COLUMBIA CANAL EMBANKMENT REPAIR
Columbia, South Carolina
As a member of the design team, FME provided geotechnical engineering services to support a repair alternative analysis for the Columbia Canal. Owned and operated by the City of Columbia, the canal is used for generation of hydroelectric power, water supply to the City’s water treatment plant, and recreational purposes.
During the October 2015 flood event, high water levels in the canal caused overtopping and erosion and subsequently resulted in a total breach of the earthen embankment (dike) separating the canal from the adjacent river. Additionally, rapid drawdown slope failures were observed in the embankment upstream from the breach.
Working in close coordination with the project team, City of Columbia, Federal Management Agency (FEMA), and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), FME performed a geotechnical field reconnaissance, subsurface exploration, laboratory testing, and geotechnical analyses in accordance with FERC’s Engineering Guidelines for the Evaluation of Hydropower Projects.
Once the repair alternative and cost estimate are accepted by FEMA, FME will perform additional geotechnical services to complete the design of the chosen repair alternative.
PROJECT OWNER
City of Columbia
SERVICES PROVIDED
- Subsurface Exploration
- Geophysical Testing
- Materials Laboratory Testing
- Dam Analysis
- Seismic Analysis
