Urban Canal’s Environmental Remediation with Pressed-in Sheet Pile Bulkheads

Pressed-in sheet pile bulkheads were built as part of an environmental cleanup known as the Gowanus Canal Environmental Remediation Project in Brooklyn, New York. These pressed-in piles minimized the potential settlement and displacement along the existing canal frontage and nearby buildings. The sheet piles were fully interlocked to be impervious, which was verified with non-declutching sensors. The soil conditions consisted of a top layer of contaminated soft sediment with debris and underlying sand and gravel layers with equivalent N-values ranging from 20 to 100. Coated Z-shaped sheet piles in lengths of up to 70 feet were installed.