RESPEC Project

RESPEC was retained to review a case in which a spring was dewatered because of the construction of a sewer line trench. The dewatering of the spring was influenced by trench blasting used during the excavation of the sewer line trench.

RESPEC conducted a thorough review of all of the available documentation on the project, including daily site logs, blasting reports, design drawings, photograph documentation, and communication transcripts. This process allowed RESPEC to:

• Assess causation of damages to the property.
• Determine alternative methods that could have prevented the dewatering to the spring.
• Determine methods that can be employed to return the spring to its original state.
• Estimate the cost of returning the spring to its original state.

RESPEC determined that the process of blasting the trench caused the dewatering of the spring by creating an alternate path for flowing water. The damage to the spring could have been prevented by using alternative methods to break the rock. As part of the final report, RESPEC provided a plan that included design drawings and cost estimates to install a grout curtain to restore the spring to its original state.