Effective Enhancement - Pushin' Mud

By Gregory V. Harris, LCN Regional Editor

This man-made lake is part of Deer Meadows, a project that consists of 13 lots with parcels of three to five acres.

Effective Enhancement Company L.C. of White Lake, Michigan has a long history of providing landscape construction and design services. This experience was put to good use on a project called ?EUR??,,????'??Deer Meadows,?EUR??,,????'?? which included the grading and building of a lake and private road.

With the muddy conditions, the Cat and the other machinery used to create the lake were fitted with tracks.

?EUR??,,????'??This customer contacted us through a real estate agent that we had done work for in the past,?EUR??,,????'?? explained Mark Beitler, owner of Effective Enhancement. ?EUR??,,????'??He wanted a 2,000 ft. private road built along with a lake, and a 16 ft. high boulder retaining wall.?EUR??,,????'??

Beitler said the work site was a large, open field prior to construction. Beitler?EUR??,,????'???s crew was given the task of turning the field into a 3 1/2 ?EUR??,,????'???acre, 13 ft. deep lake.

?EUR??,,????'??Our plan was to do the excavating for the lake in the winter using some freezing of the ground to our benefit,?EUR??,,????'?? he said.

A large Komatsu dozer was rented to help move the large amounts of mud on this parcel of land destined to become a lake at the Deer Meadows development.

Beitler said working in freezing conditions allows crews to move muddy soil into a pile, which because of the cold weather, allows the mud to stay in a pile, as opposed to becoming a slushy mess. Unfortunately for Beitler, Mother Nature was uncooperative.

?EUR??,,????'??It never got below freezing,?EUR??,,????'?? Beitler laughed. ?EUR??,,????'??Pushing mud takes forever.?EUR??,,????'??

With the unusually warm temps that winter, Beitler was forced to rent an excavator and a larger Komatsu dozer to handle the mud.

Work on the lake progressed, albeit slower than planned, but as it turned out, mud was not the biggest hurdle for the crews.

?EUR??,,????'??We knew there was the probability that we?EUR??,,????'???d have a water problem,?EUR??,,????'?? Beitler said. ?EUR??,,????'??So we decided to dig the lake in small contained sections, rather than paying for expensive de-watering.?EUR??,,????'??

The plan for the Deer Meadows lake construction was to work during the winter, as it?EUR??,,????'???s easier to move frozen dirt than mud. Temperatures, though, never dipped below freezing during construction, leaving the crews to work in the muddy mess.

Beitler said this plan worked well for the majority of the project, until several artesian springs were hit.

?EUR??,,????'??One spring has a flow of about 1,800 gpm,?EUR??,,????'?? he said. ?EUR??,,????'??When we hit it, it was like Ol?EUR??,,????'??? Faithful out there.?EUR??,,????'??

Beitler had to rent a large diesel pump and run it night and day just to keep ahead of the water. Four pumps were used on the project, two, two-inch pumps, a four-inch pump, and a six-inch pump. Beitler noted that once a spring is hit, it is easier to use the pumps as opposed to trying to cap the spring.

A crew of three men worked for approximately nine weeks to get the lake ?EUR??,,????'??roughed?EUR??,,????'?? in. The bulldozer was used to set everything into shape. A 20-foot railroad track was chained to the dozer?EUR??,,????'???s blade, which helped crews make the lake bed flat; skid steers were used to pick up stones and to create the seedbed. All of these machines, owned by Effective Enhancement, were fitted with tracks for the muddy conditions.

A 20-foot railroad track was chained to the dozer?EUR??,,????'???s blade, which helped crews make the lake bed flat; crews then concentrated on building a 2,000 ft. road for the development.

After the preliminary lake work, crews waited for summer to complete the project. After the lake was done, Beitler?EUR??,,????'???s crew concentrated on building the road and the boulder walls. In comparison to the lake build, construction on the road was rather easy.

?EUR??,,????'??We did some dozer work on the road, cut it to grade and used a compactor for the fills,?EUR??,,????'?? he said. ?EUR??,,????'??We then put gravel on top, then asphalt.?EUR??,,????'??

Next, the crews graded and hydroseeded all of the disturbed areas, approximately eight acres.

"We used ASV track machines to grade, along with a Preparator to remove rocks and prepare the seedbed,?EUR??,,????'?? Beitler explained. ?EUR??,,????'??We would only prep as much as we could seed in one day in case of rain.?EUR??,,????'??

After hitting several artesian springs, four pumps were rented to keep the water level as low as possible while construction continued on the man-made lake.

Deer Meadows is a development in the Milford Township area of southeastern Michigan. The development features 13 lots with parcels of three to five acres. Beitler said the property owner was very pleased with the finished project.

?EUR??,,????'??The turf came up well and the lake has a beautiful blue color, which is a real asset to the development,?EUR??,,????'?? he said. ?EUR??,,????'??We have since built another smaller water feature with a waterfall near the owner?EUR??,,????'???s home.?EUR??,,????'??

Established in 1981, Effective Enhancement provides construction and landscape design services along with prompt snow removal support. The company also has expertise in establishing lawns, trees and landscapes. Beitler said his father inspired him to serve in the landscape industry.

?EUR??,,????'??My father started operating dozers and earthmovers back in the fifties and had his own excavating company up until the early 1990s,?EUR??,,????'?? he said.

Beitler said his father, who is in his 70s, operating a dozer on the Deer Meadows project.

As artesian springs fill the man-made lake, the soil is prepped for hydroseeding.

?EUR??,,????'??His knees hurt so much because of working in the mud that he went to Florida for a month to relax,?EUR??,,????'?? he said.

?EUR??,,????'??When he came back, his knees were fine.?EUR??,,????'??

Beitler said commercial landscape installations are the bread and butter for Effective Enhancement, noting that the company has completed many projects for the largest privately-owned land developer in Michigan. In addition to commercial site development, the company has a heavy construction division that cares for new road and site development, and a team of landscape installation professionals who work on commercial and residential projects. The company also builds water gardens, constructs custom stonework features and has an irrigation division. Winter ice and snow control is accomplished with large ?EUR??,,????'??road?EUR??,,????'???commission?EUR??,,????'?? style trucks with plows and salt spreaders, along with smaller trucks for more cramped areas.

Beitler said the Effective Enhancement crew tops out at 40 workers during the peak construction season, adding that the company owns the majority of the equipment that it uses on a job site.