The Delaware River Main Stem and Channel Deepening project involves deepening the main shipping channel of the Delaware River from 40 to 45 feet from Philadelphia Harbor, Pennsylvania and Beckett Street Terminal, Camden, New Jersey, to the mouth of the Delaware River.

Challenge:  Approximately 11.9 million cubic yards of sand, silt, and clay taken from the river portion of the project is scheduled for placement in existing federal upland Confined Disposal Facilities (CDFs) in New Jersey and Delaware. Two of those facilities are located adjacent to the river in Wilmington, Delaware. The USACE needed to determine the feasibility of raising the perimeter dikes of these CDFs in order to store additional dredge material.

Solution: Kleinfelder conducted in-depth site analyses of the Wilmington CDFs to provide the USACE the data needed to evaluate the stability of the facilities’ embankments. Field work included test borings, surveys of dikes, and installation of inclinometers to monitor slope movement. Field work was followed by high-end geotechnical laboratory testing, including consolidation testing, unconsolidated undrained (UU) triaxial compression tests, and consolidated undrained (CU-bar) triaxial compression tests.

Project Results: By mobilizing quickly and coordinating closely with USACE personnel, Kleinfelder completed the site analyses ahead of schedule. Based on Kleinfelder’s findings, the USACE is continuing to evaluate the feasibility of storing additional dredge materials at the Wilmington Harbor CDFs.