Dewatering wells shut off as Bertha sits idle at Seattle waterfront
Jan 21, 2016, 4:38 PM | Updated: 5:18 pm
Seattle Tunnel Partners plan to shut off wells that have kept Bertha operations dry, while the boring machine sits dormant. (WSDOT)
(WSDOT)
A week after Washington state officials ordered Seattle Tunnel Partners to cease boring under Seattle’s waterfront, crews are aiming to shut off the dewatering wells around Bertha.
Those dewatering wells have kept operations dry while Bertha moved forward. STP has announced that it plans on shutting off the dewatering wells soon, while Bertha sits dormant.
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“These wells, which have been used to control groundwater, were previously scheduled to be shut off when the tunneling machine reaches the next planned maintenance stop,” WSDOT said in a statement. “With tunneling operations currently on hold, STP has determined that there is an opportunity to turn off the wells earlier than planned.”
Those wells were, in-part, previously cited as a contributing factor to ground settling in neighborhoods around Bertha’s tunnel operations.
After sitting for nearly two years for repairs, Bertha began to dig forward in late December. But after a barge mishap and a sinkhole developed in the machine’s wake, the state ordered that operations halt until safety can be guaranteed.
