnical investigation for dewatering projects
• How to plan, perform and evaluate pumping tests
• How to use analytical methods in the practical design of dewatering systems
• How to use groundwater computer models in the evaluation of complex groundwater conditions
• How to install, operate and maintain deep well, well point and ejector systems
• How/when to consider structural groundwater cutoff and exclusion methods
• How/when to consider alternative methods of groundwater cutoff and exclusion, such as grouting
• How to effectively integrate groundwater cutoff methods with dewatering
• How to recognize and mitigate the potential side effects of dewatering
• How to plan and utilize dewatering methods with the remediation of contaminated sites
• How to evaluate the impact of dewatering on a project – cost, schedule, disputes and side effects
• Tips on how to prepare effective specifications and contract documents, including concepts related to geotechnical baseline reports

Learning Outcomes

You will learn how to plan, design and construct dewatering and groundwater control systems. Intensive interaction between participants and instructors is encouraged. Key concepts will be illustrated with case histories and practical examples of the methods described.

• Know and understand the major tools for dewatering
• Understand soil behavior as it relates to selection of a dewatering method
• Understand the potential adverse impacts of dewatering
• Understand the major tools available for positive groundwater cutoff
• Understand the major components of a typical groundwater treatment system
• Understand the different options for specifying dewatering systems
• Be able to list several drilling methods
• Be able to recognize potential dewatering problems before they occur based on available geotechnical information
• Understand the applications and limitations of computer based groundwater modeling
• Understand analytical techniques for performing dewatering calculations and the variables that go into the calculations

Assessment of Learning Outcomes

Achievement of the learning outcomes will be assessed through class discussion and short case studies.

Special Features

You will receive the third edition of John Wiley & Sons Inc. book Construction Dewatering and Groundwater Control: New Methods and Applications, by J, Patrick Powers, Arthur B. Corwin, Paul C. Schmall and Walter E. Kaeck.

Who Should Attend?

Project Owners, Contractors, Geologists, Civil Engineers, Environmental Engineers, Geotechnical Engineers and Consultants, Construction Managers and Supervisory Engineers will benefit from this seminar.

Summary Outline

Time:  8:30am - 4:30pm

Welcome and Introduction

Choosing the Appropriate Groundwater Control Method

• Sumps and open pumping versus predrainage methods
• Cutoff or exclusion methods
• Methods in combination

Site Investigation for Construction Below the Water Table

• Borings and borehole tests – the dos and don'ts
• Interface and variable geologic conditions
• Piezometers – are your water levels reliable and what do they mean to dewatering?
• Laboratory analysis of soil samples – effective use and pitfalls to the unwary
• In-situ and geophysical methods
• Pumping tests - from the routine to the complex
• Groundwater testing for corrosion/incrustation/contamination

Dewatering Analysis  

• Understanding aquifer types and their implications to dewatering
• Evaluating hydraulic conductivity - methods and selection from the data scatter
• Evaluation of pumping tests
• The ideal aquifer
• Equilibrium equations and the adjustments necessary to make them effective in dewatering design
• Why steady state works in dewatering
• Partial penetration
• Storage depletion
• Flow nets - when and how to use in dewatering
• Groundwater models - applications and limitations

Groundwater Models

• 2-D versus 3-D models
• The conceptual model
• Verification of model results
• Model calibration
• Transient analyses
• Applications of modeling in the real world

Tools of Dewatering

• Wells
• Wellpoints
• Ejectors
• Installation and operation considerations
• Integrating cutoff methods with dewatering
• Dewatering at contaminated sites
• Non-technical issues - permits/unions

Avoiding the Potential Side Effects of Dewatering  

• Damage from improper dewatering
• Ground settlement due to dewatering
• Timber piles
• Effects on nearby water supplies
• Contaminant migration

Groundwater Cutoff Methods

• Vertical walls
• Grouting
• Ground freezing
• Artificial recharge
• Tunneling shields

Effective Specifications & Avoiding Disputes

• Performance based specifications
• Detailed specifications
• Specified minimum systems
• Dewatering submittals
• Geotechnical data reports
• Geotechnical baseline reports

Hotel Information

Discounted hotel rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis. See discount deadline and rates below.

Important Details About Your Seminar