Photo Courtesy of Imperial Metals Work is ongoing to build up the height of the failed dam at Mount Polley Mine before the melt. Related Links: BC Tailings Dam Spillage Bigger than Initial Estimates (ENR, subscription) Mount Polley Dam Failure Rasies Bar for Pebble Mine Backers (ENR, subscription) The Mount Polley Mine earthen dam in western Canada failed because of a faulty design that didn't consider the geology of the perimeter foundation, an independent review panel says. The Aug. 4 incident dumped 4.5 billion gallons of water and 10.3 million cu yd of mine tailings and construction waste into nearby
Photo Courtesy of National Corvette Museum Geologist observes micro pile at Corvette Museum site, revealing vertical dimension of sinkhole that swallowed eight sports cars a year ago. Related Links: Sinkhole Fix Proceeds at Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky. Foundation Flaws Make Kentucky's Wolf Creek Dam a High-Risk Priority Void Safe Sinkholes are common in karst areas, but karst got more attention last year after the destruction of eight specimen sports cars at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky.All 50 states have karst, but it is concentrated in Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida and Pennsylvania, where water-soluble rock such as
Related Links: Karst-borne Sinkholes Add Element of Structural Risk for Owners and Builders Repairs Under Way at Corvette Museum After Sinkhole Swallows Cars Drones Inspect Sinkhole at National Corvette Museum That sinkhole at the National Corvette Museum is no longer a gaping hole in the ground.It's been filled with about 4,000 tons of manufactured sand, and engineers started Feb. 9 to drill the second round of micro piles for additional support of the circular Skydome building above the hole in Bowling Green, Ky.Scott, Murphy & Daniel, the Bowling Green contractor, started the fill work in November, and Hayward Baker, the
Photo Courtesy U.S. EPA Airboat cleanup crews find oil, cut through the ice and swab up the spilled pollutants. Related Links: Yellowstone River Cleanup Continues Following Spill Arkansas Spill Zone Residents Await Plan to Return Home; New Leak in Missouri Bridger Pipeline LLC must install horizontal, directionally drilled crossings on its Poplar Pipeline where it crosses two rivers after a Jan. 17 breach spilled more than 29,000 gallons of oil into the Yellowstone River, near Glendive, Mont.The cause of the breach has not been determined, but sonar testing on Jan. 24 showed that the 2,250-ft section of pipeline—laid in a
Related Links: Collapsed Wall at Tenn. Treatment Plant Was Defective, OSHA Says Demo Crew Member Killed at Gatlinburg, Tenn., Plant Where Two Workers Died Last Year The city of Gatlinburg, Tenn., and the company that runs its wastewater treatment plant have been dismissed from lawsuits stemming from the deaths of two workers when a wall collapsed. However, charges are proceeding against the structure's contractor and engineer and against the plant's contractor and engineer.A jury trial is scheduled for June 2015.John Eslinger, 53, lead operator, and Donald Storey, 44, operator, were killed in April 2011, when the 40-ft equalization-tank wall collapsed
Image Courtesy of Gresham Smith and Partners Two emerging headquarters buildings downtown are for two HCA subsidiaries (above) and Bridgestone (below). Image Courtesy of Perkins + Will Related Links: Nashville Council Clears Path For Downtown Development Spate of Lawsuits Flows From Nashville Inundation of 2010 Nashville's downtown is moving to the beat of cranes, drills, concrete mixers and some demolition explosives as offices, hotels and residences go up in what will be a record-breaking year for construction in the city.The action kicked up on Nov. 10-11 with back-to-back news of two major downtown projects:• Turnberry Associates announced it would build
Photo Courtesy Cariboo Regional District Tailings dam breach at Imperial Metals' Mount Polley mine in British Columbia in August spilled nearly 10 million cu yd of gold and copper mine tailings into the Fraser River system. Related Links: Mount Polley Dam Failure Raises Bar for Pebble Mine Backers Mount Polley tailings spill effects could last for decades Aerial Video of Spill Site The massive western Canada mine spill is even bigger than initial estimates, generating government-mandated inspections of almost 100 other mine tailings ponds and calls for hiring more engineers to inspect mines.Mount Polley Mine, near Likely, British Columbia, and
Related Links: Fix Under Way for Sagging Green Bay Bridge Piling Corrosion Blamed For Sagging Wisconsin Bridge Inspection of the Leo Frigo Bridge in Green Bay, Wis., that developed a 2.5-ft sag last year after a piling buckled also showed severe corrosion in four other piers that “significantly reduced the structural capacity” of their foundation systems, a state report said.Pier 22, along with Piers 21-25, were classified as “Tier 1” in terms of damage severity and potential for safety problems, and had to be repaired before the bridge could be used. The repairs were completed and the bridge re-opened in
Related Links: Corvette Museum Will Make Sinkhole a Permanent Fixture Repairs Under Way at Corvette Museum After Sinkhole Swallows Cars That sinkhole at the National Corvette Museum that ate eight Corvettes in February, revving up whopping increases in visitors and sales at the venue, will be filled in this winter.The Bowling Green, Ky., museum’s board of directors had kept that option open in an earlier vote to leave the sinkhole open. But the extra cost and the possibility of harm from humidity from the gaping hole in the ground – caves run off two sides of it – changed their
Photo courtesy of TDOT Tanker collision on I-65 in Tennessee killed the driver of the truck and melted beams on two overpass bridges, causing one to be demolished and severely damaging the other. Related Links: Fast-Track Replacement Planned For Collapsed Skagit River Bridge Caltrans Scrambles To Fix Fire-Damaged Maze Fast Construction is underway on a replacement span over Interstate 65, near Franklin, Tenn., after a severe fire from a tanker-truck collision early on Aug. 15 destroyed a pair of bridges.With about 62,000 vehicles daily on I-65 and 11,000 on the state Route 248 crossing, traffic in that area shut down