Client: USACE Seattle
Location: Tacoma, Washington
Scope of Work:
- Stormwater outfall repair
- Shoreline cap repair
- Marine mammal monitoring
- Water quality monitoring
Through its JV, Brice-AECOM JV1, Brice completed a high-profile environmental construction project along the western shore of Commencement Bay in Ruston and Tacoma, Washington, at the location of the former ASARCO facility, a historic site with a legacy dating back to the late 1800s. The 90-acre location, encompassing the shoreline down to mean lower low water, once housed sawmills, a lead smelter, and a copper refinery. The copper smelter closed its doors in 1985, and arsenic production ceased in 1986, leading to the facility’s shutdown and later designation as a Superfund Site.
Our scope of work included replacing the failing cap along the eastern shoreline, repairing the seismically damaged stormwater outfall, and implementing an engineered armor cap around the outfall. Per contract specifications, the scope of work had to be performed in dry conditions, i.e., low tide.
The project presented various challenges due to unanticipated site conditions and untimely weather events that pushed the outfall repair into mid to late September. Though Brice still had one window left for performing work at low tide under daylight, a notable rainstorm prevented the work from starting on time. The team shifted to a nighttime schedule and completed the outfall repair which involved pouring a foundation, installing rebar, installing a new 6-foot outfall pipe, and its final encasement.
Site access has been primarily via barge, ensuring minimal impact on upland areas. Monitoring was a priority, with pre- and post-construction surveys covering aspects like anchor damage, marine life, and water quality.
