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Infrastructure Week, Day 4: Wastewater

Wastewater is the dirty little secret no one seems to like to talk about. Nevertheless, managing our nations wastewater is of utmost importance. It can impact the health of residents, strengthen or weaken the appeal of a locality, have an effect on the environment. As the nation’s population continues to grow, wastewater management has become increasingly crucial. Over the next 20 years, the U.S. is expected to gain more than 56 million in population. This indicates the critical need for wastewater infrastructure improvements.

About 14,748 wastewater treatment plants currently serve nearly 240 million Americans, or 76% of the U.S. population. In its current state, our wastewater infrastructure suffers from 23,000 to 75,000 sanitary sewer overflow events every year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These facts demonstrate the need for increased wastewater infrastructure funding.

At KC Engineering and Land Surveying, P.C. (KC), our wastewater treatment group has designed and overseen the construction of over 70 facilities. We work with government, industrial, and private clients to meet a full range of wastewater related needs. We approach each project with innovative and creative expertise to deliver comprehensive engineering services that solve the most intricate wastewater challenges from concept through design, construction, and operation. KC has helped to create new wastewater solutions and improve the performance of existing treatment facilities. KC strives to meet strict water discharge policies, conserve energy, and reduce environmental impact.

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Infrastructure Week, Day 2: Water

Water is a vital resource, but with a rise in deteriorating infrastructure and underfunded programs like the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), we’ve run into a nationwide problem. In recent years, we’ve witnessed water crises on a national scale in places like Michigan, Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, New York, and the Southwest United States. Over one million miles of pipes work to deliver water around the county, most of that aging infrastructure having been laid many decades ago. Now more than ever, America requires government action to upgrade insufficient water infrastructure. Clean, reliable drinking water is a commodity that everyone, without exception, should have access to.

At KC Engineering and Land Surveying, P.C. (KC), our water supply group works to create sufficient, long-term methods to provide safe water. With a group of skilled water, wastewater, civil, and environmental engineers, KC is able to provide lasting solutions to various municipalities, residential developments, agencies, and more. KC continues to play a vital role in ensuring the functionality of filtration systems, water resources, and water treatment.

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Infrastructure Week, Day 1: Bridges

How do we resolve a problem as widespread as deficient bridge infrastructure? Year after year, America’s infrastructure continues to be critically neglected that now, in 2021, we face a multi-billion-dollar backlog for the rehabilitation of bridges, a vital facet of the nation’s transportation infrastructure.

While the number of structurally deficient bridges in the United States is down significantly from years past according to an Infrastructure Report Card provided by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), around 188 million trips are taken every day across deficient bridges. Rehabilitation needs for bridges are backlogged as much as $123B, an investment of over half of the funding allocated. These high repair and rehabilitation costs pose a nationwide challenge to transportation agencies pursuing the construction of reliable infrastructure.

At KC Engineering and Land Surveying, P.C. (KC), our structural engineering ingenuity enables us to provide safe and effective bridge infrastructure. KC provides survey services, design assessment, and structural analysis for the replacement and rehabilitation of damaged, deficient, and extremely vital bridge infrastructure in various counties across New York State.

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What is a Cofferdam?

Have you ever crossed a bridge with its support rooted underwater and wondered how engineers managed to construct it or how they maintain it? You certainly would not be the only one.

Underwater bridge supports are typically accomplished through the building of cofferdams, which are temporary barriers – essentially 3- or 4-sided boxes – that are built within bodies of water and allow for water to be pumped out, making a previously flooded area accessible for construction purposes. Engineers tend to avoid designs featuring underwater construction because it can be expensive, but when necessary, cofferdams prove to be much safer and more efficient than other methods, and they are a more reliable solution in the event of a long-term project.

Cofferdams date back at least to the time of Ancient Rome. Their engineers utilized them in the creation of piers for their bridges and aqueducts. According to legend, King Cyrus of Persia used earthen cofferdams to redirect water from the Euphrates river, aiding him in his capture of Babylon and thereby facilitating the birth of the Medo-Persian empire.

Nowadays, cofferdams are created by using pieces of corrugated steel called sheet piles, which are strong enough to hold back water. These piles are driven into the soil underwater, interlocking to create a cantilevering wall around the chosen area.

Some primary types of cofferdams used by engineers include the following:

  • Earthfill: The simplest of all cofferdams, these are earthen embankments that are built around a space that needs to be enclosed. Made from a mixture of clay, sand, and gravel, they are built wherever the water depth is no more than 1.8 meters. The height of the dam is kept 1 meter more than the max water level.
  • Rockfill: If the water depth to be retained is more than 1.8 meters, engineers use stone or rubble in place of an earthen mixture – but only if the stone is available to be pulled in copious amounts from areas near the project site.
  • Braced: Likely the most common type of cofferdam because of its low cost, this dam consists of vertical or horizontal sheeting with internal struts and is utilized when excluding shallow water, earth, or both, since it is difficult to drive piles inside an underwater bed in those conditions. They are frequently used in the construction of bridge piers and abutments.
  • Cellular: These dams derive their name from the way the sheet piles are constructed in special shapes to form a series of cells that are interconnected and filled with soils, providing stability against lateral forces. They are used when a single-walled braced cofferdam is impractical, commonly in the construction of dams, locks, or weirs.
  • Single-walled: This type is preferred when the area to be enclosed is particularly small and the water depth is roughly 4-6 meters, such as in bridge construction. These cofferdams are built with wood sheets along the perimeter and supported by steel sheets on the interior.
  • Double-walled: This cofferdam is most commonly used when the area of a construction site is large, and the depth of the water is high (greater than 36 feet). Under these circumstances, the use of a single-walled cofferdam becomes uneconomical as the supports need to be increased.
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It’s Our Anniversary!

This month we are celebrating the 38th anniversary of KC Engineering and Land Surveying, P.C. (KC).

KC is a diversified, multi-disciplined consulting engineering firm. KC was founded on April 13, 1983 with a mission to provide our public and private sector clients with a comprehensive range of professional services using only the latest technical equipment. KC is an ever-growing company, with over 100 enthusiastic and proven professionals who possess the knowledge necessary to complete each task correctly. KC’s team of professionals are dedicated to the firm, possessing the needed commitment to complete a wide variety of projects. We pride ourselves in always striving for excellence, with projects completed on time and within budget.

Rajashekar “Raj” Ravilla, P.E. is the President and CEO of KC and serves as the Principal-In-Charge on all KC projects. Raj has a master’s degree in structural engineering and possesses over 35 years of regionally diverse experience planning, administrating, managing, and designing transportation projects such as highways, railways, and transit.

A recent major event for KC was the consolidation of our former offices in Poughkeepsie and Circleville, NY into a larger, better-equipped Hudson Valley office in Newburgh, NY. This consolidation gives KC the opportunity to better support and fulfill the needs of our clients and provides us with more project opportunities as the company continues to grow. All KC employees provide knowledge, commitment, and excellence on KC projects every day.

Happy anniversary KC!