Waterfront property owners in Buffalo, New York face yearly challenges due to the sometimes turbulent nature of Lake Erie. This immense body of water is capable of producing wave activity similar to hurricane conditions.
One of the great challenges associated with Lake Erie is the build-up of hydrostatic pressure on the landward side of the seawall.
As mentioned in the previous blog post, What Hydro-Static Pressure Is and Why Seawall Owners Should Be Concerned…
Hydrostatic Pressure is most commonly defined as the pressure exerted by a fluid at equilibrium at a given point within the fluid, due to the force of gravity. Hydrostatic pressure increases in proportion to depth measured from the surface because of the increasing weight of fluid exerting downward force from above.
Hydrostatic pressure builds exponentially when groundwater “stacks up” behind a seawall. Water (and all liquids in general) gravitates to level with the existing water table. Water will always follow the path of least resistance. This force causes movement within unstable soil.
The great news for waterfront property owners (who rely on their seawalls, bulkheads, and revetments to protect their property from nature’s forces of devastation) is that the Seawall Repair Network’s proprietary repair process protects these same structures from failure.
In the picture included with this article, the seawall on the left side has been protected with the Seawall Repair Network materials, equipment, and installation procedures. Unfortunately, the seawall in the background on the right side has not, and the structure is now destabilized and moving forward. If left unprotected, the seawall on the right side will fail.
Seawall Repair Network Member Mike Garnett of Garnett Seawall Solutions utilized the proprietary repair process to ensure that hydrostatic pressure would not cause the above seawall to move and fail.
The customer was highly satisfied with the work accomplished by Garnett Seawall Solutions and referred them to many other neighbors in the area.