Officials from South Carolina Electric & Gas and the Saluda Shoals Park held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 to open a new display at the Saluda Shoals Environmental Education Center in Columbia. The center will show off archaeological artifacts found by S&ME’s Columbia office, on the river’s bank in recent years.

More than 37,000 artifacts have been found at a site near an abandoned tree house along the Saluda. Some tools found there are said to be among the oldest found in the U.S. and dating back 13,000 years.

SCE&G Saluda Shoals Exhibit Video

The project managed by Bill Green, Cultural Resources Manager and Principal Archeologist for the Columbia branch, involved data recovery excavations for client South Carolina Electric & Gas Company (SCE&G).

The excavations supported SCE&G’s relicensing of its Saluda Hydroelectric Project and dealt with mitigating effects of erosion on a part of the site located on private property. Green called the project a unique opportunity to investigate one of the state’s most important archeological sites containing thousands of artifacts dating from 13,500 to 700 years ago.

“Our excavations were among the largest, most comprehensive and deepest undertaken in the state,” Green said. The investigation required meticulous organization and problem-solving as many staff and specialists joined their skills to face multiple challenges, including a tropical storm that flooded excavations.

One challenge was to maintain superior standards of archaeological excavation and recording techniques, while complying with OSHA safety requirements. S&ME engineers and archaeologists jointly designed a plan allowing excavators to safely perform highly scientific investigations following both archaeological and engineering standards to complete one of South Carolina’s most complex archaeological projects.

Awards Won:
2011 NHA Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waterways Award

2010 Engineering Excellence Award judged tops in the Studies, Research and Consulting Engineering Services category in South Carolina.

Challenges: the structure had not undergone major repairs since 1919, some adjacent buildings extend beneath the existing public sidewalk, we encountered poor soil conditions at the foundation levels, and the block is home to hundreds of people and dozens of businesses. The stakes were high for completing the project quickly and efficiently.

The complexity of the exploration and Pile Integrity Testing was compounded because the existing foundations were located in catacombs beneath the sidewalks. S&ME’s investigation showed some existing foundations could support the new loads, and we recommended new micro-pile foundations where the alignment of new columns and existing foundations did not match.  Reusing the existing foundations instead of installing new deep foundations saved the City $1 million.

Project Description

S&ME used an innovative combination of traditional geotechnical drilling and Pile Integrity Testing techniques to evaluate a 90-year old Raymond concrete step taper pile foundation system’s capacity to support new Streetscape sidewalks in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee.  The complexity of the exploration and Pile Integrity Testing was compounded because the existing foundations were located in catacombs beneath the sidewalks.

Our initial services included providing drilling and laboratory testing, and providing geotechnical recommendations for subgrade improvements and retaining wall design.  During the Streetscapes construction, the existing columns supporting the sidewalk were to be replaced, and a new sidewalk was to be constructed.  Because of the poor soil conditions encountered at the planned foundation levels, we were asked to provide recommendations for alternative foundation systems.  In order to evaluate the subsurface conditions beneath the original ground surface and to evaluate the condition of the existing pile foundations, we had to set the boring casings either through former coal chutes or by coring through the existing sidewalk.  The core samples we obtained from the existing piles were tested in our laboratory.  We then conducted Pile Integrity Testing to evaluate the continuity of the pile and estimate the pile tip elevations.  After evaluating the options, we concluded that the existing foundations were capable of supporting the new loads where the alignment of the new columns matched the locations of existing foundations.  S&ME recommended new micro-pile foundations in the two locations where the alignment of new columns and existing foundations did not coincide.

S&ME’s outstanding investigative work and creative employment of engineering skills was vital to the successful conclusion of this project.  The existing Raymond cast-in-place pile foundation was an innovative method when constructed in 1919, and has proven to be a sustainable design, still useable in 2010. By reusing the existing pile foundations instead of installing new deep foundations to support the project’s structural loads, the City of Knoxville realized a savings of $1 million.

By Francesca Kefalas

For the Bulletin Posted Mar 01, 2011 @ 11:18 PM Last update Mar 02, 2011 @ 09:59 AM

Windham, Conn. —

Gordon and Bette MacDonald fell in love with a huge Victorian on Church Street in 1986.

The house, built in 1891, romanced them, and the neighborhood dotted with other majestic Victorians was the perfect spot for the couple.

“We moved here because of the house,” Bette said. “The history here attracts people to this town.”

For the first time, Windham has a truly comprehensive survey of its historic properties. Thanks to a grant from the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, the town hired S&ME of South Carolina and has identified more than 300 historic properties. Town Planner James Finger said the survey is not completed, but it is the most comprehensive document on historic structures the town has.

Surveys had previously been done on sections of town, Finger said, such as Windham Center, the downtown and the hill section, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The survey is massive — a binder more than 4 inches thick of details on the locations. Finger said the results were far more than anyone had hoped for with the initial grant. The town had expected to be able to survey 155 properties. S&ME promised to do 220 and delivered 302 properties, as well as indicating areas of town that still needed to be surveyed.

Finger said he is trying to digitize the report so it can be available online. Copies also will go to the libraries in town.

“We’re trying to promote the preservation of these structures and sympathetic treatment for them with renovation work,” Finger said.

Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman Paula Stahl said there is little the commission can do to stop historic structures from being razed or renovated to the point of being unrecognizable. About 50 percent of the Victorian buildings in downtown already have been demolished, she said.

But the town can arm itself with information such as the survey, and that can help guide future planning and zoning decisions.

Marian Wolf of the Victorian Neighborhood Association said anything that promotes history helps the town. The survey, combined with efforts such as the association’s annual home tour, raise awareness.
Windham ranks with San Francisco and Cape May in the number of Victorians it still has, Wolf said. That claim to fame and other pieces of Windham’s history make the town attractive.

The MacDonalds agree. The couple have the original blueprints to their home, know the name of every owner and the back story. Their house is a regular stop on the home tour.

“Our history should be embraced,” Bette MacDonald said. “There’s so much to know about this town.”

S&ME was the prime consultant for assessing and remediating site contamination. In planning site development, the owner, the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources (NCDCR), retained the architectural services of BJAC. In turn, BJAC and NCDCR relied on S&ME to guide the project through a maze of state and national environmental regulations, thus paving the way for development of a property fraught with hazardous constituents, including metals, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and asbestos.

Role of Other Consultants

No other consulting firms were involved in assessment and remediation.

Original or Innovative Application of New or Existing Techniques

The former Barbour Boat Works (BBW) occupies a 5.8-acre site along the banks of the Trent River in New Bern, North Carolina. The property once consisted of wetlands and shallow waters of the Trent River, which over years was filled in to create a land mass by using fill soils and residue, saw dust, and wastes from past industrial activities. The BBW site was used primarily as an industrial and commercial sawmill and later, for boat production, sales, and a commercial marine maintenance yard.

The land was donated to NCDCR by the heirs of the land owner. NCDCR was unaware of the magnitude of soil and groundwater contamination as well as the complexity of environmental regulatory requirements bestowed upon them.

Challenges faced by S&ME, the architect, and the owner included 1) a complexity of regulatory oversight from both state and federal agencies regarding site contamination and, 2) obtaining the necessary approvals to proceed with construction, including a Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) Major Permit for remediation next to the river.

The sources and types of environmental contamination, and the limited funds available to ‘fix’ the site before developing a Silver LEED (a green public facility) presented S&ME with many challenges, for example the removal of subsurface and underwater structures embedded in contaminated soil and sediments. We also needed to remove contaminated soil and landfill debris so that artificially-made wetlands could be constructed along the riverfront, and for protection for short-term exposure of construction workers, the public and the ecosystem of the Trent River.

The regulatory agencies included the NC Coastal Zone Management, the NC Division of Water Quality (DWQ), The NC Division of Waste Management (DWM), and the NC Fish and Wildlife Commission. S&ME also had to address concerns from federal agencies such as the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and USEPA Region 4. In all some eight agencies were involved. Integrating the cooperation of each of these regulatory agencies to achieve consensus on a wide array of remedial actions, demolition, and construction was paramount to the project’s success.

Three primary stages of the project were:

1. Preparing the site for demolition

2. Identifying contamination in the soil groundwater and sediments

3. Devising a remediation plan to protect human health and the environment while keeping costs down

In stage one, S&ME assessed and designed removal of asbestos containing materials in 15 dilapidated structures and specified the removal of PCB transformers scattered throughout the property. We completed each task under budget. Once these materials were removed, demolition of aboveground structures took place, clearing the first hurdle for development.

In the second stage S&ME identified areas of concern for contamination. We made a detailed assessment of soil, groundwater and Trent River sediments. S&ME was confronted with a massive array of soil contamination volatile organic compounds (VOCs), PAHs, pesticides, PCBs, metals and hexivalent chrome throughout much of the property. Shallow groundwater was contaminated with PAHs and hazardous metals exceeding state remediation standards. River sediments were also polluted with PAHs, arsenic and copper.

In stage three, S&ME evaluated several alternatives before devising a program that remediated hot spots of soil contamination by removing smaller areas or capping larger areas with a geosynthetic clay layer. However, contaminated groundwater and sediments posed a much larger cost problem – on the order of to $8 to $12 million. The project may have been derailed for years if such monies were needed to satisfy the State’s Inactive Hazardous Sites Branch (IHSB) requirements.

S&ME had to find alternatives. To gain better assurances for alternative remedial solutions for sediments, S&ME recommended an additional assessment of the river and an assessment of the risk to the benthic (lowest level ecological region of a body of water) ecosystem not only at the BBW site, but the adjacent upstream, downstream and across stream. Our findings concluded

PAHs and metals were present in sediments throughout the area and were not concentrated at just the BBW site. Moreover, the benthic organism community was more diverse (i.e., healthier) adjacent to the site than in the other areas. S&ME concluded, with consensus from the regulatory community to leave the river sediments alone, because the metals were bound to sediment (i.e., unavailable for biotic uptake), and the benthic community would suffer adverse effects from active remediation (i.e., dredging). S&ME’s innovative approach, using an ecological assessment and risk evaluation, saved the project $3.25 million.

Groundwater remediation also threatened the project’s budget due to costs. Stage three, included an additional six month hydrogeological study gathering data at unprecedented detail on groundwater potentiometry and identifying hydraulic influences of the river’s tide changes and rainfall. S&ME’s goal was to determine if groundwater will transport contaminants to the river, potentially exposing the public and the Trent River ecosystem to hazardous metals and PAHs.

S&ME installed 15 monitor wells and a stream gauge fitted with pressure transducers. Over six months, groundwater elevation data was gathered once every 15 minutes in each well and at the stream gauge generating approximately 17,900± data points per well for a total of over 286,400

data points. These were evaluated statistically to evaluate the cause effect relationship of tide changes in the river to groundwater flow potential with exceptional detail. S&ME also gathered hourly rainfall data from a weather station to statistically evaluate the influence of rainwater infiltration on groundwater flow potential.

With this high-resolution dataset, S&ME identified that the river’s water level is the predominant influence on the on-site groundwater levels with minor influences from precipitation. The relationship between the Trent River water level and on-site groundwater gradients showed little overall movement of groundwater with accompanying migration of contaminants of concern (COCs) across the site. Site groundwater gradients are consistently low but are apparently variable as to direction. The gradients rapidly diminish and even reverse as a reflection of changes in the river water level. Although there may be a minor groundwater discharge into the river, most of the movement appears to be confined to short distances in circuitous patterns.

S&ME concluded that COCs are relatively immobile, and the COCs dissolved in the groundwater are not likely to significantly seep to the river. Rather, the transport of dissolved COCs is likely to cycle in concert with a slight back-and-forth movement of site groundwater. Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA) is a viable alternative to active remediation. The MNA alternative saved the project an estimated $1 million to $5 million compared to more typical active groundwater remediation. IHSB accepted our approach, allowing the project to proceed in a timely, cost-effective manner.

Future Value to the Engineering Profession

S&ME incorporated risk assessment and an unprecedented detailed groundwater / surface water hydraulic assessment to devise cost effective remediation enabling a development project to proceed while keeping costs down. S&ME also coupled our engineering evaluation for remediation with insightful use of a benthic study and ecological assessment for a property situated in an environmentally exposed area, the New Bern waterfront.

Future assessment and remediation projects may benefit from high-resolution assessment techniques and risk assessment methods to devise perceptive remediation alternatives.

Social, Economic and Sustainable Design Considerations

The NC History Center is a $60.5 million project. This state development is a Silver Award LEED site that was once an industrial wasteland burdened with hazardous materials, plus soil, groundwater and sediment contamination.

Innovative use of existing technologies and methods enabled the project to proceed without budgetary hindrances. The Grand Opening of the new Tryon Palace facility is planned for October 22 and 23, 2010, opening a wonderful piece of New Bern’s waterfront for the public to safely enjoy for generations to come.

Complexity

The technical complexities of assessing and evaluating contamination in multiple environmental media had complicated, difficult regulatory hurdles to clear. S&ME coordinated the gaining concurrence from state and federal regulatory agencies in a Coastal Zone Management county.

This required an extensive, collaborative effort from all parties involved. Without this cooperation, the project would have suffered longtime delays.

Exceeding Client/Owner Needs

S&ME worked closely with the prime architect BJAC and the owner, Tryon Palace / NCDCR to find intricate remedial solutions that would not financially hinder the project’s timeline. To meet client/owner needs, S&ME complied with rigorous project deadlines, imposed by grant restrictions for creation of the manmade wetlands, and with contractor-imposed construction schedules. An NCDCR Capital Projects Office engineer said, “S&ME, Inc performed exceptionally well in their long-term involvement…at the former Barbour Boatworks site, from early clean-up efforts to the expertise required to make the fine museum opening in October 2010 a reality.” The end result…Tryon Palace’s new waterfront super fun place for all to enjoy.

Construction Digital

Gaston, NC, –(PR.com)– An 11-acre lake is being constructed at George Poston Park- Gaston, North Carolina, the county’s largest recreational facility. The aesthetically superior 11-acre lake will offer more benefits to the county and when completed will support several forms of recreation, including fishing, sand volleyball, picnicking, walking, cross country running and other activities.

The project has been the centerpiece of the Gaston County Public Works Department’s master plan to upgrade the park for more than a decade. In 2009, the county applied to build the lake through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which has oversight over all United States waterways.

The 11-acre lake project involves the construction of a large, 44′ tall earthen embankment and dam. An integral part of the dam construction included a 10-foot by 10-foot concrete riser discharging to a 6-foot diameter reinforced concrete pipe and three (3) precast concrete three-side bridge sections that made up the road crossing for emergency spillway.

Oldcastle Precast in Concord NC, partnering with Robinson Sawyer (Roadway Consultant) and S&ME (Dam Consultant), provided the seventy-five foot precast concrete bridge including wing walls, head walls, footings and spillway that became an essential component of the dam. Oldcastle Precast was responsible for the structural engineering, fabrication and shipping of the precast components and was able to assemble the entire structure in only four (4) days.

Call 888-965-3227 today for technical specifications or product information, or visit our website at www.oldcastleprecast.com/

The Gadsden Times
By Kendra Carter
Times Staff Writer
Gadsden, Alabama

The Gadsden City Council Tuesday authorized an agreement with S&ME Inc. for environmental work with an expansion of the city construction and demolition waste landfill.

The company, according to the resolution, will perform quality assurance, inspection and testing services.

The expansion, which engineers refer to as Cell 2, is five acres. The original Cell 1 is about 14 acres.

The landfill, on Burnsway Drive in East Gadsden, has been operating since at least 1997. City Engineer Chad Hare said the landfill is the only one owned by the city of Gadsden.

The expansion will allow for more capacity at the landfill.

Carcel & G Construction LLC in Cullman began construction on the expansion on Oct. 6.

The contract calls for 90 calendar days for completion.

The project should be completed Jan. 5. Hare said the construction time line ends in mid-December.

The contract cost for the expansion is $331,650.

Hare said S&ME will be doing density testing on the landfill liner.

An expansion of Cell 3 is planned.

In other business, the council:

• approved payment of accounts for the week Oct. 15-21.

• approved a resolution giving an alcoholic beverage license for Kobe Japanese Steakhouse.

• approved an ordinance eliminating insurance as a condition to the issuance of a street to be temporarily closed.

Buzz up!

The site was built up to its present elevation by a combination of fill soils and residue from site activities.  The BBW site was primarily used industrially and commercially as a sawmill and later, for boat production, sales and maintenance.

The BBW site is located directly between the Trent River and the former location of the New Bern Coal Gas Plant, a CERCLIS site located to the north across Tryon Palace Drive at the corner of Tryon Palace Drive and Hancock Street.

Fifteen structures remained on the site along with several wooden docks and bulkheads located along the Trent River.  The buildings, docks and bulkheads had been demolished and removed.  The central portion of the site was used for sandblasting paint from commercial boat hulls.

Services Provided by S&ME

S&ME performed the following services at the former Barbour Boat Works site:  A Phase II Environmental Site Assessment (ESA), a geotechnical subsurface study; asbestos survey/abatement plan/bid specifications/abatement air monitoring/final clearance for the state and an Environmental Assessment (EA) under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA).

The project work is being performed on behalf of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources (NCDCR) in preparation for the development of a History Museum and.  A Remedial Investigation under the NC Inactive Hazardous Site’s Voluntary Remediation Program, which included an Environmental Risk Assessment of the Trent River; A Feasibility Study/Remedial Action Plan; Engineering Cost Estimates;  Plans and Specifications for bid submittal for remediation using NC State Construction Guidelines (bid package dated January 31, 2004).

The Phase II ESA/geotechnical subsurface study at the site involved the use of 40 Geoprobe® borings for soil and groundwater sampling, four test excavations, and eight geotechnical borings.  The findings identified soil and groundwater contamination.  The geotechnical assessment identified foundation issues for the development of the proposed facilities (building and parking lots).  The EA addressed environmental impacts for the proposed development.

In summary, the proposed development would enhance the environmental condition of the site by demolishing an abandoned industrial site and re-developing the site as an educational facility, benefiting tourism and the local economy.  In addition, the proposed project would improve the environmental setting by remediating contaminated soil groundwater, creating wetlands, and mitigating stormwater runoff discharged into the Trent River. A Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) was issued for the environmental impacts associated with the future development of the site.

The findings from the limited Phase II ESA prompted the owners, NCDCR, to participate in the Voluntary Remediation Program regulated under the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR), Superfund Section, Inactive Hazardous Sites Branch.

The scope of work and methodology for the Remedial Investigation (RI), including field work and data analysis, was performed according to the S&ME Remedial Investigation Work Plan (Work Plan).  The Work Plan addressed heavy metals, pesticides, PCBs, and semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOC) contamination in the site’s soil, groundwater and Trent River sediments.

This plan also included an Ecological Risk Assessment of the Trent River benthic environment to evaluate impacts to the ecology of the river sediment and to assist in the remedial decision making process. The Assessment included sediment sampling for chemicals of concern, macro-invertebrate sampling, and statistical analyses.

At the end of the RI, S&ME developed a Feasibility Study and Remedial Action Plan (RAP) for the soil, groundwater and the Trent River sediments.  The RAP accepted and approved by NCDENR Inactive Hazardous Sites Branch was the following: 1) No further action for the sediments in the Trent River in front of the former Barbour Boat Works property. 2) Natural attenuation with monitoring of the groundwater; and, 3) capping of the soil with geotextile layer and protective soil fill covering in areas of concern to prevent public exposure to the impacted soils.  Deed restrictions were also implemented to prevent the use of the shallow groundwater aquifer as a source of potable water or irrigation system.

S&ME oversaw the soil remedial program and will continue to monitor the groundwater for the next 30 years following MNA program in the RAP. Construction of the Tryon Palace History Museum had begun.  Work is on-going, and S&ME has recently contracted directly with the NCDCR to provide construction materials testing from 2008 through the completion of the project estimated to be in 2010.

S&ME provided geotechnical, construction testing and special inspection services during construction of the new facility. Subsurface exploration performed for the facility development indicated near surface soil to be less than the required bearing pressure for the design and anticipated in-field modification for the foundation during construction. Construction testing and special inspection services included evaluation of soil, concrete foundations, reinforcing concrete, masonry, fireproofing and structural steel.

During grading and foundation excavation, existing community wells were discovered that were lined with rock. Wells were approximately 9 to 25 feet deep. Wells that were discovered below the slab area were backfilled with washed stone. Those encountered below foundation were excavated and backfilled with concrete on washed stone. S&ME also provided reinforcing steel (rebar) inspections that allowed the contractor to proceed with drilled shaft concrete placements without having to wait for the local building inspector. This was discussed and agreed upon with the inspector on the first day of the project. The inspector was well aware of S&ME’s capabilities and thoroughness of our inspections. We also had in-progress field reports available for the inspector’s review when he did visit. S&ME also provided rebar inspections for other structural concrete areas when the structural engineer’s representative could not be present.

Runway 18R/36L Taxiway Bridges (Third Runway) Maintaining Charlotte Douglas International Airport as one of the country’s leading airports a fourth 9,000-foot runway and existing airfield improvement will provide additional capacity, strengthen the hub operation and reduce flight delays.

This project consists of two steel aircraft bridges supporting structural cast in place concrete decking.  The steel bridges are supported on cast in place concrete abutments. Taxiway N bridges is approximately 77.5 feet long, and is supported on concrete spread footings.  Taxiway S bridge is approximately 91.5 feet long, and is supported on 316 steel H-piles.  The abutment wall heights are approximately 40 feet for each bridge.

S&ME senior engineering technician and or staff professional observed the installation of the 316 steel H-piles to there termination criteria.

S&ME’s engineering technicians performed soil density testing to confirm required compaction, visual soil classifications to confirm suitability of fill material, laboratory proctor tests for maximum dry density and optimum moisture content.

S&ME’s engineering technicians performed the following activites for the concrete construction: monitorted the placement of concrete, performed slump testing, air content testing, unit weight testing, fabricated concrete cylinders, monitored concrete temperature and batch times, and compressive strength testing of concrete cylinders.

S&ME performed the following services on the structural steel: observation and visual weld inspections to verify torque on high strength bolt, nuts, and washer connections and observation of reinforcing steel.