DETROIT— U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, awards a contract to provide a seepage blanket for the connecting dike of the DePere Dam in DePere, Wisconsin.
SAF, Inc., of Akron, Ohio, will use approximately $604,000 of approved emergency funds to address known internal erosion issues and reduce the formation of future sinkholes in the connecting dike. This will be accomplished by placing a series of compacted soil and stone layers.
“The emergency restoration project is a perfect example of just one of the ways we partner with and assist our community,” said Esther Johnson, project manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District. “Coordination with Wisconsin DNR, city of De Pere, and Fox River System Navigation Authority has been essential in the design and construction of the project.”
The connecting dike at the DePere Dam experienced several sinkholes throughout the years, but in 2017, the development of two large sinkholes triggered the local community to request emergency funds to repair the connecting dike. The connecting dam was transferred to the Fox River Navigation System Authority in the early to mid-2000s, but the Detroit District maintains a channel improvement easement to conduct operation and maintenance work.
The design to fix the sinkholes consists of a seepage blanket along the connecting dike on the river side. A seepage blanket is an engineered and placed layer of sand, gravel and stone that allows water to flow through without allowing material from the connecting bank to move. The applied design reduces the occurrences of future sinkholes and improves the integrity of the dike structure.
This project is expected to be nearly complete by January 8, 2019 and was awarded under Buffalo District construction Multiple Award Task Order Contract, MATOC. A MATOC is designed to provide greater flexibility and expedite the bid solicitation-award process for construction projects throughout the Great Lakes.
-30-
Release no. 18-058