Nicholson Joins NYC's Gowanus Canal Owls Head Project
Pittsburgh-based Geotechnical Construction and Engineering firm Nicholson Construction has joined New York City’s Gowanus Canal Owls Head CSO Facility project.
The 155-year-old Gowanus Canal is a 100-foot wide, 1.8-mile-long canal located in Brooklyn, NY. The canal was originally a marshland tidalcreek, which was then dredged, straightened and bulk headed as the surrounding area was urbanized and industrialized. With these massive changes, sewage and industrial wastes started to be discharged directly into the canal without treatment, causing the water quality to deteriorate, which led to the Gowanus Canal being known as a highly polluted waterway.
In an effort to restore the water’s quality, the Gowanus Canal has been named as part of the US Environmental Protection’s Agency’s Superfund Program. As part of this program, the Department of Environmental Protections will construct two combined sewer overflow tanks that will intercept and store up to 12 million gallons of combined sewage that would otherwise flow into Gowanus Canal in heavy rain events.
The Owls Head Facility is one of the two subsurface tanks, holding a third of the total capacity.
Nicholson will be constructing a 215,000 SF diaphragm wall to facilitate installation of a 4-million-gallon CSO storage tank. The diaphragm wall will provide the NYCDEP with a support of excavation system as well as a groundwater cutoff wall. A cutoff wall is required by the owner to mitigate risks related to existing site contaminants. The wall will extend 210’ deep, will limit migration of existing contaminates and will reduce the duration and treatment of contaminated groundwater. Nicholson will use a combination of clamshell and hydrofraise to excavate the diaphgram wall panels. The work was awarded to Nicholson by Posillico Environmental, Inc., the General Contractor for the project.
“We are thrilled to be back in New York City for this project that is so important to the community and the local environment,” said Brian Barkauskas, P.E., Vice President, Business Development. “We have a long history of successful projects throughout the five boroughs, and we’re looking forward to another great project at Gowanus.”
Nicholson’s work on the project will begin in September of 2024 and extend out approximately ten months. The overall project is tentatively scheduled for completion in May of 2027.
Pittsburgh-based Geotechnical Construction and Engineering firm Nicholson Construction has joined New York City’s Gowanus Canal Owls Head CSO Facility project.
The 155-year-old Gowanus Canal is a 100-foot wide, 1.8-mile-long canal located in Brooklyn, NY. The canal was originally a marshland tidalcreek, which was then dredged, straightened and bulk headed as the surrounding area was urbanized and industrialized. With these massive changes, sewage and industrial wastes started to be discharged directly into the canal without treatment, causing the water quality to deteriorate, which led to the Gowanus Canal being known as a highly polluted waterway.
In an effort to restore the water’s quality, the Gowanus Canal has been named as part of the US Environmental Protection’s Agency’s Superfund Program. As part of this program, the Department of Environmental Protections will construct two combined sewer overflow tanks that will intercept and store up to 12 million gallons of combined sewage that would otherwise flow into Gowanus Canal in heavy rain events.
The Owls Head Facility is one of the two subsurface tanks, holding a third of the total capacity.
Nicholson will be constructing a 215,000 SF diaphragm wall to facilitate installation of a 4-million-gallon CSO storage tank. The diaphragm wall will provide the NYCDEP with a support of excavation system as well as a groundwater cutoff wall. A cutoff wall is required by the owner to mitigate risks related to existing site contaminants. The wall will extend 210’ deep, will limit migration of existing contaminates and will reduce the duration and treatment of contaminated groundwater. Nicholson will use a combination of clamshell and hydrofraise to excavate the diaphgram wall panels. The work was awarded to Nicholson by Posillico Environmental, Inc., the General Contractor for the project.
“We are thrilled to be back in New York City for this project that is so important to the community and the local environment,” said Brian Barkauskas, P.E., Vice President, Business Development. “We have a long history of successful projects throughout the five boroughs, and we’re looking forward to another great project at Gowanus.”
Nicholson’s work on the project will begin in September of 2024 and extend out approximately ten months. The overall project is tentatively scheduled for completion in May of 2027.
About Nicholson Construction Company
Nicholson has been both a leader and an innovator in the geotechnical construction industry for more than 60 years. With regional offices across the country and headquarters located in Pittsburgh, Nicholson is a nationally renowned specialty contractor, offering proven expertise in the design and installation of deep foundation elements, earth retention systems and ground treatment solutions. We pride ourselves on our ability to consistently provide our clients with innovative, high-quality design-build options for projects of varying size and complexity. Nicholson is the North American subsidiary of Soletanche Bachy, one of the world’s leading geotechnical contractors, and is part of a global network of unparalleled geotechnical resources and expertise.
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