The Stacks at Buzzard Point

Groundwater management for a multi-millon sq ft waterfront development

At Buzzard Point — a six-acre high-density urban waterfront site adjacent to the Anacostia River — the margin for error in groundwater management was narrow. ECS Group of Companies provided geotechnical investigation, construction materials testing and dewatering treatment system design, installation and operation for Clark Construction Group, LLC, supporting Phase I of a 2-million-square-foot mixed-use development. Groundwater contaminated with TCE and heavy metals required treatment to meet DOEE discharge limits before any water could leave the site.

Challenge: Navigating regulatory and water management demands  

The scale of the development detailed regulatory oversight and proximity to the Anacostia River elevated the need for regular data collection using monitoring wells to observe subsurface water quality and migration.

Detailed permitting and reporting standards required regular monitoring and the delivery of hydrologic data for DC environmental agencies. Groundwater beneath the site contained high levels of trichloroethylene, a volatile man-made liquid chemical, while dewatering flow rates were projected to fluctuate between varying gallons per minute (GPM) across this 22-month excavation program.

Solution: High-intensity field investigation

ECS designed a scalable, modular treatment system, as well as more than 25 groundwater monitoring wells and conducted infiltration testing at several locations, with borings reaching depths up to 100 feet.