CVEN2101

ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTION

Week 11
Dewatering
ALI AMIN
Groundwater in Construction
 Groundwater in Construction
The impact of groundwater on a construction project can be
enormous

Water affects the design of a structure, the construction procedures

and the overall cost

Water problems can cause major delays and even cause drastic
redesigns

Its important to appreciate and understand patterns of groundwater

movement at an individual site and its effect on particular soils

Its also important to note that dewatering water from a particular

site may be contaminated!
Hyrdologic cycle
 Construction Dewatering

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXVb-SuyKsM
Radial Flow
 Soil water interaction
The rate at which water flows through soil is dependant on the type
of soil on site

Sandy or gravelly soils are free draining which permits fairly rapid
flow of water

Clays and silts have a low permeability and tend to hold water
 Choosing a dewatering method
There are four basic methods for controlling groundwater on a
construction project

1. Permit water to flow into an excavation, collect in ditches and

then pump it away.. Open Pumping

2. Predrain the soil before excavation using pumped wells or

drains

3. Cut off the water with steel sheet piling, ground freezing or
grout

4. Exclude the water with compressed air or a slurry shield

 Choosing a dewatering method
To make a proper decision, the designer should have adequate
information on the many factors affecting the problem which
include:

What type of soil is it?

What is the Groundwater hydrology?

How deep are you going to excavate?

How are you going to excavate?

Are you close to any nearby structures?

What is your schedule?

Any contamination issues on site?

 Open pumping vs predrainage

Open Pumping Predrainage

 Open pumping vs predrainage
Open Pumping

Open pumping from ditches is

usually the least expensive
method from the standpoint of
direct dewatering costs

Under favourable conditions,

it is a satisfactory procedure

If conditions are wrong, open

pumping can result in delays,
cost over runs and even
catastrophic failure!
 Conditions favourable for open pumping
Soils which are low in permeability (Dense well graded soils,
with some degree of cohesiveness) seepage is likely to be
low to moderate in volume

Strong / hard rock typical in quarry operations

Low dewatering head quantity of water to be pumped is low

Relatively flat slopes Can support seepage without becoming

unstable

Light foundation loads Slight disturbance of the subsoil may

not be harmful

Large excavation Time required to move earth is a slow

process, that the time required to pump out water from ditches
doesnt affect schedule
 Conditions unfavourable for open pumping
Loose granular soils tend to have high permeability and can be
sensitive to seepage pressures

Soft silt, clay with moisture contents near liquid limit

Soft rock with un-cemented sand layers

Moderate to high dewatering head

Large quantity of storage water in aquifer

Steep slopes

Heavy foundation loads

 Methods of predrainage
When it is necessary to lower the water table in advance of
excavation, the engineer can choose from a few methods

The well point system has been used for over 70 years.

It is still the most versatile of predrainage methods.

It is suitable for a huge range of soils and water quantities

It may not be the most economical tool for a given site

 Well point systems
Well point systems are most
suitable in shallow aquifers
where the water table need be
lowered no more than 6m.

Beyond that depth (due to

suction lift limitation), multiple
stages of dewatering are
required

Various improvements have

been developed to increase
suitability. These include
better pumps, piping systems,
air separation devices
 Methods of cut off and exclusion
Methods which have been developed for cutting off
groundwater flow fall into several categories:

Steel sheet piling. Sheet piles are driven into place prior to
excavation which can act as a partially effective cut off and
ground support. Not suitable for rock!

Slurry trench. Same concept as sheet piling, but can be

expensive. Cant act as ground support for large depths

Ground freezing Potentially increase the strength of the

soil!
 Summary of Lecture

Dewatering techniques