Dewatering Archives

Finch West LRT Project, Toronto

RiotSpace Creative June 8, 2021

The Dewatering Vendor of Choice for Toronto LRT Projects

The success of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT (Light Rail Transit) project (also known as Line 5) in Toronto, where we have provided dewatering services to great effect on 12 of the 14 stations, has led to WJ becoming the dewatering vendor of choice for large LRT projects in the city.

Finch West Station

The Finch West Station includes a deep connection to the existing subway station and an underground track crossing – in short a deeply complex project, that will require the installation of deep wells, wellpoints and eductor wells. Fortunately these types of projects are second nature to WJ and perfectly demonstrate our creative and flexible approach to providing successful and efficient dewatering solutions that we have shown on thousands of project in Canada and elsewhere across the globe!

Humber College Station

The Humber College station, located adjacent to Highway 27 will be another opportunity to demonstrate many of the dewatering techniques that were used to great effect on the deep excavations of the Eglinton Crosstown project.

Finch West LRT

Building on the success of this project, WJ have recently begun work on the Finch West LRT project. The Finch West Project (also known as Line 6) continues the expansion of public transit services in Toronto and is expected to carry some 40,000 passengers per day by 2031. Our initial works on the project will cover the two new underground station that are due to be constructed: the new terminus at Humber College and the new interchange terminus at Finch West, where the new line will connect with the Line 2 extension to York University.

We are proud to be given the opportunity to contribute to this exciting project, and the continued expansion of public transit projects in Toronto, and look forward to its successful completion, and having the opportunity to hop on board!

LOCATION: Toronto
CLIENT: Metrolinx

New Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

RiotSpace Creative June 8, 2021

White Hart Lane, in North London, was the home of Tottenham Hotspur FC for 118 years and during that time played host to some of the worlds greatest footballers before it was decided in 2017 that a new 62,000 seater state-of-the-art stadium, the biggest club stadium in London, would be built to replace the existing White Hart Lane ground.

Pump Rooms for Lusail Development

WJ Groundwater Admin July 6, 2016

WJ was engaged by Nakheel Landscapes to assist in the dewatering works for this multi-million development-wide landscaping project in Lusail, Doha, Qatar.

The sub-contract works involve the dewatering of the excavations for the five plant rooms. A plant room excavation was a modest 15m x 10m in plan, and extends down to 3m below the sea level. It has an open cut excavation literally a few meters away from the sea.

Lusail Development required that the turbidity of the dewatering discharge effluent be less than 5NTU. We installed our own SANDBUSTER Lamella Clarifier tanks to address the issue, and its been a crystal clear discharge ever since.

MAIN CONTRACTOR: Nakheel Landscapes
CONSULTANT: Dorsch
CLIENT: Lusail Development

Al Shuweihat S3 Power Plant Project

WJ Groundwater Admin July 5, 2016

Construction of this Power Plant Project, located approximately 260m kilometres west of Abu Dhabi, UAE, included a power plant with an electrical capacity of 1,600 megawatts. There are also four gas turbines, six generators and two steam turbines.

The excavation itself was 100m by 60m at a ground level of +5.0m ACD. The excavation level was -9.7m ACD (14.7m depth), with side supports by diaphragm wall on three sides and cement bentonite wall on one side.

The scope of works undertaken by WJ included drilling and installation of the deepwells followed by commissioning, operation and maintenance of a deepwell dewatering system.

MAIN CONTRACTOR: Soletanche Bachy
CLIENT: Shuweihat Asia Power Company
LOCATION: Ruwais, UAE

Dubai International Airport dewatering stormwater pipe line excavation

WJ Groundwater Admin June 13, 2016

WJ Groundwater have completed several projects at Dubai International Airport. This commission saw us use wellpoints to dewater the length of a new stormwater and fuel line that was being installed by ALEC at the Dubai International Airport.

WJ installed a single sided wellpoint system to provide the Main Contractor with clear access to the trench from one side to undertake excavation work and to install the storm water pipeline and fuel line without obstructions. As ALEC wanted a quick installation and speedy drawdown, instead of using conventional jetting techniques, the wellpoints were installed using WJ’s SM14 rotary drilling rig. The trench was dug in the open with stepped face to maintain stability. WJ were chosen to undertake the works as they have been working on the airport for over 10 years and have considerable knowledge of the ground conditions, were extremely competitive, and maintain up to date landside and airside gate passes for their dedicated airport engineers and technicians.

The project went extremely well and the engineers on site were impressed by the tidiness of the installation. WJ used diesel wellpoint pumps connected to a central headermain to draw the water out of the ground. Contact WJ Groundwater today to find out how we can assist you with pipeline dewatering.

Sheraton Park Project

Neil.Coulter May 26, 2016

WJ confidently deliver successful projects of all sizes, and this commission was certainly a big one!

The Sheraton Park project is situated in a prime location on Doha’s Corniche between, the Sheraton Hotel and the Doha Exhibition Convention Center.

The project is expected to provide an iconic public landscaped park, complying with high standards of aesthetics, quality and safety for residents and visitors of Doha. The project consists of five water-themed features, uniquely folded hard and soft landscaping with flowering trees and shrubs, children’s play area, two sunken gardens with adjacent restaurants, an underground four-level car park for 2,664 cars, an underground connecting tunnel link (under the Corniche) for overflow traffic from Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre and a 66KV primary power substation.

The excavation is approximately 500m by 250m in size with approximate total perimeter of 1,270m. General excavation formation level is at -3.5m QND and extends down to a maximum of -14.3m QND. The total perimeter length of the deeper excavation is approximately 900m. Shoring system would be by contiguous piles, secant piles and shotcrete & nails.

WJ Groundwater installed a deepwell dewatering system which successfully drained the excavation.

LOCATION: Doha, Qatar
CLIENT: Sheraton Hotel
CONSULTANT: Qatar Project Management
MAIN CONTRACTOR: Qatari Diar – Vinci Construction JV

QP Financial District

Neil.Coulter May 26, 2016

Our first project in Qatar, we certainly began big and quickly established our reputation for excellence and innovation.

Formerly known as the Barwa Financial District, the QP District project consists of nine towers, one hotel and an energy centre.

Situated in the new West Bay business district of the capital, Doha, the QP District is a gigantic commercial development project located on a plot of 7 hectares. With the nine towers mainly consisting of office space, there will be some room for a number of restaurants and shops located on the ground floor, which will be of benefit to the occupants who will be keen to avoid the sky high temperatures during the summer months.

The hotel, whose brand identity remains nameless, will be located at the southern-most point of the site, ensuring that international guests can be located nearby to what will be a centre for Doha’s financial sector. Located just to the south-east of the Ezdan Tower, the QPD project occupies a prime position within the West Bay area, allowing both easy accessibility for staff and visitors, as well as some extraordinary views.

In 2008, WJ Groundwater designed, installed and operated its first project in Qatar. The project is a sizeable 250 x 300m excavation, with a total perimeter of 1,100m. The plot is supported by contiguous piles. A deepwell dewatering system was installed around the perimeter of the plot to achieve a general excavation level, and several internal wells were installed for the tower basements.

LOCATION: Qatar, United Arab Emirates
CLIENT: Qatar Petroleum / Barwa
CONSULTANT: KEO International Consultants
MAIN CONTRACTOR: Bouygues-Midma-Al Jaber JV / Swissboring

Lusail Expressway

Neil.Coulter May 26, 2016

Lusail Expressway is one of the largest among 30 road projects to be developed as part of Qatar’s seven-year Expressway Programme.

Initiated in 2010 to connect people and places across the city of In 2010, Qatar’s seven-year Expressway Programme consists of 30 road projects, with the aim of connecting people and places across the city of Doha and wider Qatar. Nine hundred (900) kilometres of new road network involving a number of underpasses, flyovers and multi-level interchanges are expected to be delivered.

The Lusail Expressway is one of the biggest to be developed, with 5.3 km of four-lane highway in both directions, two cofferdams and three major interchanges; the Al Wahda Interchange, Onaiza Interchange, and the Pearl Interchange.

The Expressway will also have two service lanes in the multi-level interchange areas, and include a complex network of tunnels, flyovers and junctions in order to meet the future traffic demands by providing easy and speedy connectivity.

Dewatering of the project proved a challenge, as unforeseen and unexpected cavities and fissured flows were encountered, with at the peak flow in excess of 10,000 m3/hr for one of the underpasses! However, WJ rose to the challenge and dewatering was achieved with deepwell system and supplemented with sump pumping.

LOCATION: Qatar, United Arab Emirates
CLIENT: Ashghal (Qatar Public Works Authority)
CONSULTANT: CDM Smith / AECOM / KBR
MAIN CONTRACTOR: Hyundai Engineering and Construction

Al Maktoum Hospital Phase 2

Neil.Coulter May 25, 2016

On the historical site of the Al Maktoum Hospital, this re-development included construction of three neighbouring buildings and a great solution from WJ Groundwater.

The basements of the three buildings were constructed within one large irregular shaped excavation with a perimeter of approximately 1,200m. The excavation was up to 9m and was supported by secant piles around the perimeter.

WJ worked closely with the piling specialist Stromek Emirates Foundation LLC to come up with a dewatering solution that meant that the deepwells could be located in the indent of the secant piles. This meant that the deepwells were kept outside of the footprint of the proposed basements, removing the requirement for complicated structural and waterproofing details. This also made protecting and maintaining the dewatering system simple as they could be accessed from the top of the capping beam.

The project was a great success and this was another example of how good dewatering design and thoughtful implementation can maximise programme and commercial savings.

LOCATION: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
CLIENT: Al Maktoum Hospital Phase 2
MAIN CONTRACTOR: Stromek Emirates Foundation LLC

Dubai International Airport Terminal 3 and Concourses

Neil.Coulter May 25, 2016

Dubai, iconic for its high rise buildings including the World’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, is the business hub and holiday destination of the Middle East.

To build itself as major transport hub for passengers and cargo travelling across the globe, in 2002 Dubai’s Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) initiated construction of the Dubai Airport Terminal 3 building and concourses 2 and 3. It covered a massive area of 750m by 500m and was excavated up to 25m deep. When it was completed in 2008 the Terminal 3 building was the largest building in the world per floor space and is currently the largest terminal in the World. The Terminal 3 iconic building is constructed to look like an aeroplane wing, and initially was exclusively for Emirates airlines.

To help realise this fantastic engineering ambition, WJ Groundwater were, of course, brought onto the team.

To facilitate the excavation works in the dry, WJ Groundwater used its considerable experience dewatering large scale project in Europe installed a large scale dewatering system. A key selling point of WJ Groundwater’s solution was that despite the sheer scale of the project, all the deepwells were installed around the perimeter of the site. This meant that the Main Contractor could get on with the excavation and construction works without having any obstructions. At peak construction WJ were operating in excess of 200 deepwells as well as a fully automated data logger monitoring system that allowed WJ and their clients to monitor water levels across site in real time from a website.

WJ Groundwater is very proud of their achievements and is honoured to have worked on such an iconic project.

LOCATION: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
CLIENT: Dubai Airports Company, Government of Dubai
MAIN CONTRACTOR: Al Naboodah Contracting