Envirocon, Inc. received the 2012 Environmental Excellence Award from the National Demolition Association (NDA) in recognition of continued leadership and innovation in “green” development and corporate environmental stewardship. The NDA represents more than 1,000 U.S. and Canadian companies that offer standard demolition services as well as a full range of demolition-related services and products.
The award was presented to Envirocon at the 39th Annual NDA convention in San Antonio, Texas for innovative construction and demolition methods used for the Woodside Dam Demolition Project located in the Southeastern United States. Two historic dams and accumulated sediment were removed, allowing a two-mile stretch of river to flow freely for the first time in over 100 years.
“Envirocon is honored to be recognized by its peers in the industry for excellence in environmental demolition,” said Envirocon Director of Demolition Services, David Jacobs. “Envirocon was able to combine its expertise in demolition with its 24 years of remediation experience to design, and then complete, a challenging project, and help restore an important natural resource to the local community.”
The initial task was matching the original grades and slopes of the river by removing several hundred thousand cubic yards of trapped contaminated sediment between the two dams. Both dams were located in a remote area with limited access, which posed a daunting task of safely placing the heavy equipment needed to remove the sediment and demolish the dams. Lack of access at the lower dam required a 350-ton crane to be placed below the dam that was used to hoist an 80,000 pound long reach excavator over the top of the dam, securing it upon a water float designed to hold the excavator, and allow for demolition. In order to manage water pool levels at the upper dam, three water siphons were designed and installed to match river flow levels, inhibiting possible flash flooding, which allowed hydraulic dredges to reach the bedrock and lowered the water levels for demolition.
Envirocon completed the project in nine months with no safety incidents recorded. The river corridor is now able to regenerate itself, allowing fish and other wildlife to live without impact from the dammed water and the contamination that once resided there.