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Barrier Wall Hopes to Prevent Groundwater Contamination 09-09-13 | News

Barrier Wall Hopes to Prevent Groundwater Contamination

Hexavalent chromium, NAPL and dissolved benzene threatened to pollute the groundwater and subsurface soil at a manufacturing plant in Corpus Christi, Texas. The presence of the chemicals was attributed to the nearby refinery.

In an attempt to stop groundwater and subsurface soil contamination, the installation of a barrier wall was recently completed at a manufacturing plant in Corpus Christi, Texas, which had become dangerously contaminated with high concentrations of benzene and other chemicals as a direct result of operations at a nearby petroleum and gas refinery.

The work was assisted by Crane Materials International (CMI), a manufacturer of sustainable sheet piling solutions.

Poor soil conditions at the remediation site made the design and installation of a subsurface barrier wall a challenge. After investigating multiple options, the decision was made to create a 928-linear-foot wall using 32-foot-long ShoreGuard???(R)???AE???? SG625 vinyl sheet piling.

To ensure successful installation of the sheets, the contractor chose to utilize installation equipment that provided greater assurance when driving the sheets to desired depths. This solution limited the amount of excavation and ground disturbance at the jobsite, thus restricting dangerous air emissions from the contaminated soils. In addition, the barrier wall provided a much higher level of chemical resistance than other options.

"While the circumstances that brought about the need for this project were certainly not ideal, we are very proud to help contain the environmental damage and stop the spread of dangerous chemicals into groundwater and soil," said Peter Manning, sales director at CMI. "The sheets provided an ideal solution for creating a long-term subsurface barrier."

With the use of a chemically resistant hydrophilic sealant in the sheet piling interlocks, the subsurface wall at the refinery is expected to provide a virtually impermeable barrier. Numerous extraction wells are in place and all groundwater in the contaminated area is sampled quarterly to confirm the stability and containment of any hexavalent chromium, NAPL, and dissolved benzene.