18  34 G eoLegends: 42 S ustainable Approaches 58 W

 as that Really the

Evert Hoek in Transport Geotechnics “500-Year Flood”?

Proudly published by the Geo-Institute of ASCE MaY // JUNE 2018

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Features
42 Sustainability
and Resilience in ON THE COVER
A unique feature of UNDERGROUND and
Transportation Infrastructure other books by David Macaulay is the
Geotechnics author’s ink and pen illustrations found
Integrating advanced technologies for better asset on every page. Using a hypothetical city
intersection, they show views of the systems
management.
that support nearby buildings and the
By Anand J. Puppala, Jasaswee T. Das, Tejo V. Bheemasetti, infrastructure networks that bring life to the
and Surya S.C. Congress city. As a graduate student at the time of its
publication, I gave a copy of the book to my
parents to help explain aspects of my future career. If you’re not
50 Proactive
Management of Landside- familiar with it, track down a copy. — Jim Withiam

and Rockfall-Prone Slopes Cover illustration from UNDERGROUND by David Macaulay.

A new program for federal land management agencies. Copyright © 1976 by David Macaulay. Used by permission of
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
By Douglas A. Anderson, Darren L. Beckstrand, Eric
Bilderback, Eli Cuelho, and Evan Garich

j GEOSTRATA PRINT ARCHIVE Electronic copies

58 PaleofloodAnalyses for Dam and
of full issues of GEOSTRATA Magazine dating from
Levee Safety Assessments the current issue back to January/February 2010
Was that really the ”500-year flood”?
are available in the GEOSTRATA Print Archive
By Keith I. Kelson
at geostrata.geoinstitute.org/print-archive. The
archive is only available to current members of
64 WhenBridges, Roadways, and Dams ASCE and the Geo-Institute.
Need Our Help
Innovative techniques can help save our nation’s
critical infrastructure.
By Jeff Hill and Phillip Gallet

CONNECT WITH US

www.asce.org/geo twitter.com/GeoInstitute facebook.com/GeoInstitute LinkedInGeo GeoInstituteASCE

2 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

 EDITORIAL BOARD
j J ames L. Withiam, PhD, PE, D.GE, M.ASCE, D’Appolonia
[email protected]
j J . Tanner Blackburn, PhD, PE, M.ASCE, Hayward Baker
[email protected]
j J eff Dunn, PhD, PE, GE, D.GE, M.ASCE,
Geotechnical Consultant
[email protected]
May // June 2018
j K en Fishman, PhD, PE, M.ASCE, McMahon & Mann
Consulting Engineers
Departments
[email protected]
8 
From the President jB
 rian Hubel, PE, GE, M.ASCE, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, San Francisco District
By Youssef M.A. Hashash
[email protected]
10 
From the Editorial Board jM
 ichael P. McGuire, PhD, PE, M.ASCE, Lafayette College
By R. Jeffrey Dunn [email protected]
j P eter G. Nicholson, PhD, PE, D.GE, F.ASCE,
11 GeoCartoon Nicholson Geotechnical
12 Board of Governors Update [email protected]
jM
 ary C. Nodine, PE, M.ASCE, GEI Consultants, Inc.
14 Technical Activities Update [email protected]
18 As I See It: Solving jW
 illiam K. Petersen, PE, M.ASCE,
Rimkus Consulting Group
America’s Aging Infrastructure [email protected]
Problem with Better Data jM
 ark Seel, PE, PG, M.ASCE, Langan
By Scott A. Anderson [email protected]

24 
As I See It: Geotechnical jC
 hris Woods, PE, D.GE, M.ASCE, Densification, Inc.
[email protected]
Engineering — What We
2 0 1 7 -1 8 G-I B O A R D O F
Didn’t Learn in School GOVERNORS
By David L. Mathews
j Y oussef M. A. Hashash, PhD, PE, D.GE, F.ASCE –
28 The GeoCurmudgeon: President

PLI, Part 2 jB
 eth A. Gross, PhD, PE, D.GE, F.ASCE – Vice President
By John P. Bachner j P atrick J. Fox, PhD, PE, D.GE, F.ASCE – Treasurer
jG
 arry H. Gregory, PhD, PE, D.GE, M.ASCE –
34 Lessons Learned from GeoLegends: Past President
Evert Hoek jC
 harles W. Black, Jr., PE, M.ASCE
By Shane Markus, Alex Grant, and William Pollock j J ames G. Collin, PhD, PE, D.GE, F.ASCE
72 
Look Who’s a D.GE jR
 obert B. Gilbert, PhD, PE, D.GE, M.ASCE
An interview with Raymond J. Franz j S issy Nikolaou, PhD, PE, D.GE, F.ASCE
jB
 rad Keelor – Secretary (non-voting)
74 
G-IORGANIZATIONAL
MEMBER NEWS G E O S T R ATA S TA F F
j S tefan Jaeger – Publisher
78 
COREBITS NEWS jD
 ianne Vance, CAE – Director of Advertising
82 
Message from ISSMGE’s New Vice- [email protected]

President for North America j K ristie C. Kehoe – Content Coordinator

By Tim Newson j Helen Cook – Content Editor
j E lizabeth Cuscino – Content Editor
84 
COREBITS CHAPTERS
j S ean Richardson – Production Manager
86 ASCE CAREER and EDUCATION
ADVERTISING SALES MANAGERS
87 Coming in July/August jH
 allie Brown, Ben Harmon
2018 GEOSTRATA
G E O S T R ATA D E S I G N
87 INDUSTRY CALENDAR j T HOR Design Studio, www.thor.design
 eoPoem: Design-Build
88 G
By Mary C. Nodine GEOSTRATA is a forum for the free expression and interchange
of ideas. The opinions and positions stated within are those of
the authors, and not necessarily those of GEOSTRATA, the
Geo-Institute, or the American Society of Civil Engineers
(ASCE). GEOSTRATA—ISSN 1529-2975—is published
bi-monthly by ASCE, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, VA
20191-4400 and is a free ASCE/Geo-Institute membership
GEOSTRATA is published by the Geo-Institute benefit, not available by subscription. ADDRESS CHANGES:
and the American Society of Civil Engineers. ASCE/G-I members should e-mail [email protected], or click
on “My Profile” at asce.org. Copyright © 2018 by the American
Society of Civil Engineers. All rights reserved. Materials may
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from ASCE. Periodicals postage paid at Herndon, VA, and at
additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address
changes to GEOSTRATA, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, VA
20191-4400.

4 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

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 From the President

Ours Is a Risky
Business

K
ids love digging into soil, whether it’s on the beach, at the
park, or in a back yard. They delight in discovering something
unexpected, a rock, or other treasure, and of course they
enjoy watching the ground collapse. For we grownups, geotechnical
engineers, and contractors whose profession involves digging into the
ground, we’ve carried forward our childhood love to "play in the sand,"
but in a bigger and more interesting playground. Yet the last thing we
want is to be surprised. The “treasures” that we may run into can end
up costing us dearly in the form of changed ground conditions and
revised construction plans. Moreover, we derive no delight in watch-
ing anything we dig—a borehole, a slope, or an excavation—collapse.
Yet we know that we must expect the unexpected.
YOUSSEF HASHASH
In my experience of teaching civil engineering students their first geotechnical course,
I often get the question, “What’s the best ground to work with…?” or ”What’s the best
soil property to have…?”. I often respond, “It depends,” and explain that we don’t get
to specify the ground; rather, we must work with whatever nature has presented to us.
There’s uncertainty. Often, their expressions convey something like, “He doesn’t know
what he’s talking about, and he must be making things up….” Then again, some seem to
get it, embrace it, and decide to pursue geotechnical engineering studies further.
Uncertainty and related risk are inherent in what we do as geoprofessionals. To quote
from the trailer of the movie Risky Business: "There is time for playing it safe, and there is
time for Risky Business." For us, the quote might be better paraphrased as: “...and there is
time for Geotechnical Business.” (As an aside for our younger readers, I’m dating myself
by quoting from the movie, but you can watch the trailer on YouTube). Managing risk and

8 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

uncertainty is an integral part of the geo business regardless
of how we handle it, or not.
The way we handle risk and uncertainty varies widely
depending on the part of practice in which we’re involved.
In the area of tunneling and underground construction, a
framework for handling and allocating risk has developed
in response to significant litigation related to uncertainty in
ground conditions. This framework includes geotechnical
baseline reports, risk registers, and dispute-resolution
boards. The approach is seeing limited application beyond
tunneling projects. On the other hand, rigorous quantitative The G-I, through a task force, is exploring the development
risk-assessment methods are often used in the design of of risk-based design framework and guidelines. This effort
offshore structures or in seismic design. is in its infancy. We hope that this effort will spawn broader
But in many parts of our practice, risk and uncertainty are conversations on what such a framework might look like,
often handled on an ad hoc basis, if at all. In some instances, how it might be employed, and of course how we can incor-
“judgment” is used as a substitute for a more systematic porate it in professional preparation and practice. Better
approach to accounting for risk. To quote Tom Cruise’s ways of assessing and managing risk and uncertainty in the
parents in the same movie: "Just use your best judgment. You geopractice are surely needed.
know we trust you." But it’s not enough.
As part of their academic training, geotechnical students
may take courses in risk and reliability, or statistics. These
courses provide students with tools to quantify risk and
uncertainty, but they still don’t fully offer students the
broader skill sets they need to evaluate risk and uncertainty. Youssef Hashash, PhD, PE, F.ASCE
As a profession, we can benefit from developing both Geo-Institute President
qualitative and quantitative tools to approach risk in [email protected]
geotechnical practice, to deliver greater value to our clients, linkedin.com/in/youssef-hashash-111a7115
and to mitigate potential for litigation to us and our projects. https://twitter.com/YoussefHGeotech

www.geoinstitute.org 9
 From the Editorial Board

Since my childhood, I’ve been interested in infrastructure construction. It was

a time when states and the federal government were investing significantly
in new infrastructure construction. Building of the Interstate Highway
System was going strong, and the California Water Project (CWP) was under
construction. I remember distinctly when the CWP started delivering water
from northern to southern California because it greatly improved the taste
and reduced corrodibility of our home water piping. Right from my front yard
I could watch several significant bridges being built in the Los Angeles and
Long Beach harbor areas. And during my geotechnical career, I’ve worked on
R. JEFFREY DUNN
many infrastructure projects, both large and small. I’ve always felt an increased
sense of professional pride in knowing of the benefits those projects brought
to society and how necessary they are.

Today, however, the condition of infrastructure has become optimization to make good and prioritized use of funds, and
a critical concern. Every four years we can check the latest key to management is having good data and collecting that data
Report Card from ASCE and see that most of our infrastructure over time. We can set reasonable performance goals, and then
receives mediocre or poor grades, with transit currently use data-based models to predict performance. That will allow
barely above failure, with a D-. The costs estimated to bring us to apply the available funds more effectively.
all infrastructure classes up to even passable condition is in David Mathews’ commentary, “Geotechnical Engineering —
the trillions of dollars, and it’s difficult to find the necessary What We Didn’t Learn in School,” reminds us of how many
funds just to pay for much-needed maintenance. Recently, things we really learn on the job — not just in college lectures
the president stated that big infrastructure plans are in the and particularly early on in our careers. The items he covers
works, but then we learn that the federal government will only seem so fundamental to experienced geotechnical engineers,
pony up $200 billion over 10 years to fund them. It’s not nearly but that doesn’t mean they get implemented, especially with all
enough, but apparently the idea is that states will provide far the time and cost pressures of the workplace. He also cautions
more than that to make up what’s needed, as if they are flush on blind reliance of the answers our computer models provide
with money that we know they are not! Private funding is also as they become more common in our work.
suggested, but that depends on a revenue stream that not all In the latest “Lessons from GeoLegends” article, Shane
infrastructure systems can support. Markus, Alex Grant, and William Pollock interview Evert
Politics aside, no one can dispute that infrastructure needs Hoek, who has contributed enormously to the fields of
continue to increase. Society expects infrastructure to work, so rock mechanics and engineering geology of slopes and
that necessitates innovation on the part of engineers to do more underground openings. Hoek, along with many collaborators,
with less, keeping things functioning, and building and rebuild- has developed several important criteria that link geological
ing infrastructure systems to serve people and provide for a observations to strength properties of complex rock masses
robust economy. Addressing Infrastructure Needs is the theme of needed for design.
this issue, and you’ll find plenty of coverage of innovation and Anand Puppala, Jasaswee Das, Tejo Bheemasetti, and
different things to consider as we work on this critical issue. Surya Congress have written “Sustainability and Resilience in
In Scott Anderson’s commentary “ Solving Transportation Infrastructure Geotechnics.” They discuss the
America’s Aging Infrastructure Problem with Better Data,” importance of integrating advanced technologies for better
the author emphasizes that constructing and maintaining asset management and emphasize the large impact that geo-
infrastructure always involves some risk. Managing it requires technics typically has on infrastructure projects. Their article

10 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

 GeoCartoon

Editor's Note:
For a short time many
years ago, a G-I member
volunteered to create
geo-focused cartoons
for GEOSTRATA. Since
then we have reprinted
just a few cartoons from
copyrighted sources.
We'd love to restart
this fun feature with
cartoons like this one. If
you see a cartoon with a
geotechnical focus — or
if you know a budding
cartoonist who would
like to help us out —
please contact Jim
Withiam at jlwithiam@
dappolonia.com.

provides examples of how a variety of materials including In GeoCurmudgeon: “PLI, Part 2,” John Bachner adds to a
wastes can be used in these efforts. previous column from 2015 on professional liability insurance
“Proactive Management of Landside- and Rockfall-prone (PLI). He provides guidance on those factors that relate to the
Slopes,” by Doug Anderson, Darren Beckstrand, Eric cost of PLI and other issues to consider before deciding on your
Bilderback, Eli Cuelho, and Evan Garich, discusses how policy and coverage.
management systems for unstable slopes that border many Finally, don’t miss “Design-Build,” by our favorite GeoPoet,
miles of transportation roadways can be integrated into asset­ Mary Nodine. She waxes poetic about the values and challenges
management systems. They present the steps to implementing of the DB approach in geotechnics.
these integrated systems, and thus proactively plan and As always, this is another thought-provoking and interesting
implement decisions to make our transportation corridors issue, and we on the Editorial Board hope you enjoy it.
more resilient with limited funding.
In his article, “Paleoflood Analyses for Dam and Levee This message was prepared by R. JEFFREY DUNN, PhD, PE, GE,
Safety Assessments,” Keith Kelson presents an approach to D.GE, M.ASCE. He can be reached at [email protected].
help answer the question, “Was that really the 500-year flood?”
Kelson discusses how historic records are often insufficient
to properly assess potential large floods and plan for them. New Arrival
He describes techniques to reduce flood risk by studying the We proudly announce the birth of
evidence of past floods, thus providing a better means to assess Donald Harold (“Harry”) Aubrecht
the level of uncertainty in a hydrologic system. to our GeoPoet and GEOSTRATA
In our last article, “When Bridges, Roadways, and Dams colleague, Mary Nodine, on March 9,
Need Our Help,” Jeff Hill and Phillip Gallet provide examples 2018, at 9:48 pm. Harry’s “geo-statistics”
of how established techniques of compaction grouting, soil at birth were 8 lbs. 15 oz. and 20.5 in.
nailing, and micropiles have been used to repair a variety of Harry, his beaming parents, and sister
infrastructure assets in an economical manner. Betsy are doing well.

www.geoinstitute.org 11
 Board of Governors Update
In the Footsteps of Geo-Pioneers o T he Karl Terzaghi Lecture by Rudolph
The largest International Foundations Congress and Bonaparte, PhD, PE, D.GE, NAE, F.ASCE,
Equipment Expo (IFCEE) to date was held March 5-10, 2018, provided insight on the geotechnical
in Orlando, FL, with nearly 3,500 attendees and 200 exhibitors. stability of waste fills, focusing on les-
The three Geo-Institute-named lectures provided an sons learned and continuing challenges
opportunity to celebrate the dedication and advancements Bonaparte in this field.
the lecturers have offered to our geo-profession, with many o The H. Bolton Seed Medal Lecture by
take-aways for the audience that included strong participation Steven L. Kramer, PhD, PE, M.ASCE,
by student and young members. Participants were reminded covered the state-of-the-art of perfor-
about the paths paved for the new generation by the legendary mance-based design for soil liquefaction
geotechnical engineers whose names are represented in these with practice challenges and needs.
honorary talks. This year, the speakers and topics of these
lectures left their mark in the annals of history. They included: Kramer The Geo-Institute recorded the Peck,
o The Ralph B. Peck Medal Lecture by Terzaghi, and Seed Lectures that will
Richard J. Finno, PhD, PE, D.GE, M.ASCE, become available later this year on the
who focused on the analysis and design G-I’s YouTube Channel (youtube.com/user/GeoInstituteASCE).
of urban excavations based on integrating The G-I Board of Governors was pleased with the lively
novel modeling approaches with innova- discussions instigated by the named lectures and the feedback
Finno tive, real-time monitoring to check and received by the members, which raises the bar even higher for
update projections of wall performance. the next IFCEE and G-I conferences!

G-I Board of Governors

Youssef M.A. Hashash, Beth A. Gross, Patrick J. Fox,
PhD, PE, F.ASCE PhD, PE, D.GE, F.ASCE PhD, PE, D.GE, F.ASCE
President Vice President Treasurer
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Committees: International Activities Committees: Awards, Nominations & Elections, Committees: Student Participation, Technical
Other Activities: ASCE Publication Access, Technical Coordination Publications
Digital G-I Other Activities: ASCE Grand Challenge, Other Activities: Finance, G-I Organization,
GEOSTRATA, Specialty Conferences Committee Summit Meeting

Garry H. Gregory, Charles W. Black, Jr., James G. Collin,

PhD, PE, D.GE, M.ASCE PE, M.ASCE PhD, PE, D.GE, F.ASCE
Past President [email protected] [email protected]
[email protected]

Committees: Past Presidents Committees: Outreach & Engagement Committees: Local Involvement, Regional
Other Activities: Membership, Student Fund Other Activities: Membership Conferences
Other Activities: FHWA IDEA and DIGGS,
Collaboration with other organizations

Robert B. Gilbert, Sissy Nikolaou, Brad Keelor

PhD, PE, D.GE, M.ASCE PhD, PE, D.GE, F.ASCE Secretary and G-I Director
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Committees: Codes & Standards, GeoCongress Committees: Continuing Education, Manages the day-to-day activities of the G-I
Organizing Organizational Member
Other Activities: Re-imaging Conferences, Other Activities: Digital G-I
Risk-Based Design Code Task Force, Licensure
& Post-PE Credentialing, AGP Collaboration

12 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

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 Technical Activities Update

The Risk Assessment and

Management (RAM) Technical
Committee, chaired by Vaughan
Griffiths, PhD, PE, D.GE,
F.ASCE, has been busy with
its 2017-18 Speakers Program.
Seven different lectures relating
to the theory and practice of
risk assessment in geotechnical
engineering are being offered.
Presentations have already been
given by RAM members Bob
L to r: Dr. Bob Gilbert (UT Austin), Dr. Vaughan Griffiths (Colorado School of Mines), Dr. Robb
Gilbert, Vaughan Griffiths, Armin
Moss (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo), Dr. Jonathan Steward (UCLA), and Taki Chrysovergis (Chair,
Orange County Geo-Institute Chapter). The photo was taken February 9, 2018, following a half- Stuedlein, and Robb Moss to G-I
day continuing educational seminar on “Risk Assessment and Mitigation in Geotechnical Prac- chapters in St. Louis, Hawaii,
tice,” hosted by the Orange County Geo-Institute Chapter in Irvine, CA. Seattle, Irvine, and Pittsburgh.

Technical Committees
COMMITTEE COMMITTEE CHAIR EMAIL ADDRESS
Computational Geotechnics José E. Andrade, PhD, M.ASCE [email protected]
Deep Foundations Muhannad Suleiman, PhD, A.MASCE [email protected]
Earth Retaining Structures Anne Lemnitzer, PE, M.ASCE [email protected]
Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics Adrian Rodriguez-Marek, PhD, M.ASCE [email protected]
Embankments, Dams, and Slopes Timothy Stark, Phd, PE, D.GE, F.ASCE [email protected]
Engineering Geology and Site Characterization Xiong “Bill” Yu, PhD, PE, M.ASCE [email protected]
Geoenvironmental Engineering Dimitrios Zekkos, PhD, PE, M.ASCE [email protected]
Geophysical Engineering Brent L. Rosenblad, A.M.ASCE [email protected]
Geosynthetics Jorge G. Zornberg, PhD, PE, M.ASCE [email protected]
Geotechnics of Soil Erosion John Rice, Ph.D., A.M.ASCE [email protected]
Grouting Paolo Gazzarrini, P.Eng, M.ASCE [email protected]
Pavements Charles W. Schwartz, PhD, M.ASCE [email protected]
Risk Assessment and Management D. Vaughan Griffiths, PhD, PE, D.GE, F.ASCE [email protected]
Rock Mechanics M. Ronald Yeung, PhD, PE, M.ASCE [email protected]
Shallow Foundations Derrick D. Dasenbrock, PE, F.ASCE [email protected]
Soil Improvement Jie Han, PhD, PE, F.ASCE [email protected]
Soil Properties and Modeling T. Matthew Evans, PhD, A.M.ASCE [email protected]
Sustainability in Geotechnical Engineering Dipanjan Basu, Ph.D., C.Eng, M.ASCE [email protected]
Underground Engineering and Construction Thomas Pennington, P.E, M.ASCE [email protected]
Unsaturated Soils Laureano R. Hoyos, PhD, PE, M.ASCE [email protected]

14 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

 The seven lectures include:

oo Case Histories in Forensic Geotechnical

Engineering — R.B. Gilbert, PhD, PE,
D.GE, M.ASCE (University of Texas,
Austin, TX)

oo Risk Assessment in Geotechnical

Engineering — D.V. Griffiths, PhD,
PE, D.GE, F.ASCE (Colorado School of
Mines, Golden, CO)

oo A Probabilistic Approach for Earth Dam

and Levee Filter Design and Internal
Erosion Risk Assessment — Sangho
Lee, PE, M.ASCE (East Bay Utility
Municipal District, Oakland, CA)

oo Practical Insights from Geotechnical Three members of the EDS Committee observe tension cracks along the scarp of the
Reliability-based Design and links massive Rattlesnake Ridge Landslide near Yakima, WA.
with LRFD — B.K. Low, PhD, PE,
M.ASCE (Nanyang Technological
University, Singapore) Between February 15-18, 2018, four westerly, whereas the main mass is
members of the Embankment, Dams, moving southerly, and, in addition, the
oo Performance-based earthquake engi- and Slopes (EDS) Committee of the basal shear surface is locally stepped.
neering — A. Rodriguez-Marek, PhD, Geo-Institute visited the site of the These features suggest that strong,
M.ASCE (Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA) massive Rattlesnake Ridge Landslide, three-dimensional (3D) effects are
which overlooks the Yakima River and affecting the shape, direction, and basal
oo Calibration and Full-scale Evaluation Interstate 82, near Yakima WA. The slide shear surface of this massive landslide.
of Reliability-based Serviceability volume is estimated to be in excess of Members of the EDS Committee sur-
Limit State Design Procedures — A.W. four million cubic meters (5.23 million veyed the slide and collected samples
Stuedlein, PE, M.ASCE (Oregon State cubic yds) and affects approximately 20 of the shear surface, which was exposed
University, Corvallis, OR) acres of the hillside. in cuts along the toe of the slide mass
The landslide became apparent and along the western boundary.
oo Terzaghi’s Observational Method and in the fall of 2017, when cracks were Samples will be tested at the University
Bayesian Updating — T.H. Wu, PhD, noticed along the ridge, and measure- of Illinois, under the supervision of
PE, Hon.M.ASCE (The Ohio State ments by the EDS team indicate that it Prof. Timothy D. Stark, PhD, PE, D.GE,
University, Columbus, OH) has moved in excess of 8 m (25 ft). Some F.ASCE, who is a member of the team
of the recent surveys suggest that the and chair of the EDS Committee.
If you’d like to have a lecture current rate of movement (~52 cm/week Additional team members include:
presented at an event, please contact or 1.7 ft/week) is accelerating; hence, Prof. Navid Jafari, PhD, A.M.ASCE, of
the RAM chair, Vaughan Griffiths, at the importance for the EDS Committee Louisiana State Univ., Chris Robertson,
[email protected]. to promptly visit the site and collect PE, CEG, M.ASCE, of Shannon & Wilson,
field data and shear surface samples. and the team leader, Prof. Daniel
It’s interesting to note that a signifi- Pradel, PhD, PE, D.GE, F.ASCE, of The
cant portion of the landslide is moving Ohio State University.

www.geoinstitute.org 15
 Technical Activities Update

New Course Materials

Insert photo(s): Can Help Teach Engineering
Geology Basics

EDS Technical Committee members meeting in Orlando at IFCEE18.

Top l to r: Mala R. Ciancia, Dr. Sajin Kumar

K.S., Dr. Nick Huydma, Roch Player, Dr.
Anna Shidlovskaya, and Dr. Thomas
Oommen

The Engineering Geology & Site

Characterization Technical Committee
of the Geo-Institute has developed
a series of course materials that civil
engineering programs can use to teach
students the basics of engineering geol-
ogy. The material provides six modules
of PowerPoint slides that introduce
Tim Stark, incoming EDS chair, receives the traditional gavel from outgoing chair students to the information on how
Erik Loehr. to recognize and properly account for
geologic factors that affect the location,
The following month, the EDS technical committee met on March 7, 2018, during design, construction, and maintenance
the 2018 IFCEE conference. The group consisted of 30 attendees, 24 who attended of engineering projects. The material
in person, and 6 who attended via video conferencing. One of the largest technical was developed by Mala R. Ciancia, PG,
committees, the group recently added 12 new members from varying institutions in A.M.ASCE (HNTB Corporation), Sajin
academia, industry, and the public sectors. Kumar K.S., PhD (Assistant Professor,
The first item of business was acknowledging the service of Erik Loehr, who Kerala University, India), Nick Huydma,
served as chair of the EDS Committee for the last three years. After receiving a PE, M.ASCE (Professor, University of
plaque and certificate for his excellent service, Loehr passed the EDS Committee North Florida), Roch Player, PE, M.ASCE
Gavel, created by the prior EDS Chair, Garry Gregory, to Tim Stark, who rotated (Chief Engineer, Geostabilization
to chair of the EDS Committee at the end of 2017. During the meeting, the group International), Anna Shidlovskaya, PhD
discussed the recent EDS reconnaissance of the Rattlesnake Ridge Landslide (Associate Professor, University of Mines,
near Yakima, WA; development of white papers for several EDS technical Russia), and Thomas Oommen, PhD,
advances; EDS-sponsored sessions on case histories organized for the IFCEE M.ASCE (Associate Professor, Michigan
2018 Conference; the proposal of EDS-related sessions for the upcoming 2019 Technological University). The course
G-I conference in Philadelphia; and continued participation in the National Dam material can be accessed from asce-egsc.
Safety Review Board Training Working Group. org/educational_resources.html.

16 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

 As I See It

Solving America’s Aging

Infrastructure Problem
with Better Data
By Scott A. Anderson, PhD, PE, M.ASCE

18 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

 The airport I fly from, Denver International, was
Risk taking has always been a nec- surrounded by open prairie when it was constructed in
essary component of infrastructure the early 1990s. Now there’s an entire community and
economy along the approach to it, with destination spots
development in the “build it and and hotels of every type, and lots of parking structures and
parking-based businesses. Notable, however, is that today,
they will come” sense. Visionary with the advent of ridesharing, my car most often stays at
home. My parking spot is empty, and no more needed than
infrastructure builders are clearly in an old suburban shopping mall; that’s also some of the risk
with infrastructure — it can become obsolete.
the world of uncertainty and con- The preservation of infrastructure addresses a different
sequence (which is risk) when big risk, especially for long-lived structures like transportation
corridors, water supply, and infrastructure providing
projects are planned and delivered. other basic needs. When opening ASCE’s Infrastructure
Report Card every term, we already know the GPA; the only
Whether it’s locks, dams, or other question is which sectors have received a C+ and which
have received a D-. Because there’s little political or public
structures on the Mississippi or appetite for the funding needed to change that, pursuit
Colorado rivers, or new urban high- of funding alone cannot be the answer. The risk is that
without very well-timed, well-designed, and well-executed
way tunnels in Boston or Seattle, maintenance and preservation interventions, the infra-
structure condition state will fall to the point where it could
risks are taken and accepted. potentially become unrecoverable.

www.geoinstitute.org 19
 Managing this risk requires optimi-
zation: optimized timing allows deferred
maintenance in some situations, but not
others. Optimized design and execution
means getting the best value to help
boost performance at the least life-cycle
cost. It’s important to consider physical
failure through use-induced deterio-
ration, as well as impacts from natural
hazards and changing climate stressors.
It’s not possible to optimize an approach
to broad and lofty goals; the two are
incongruous. So, infrastructure owners
Proudly providing Geotechnical need to define specific and achievable

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performance-based design approaches.

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where this management process is

• Load Frames beginning to happen. At the legislative

and executive levels, multiple objectives
• Triaxial/Permeability Control Panels are defined, while at the technical level,
greater emphasis is placed on the
• Direct & Residual Shear Machines service limit state, life cycle, resilience,
and sustainability. This can be seen
• Shear Boxes in new codes, guidance documents,
and in practice. Good intentions can’t
• Consolidation Load Frames go far, however, without good data
and meaningful metrics — so that’s
• Consolidometers a challenge and an opportunity for
the geotechnical community. In other
• Permeameters words, what should we measure, how

• Load Cells
do we do it, what do the data mean, and
how can we build knowledge to opti-

• Digital Readout Boxes

mize achievement of specific, realistic
performance objectives?

• Triaxial/Permeability Cells
The dimension of time underlies
much of this — whether it’s the risk-

• Latex Membranes based decision to build a new airport or

a decision of when to invest in existing

• Porous Stones assets, and in what way. Infrastructure

will better serve its constituencies if
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and decision making. And for natural
hazards, we should revisit the concept

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recent fires and post-fire debris flows
in California defy easy characterization
based on the estimated recurrence inter-
val from data collected in the past. To Good intentions can’t go far
what extent can and should these natural
hazards be planned (designed) for, or without good data and meaningful
should we simply consider them extreme
events from which we must recover?
The recently published Independent
metrics — so that’s a challenge
Forensic Team Report on the Oroville
Dam spillway incident found that service and an opportunity for the
spillway deterioration was a major
contributor to the failure. The failure was geotechnical community.
not caused by a natural hazard; rather,
it resulted from deferred maintenance
and preservation, even if unintentional.
Repeat measurements of key data over
time are the way to gain knowledge of
performance through time. Collecting
data and using it to build knowledge
does take an investment, but this task

www.geoinstitute.org 21
 As I See It

is steadily becoming easier and more today’s geotechnical engineers, wherein performance over time, and show the
cost-effective because of the new ways of the method explicitly extends beyond impact of maintenance and preservation
collecting and managing data. Many of construction and into the operation and interventions at various times. This will
the exciting new ways of collecting data maintenance project life stages. A lot allow optimization of infrastructure
are remote methods; whether wireless of attention is now paid to UAV-based investments, and data will be needed to
transmittal from instruments or remote remote observation and sensing, and do this.
sensing, the potential exists to collect to new sensors and data collection. The As many already recognize, collecting
more data for less cost. This benefit “sweetness” of these new tools might data is now generally much easier than
allows the frequency of measurements make practice in this area as appetizing managing it, so the management of data,
to increase, permitting those monitoring as designing and building something and big data, will be part of this future.
the data to focus on interpretation of the new — the practice that drew many of As much as geoprofessionals are seeing
data, and to gain understanding of the us into this field to begin with! We have an explosion in our ability to collect geo-
fourth dimension of time. a large inventory of built infrastructure, technical data, I think others involved
We’re seeing the adaptation of the however, so what we need today are with infrastructure are seeing it even
observational method being used by models that predict geotechnical more. Most infrastructure owners are

22 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

 Soil Testing Equipment
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doing some form of asset management
already, and are collecting data in order
to do so. It’s also true that infrastructure
is there to be used, and we generate
(and sometimes collect) data every
time we use it. Data are everywhere. So,
as much as I’m excited by the wireless
transmittal of new instruments and the
UAV platform, I’m excited for the future
of data sharing. Analog Triaxial
Of course, data sharing has the Component Set
potential to eliminate the need for
some data and data collection, just
as ride sharing has eliminated the HM-413
need for my airport parking spot and
driving. That’s a disruption we should
anticipate, but it’s a minor risk now.
The need for preservation can be met
through establishment of realistic and
explicit performance goals, exciting
new methods of data collection, and the
Two-Channel Readout Box
development of data-based models to
predict performance, all with the goal
of guiding our infrastructure decisions
to get the greatest return on investment
over time. It’s not surprising that a great Pro-Loader II Load Frame HMA-517
need brings great opportunity.
HMA-518
HMA-519
j SCOTT A. ANDERSON, PhD, PE, M.ASCE,
HM-584
is a principal geotechnical engineer with
BGC Engineering, Inc., in Golden, CO, and
co-chair of the Transportation Research
Board Subcommittee on Geotechnical Asset
Management, though the opinions here are
his own. He can be reached at scanderson@
bgcengineering.ca.

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 As I See It

(Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District.)

Geotechnical Engineering —
What We Didn’t
Learn in School
By David L. Mathews, PE, ENV SP, M.ASCE

24 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

Formal training for nuances that can only be recognized parameters. Sometimes we steer our
with “boots on the ground.” Beyond attention to focus on design aspects.
geotechnical engineers an initial site visit, we must continue Doing this can result in significant
hands-on involvement at every step problems during construction. One
includes material to reduce potential blind spots. This must understand the material
classification, properties usually includes being present during variability and groundwater conditions
drilling operations, participating in to develop reasonable construction
and parameters, and laboratory testing, and most impor- cost estimates. Simply put: Never
tantly, overseeing construction. award a construction contract to dig
analysis procedures. This a hole deeper than the subsurface
knowledge is effectively 2. Carefully plan subsurface exploration.
explorations.
provided by university Subsurface explorations are typically 3. Draw cross sections.
a substantial portion of the total cost The first step in every geotechnical
courses. However, there for geotechnical design services. It’s problem is site characterization.
are many tactics that we always wise to start by gathering and This is best done by drawing profiles
reviewing all existing information. This and cross sections. These graphical
learn only through prac- information will help focus field oper- representations serve to enhance our
ations while minimizing unnecessary understanding of subsurface conditions
tice. I often reflect on
duplication. Perhaps the most critical and more effectively communicate with
the important practices step in planning an exploration is to all project stakeholders. We are usually
clearly identify the objectives and how confronted with a limited number of
that are not typically they relate to the planned construction. discrete data points with the intent of
Only after defining exactly what addi- characterizing an infinitely complex
emphasized in formal
tional information is required for the mass of soil and/or rock. The good news
classroom training. Here project should we begin thinking about is there are some very powerful tools to
types of exploration, boring locations, assist in this effort. The bad news is that
are a few: types of sampling, and lab testing. these tools can be complex to use and
Ideally, subsurface investigations can sometimes require vast amounts of data
1. Make
 lots of site visits. be conducted in phases, with an initial that are not available for smaller routine
Geotechnical engineering is not phase to gain a basic understanding, projects. Regardless of the specific tool
done at a computer screen. We deal and subsequent phases to efficiently used, geoprofessionals are always well
with much uncertainty and very collect more details and fill in data served by fully visualizing subsurface
imperfect data, so the best way to gain gaps. Unfortunately, such phased conditions before proceeding with
perspective is simply to visit the site explorations are usually limited to detailed analyses.
and look around. The terrain, drainage large projects. Explorations for smaller
patterns, rock outcrops, site access, and projects are often limited to a single 4. Plot the data.
adjacent structures are a few important phase, which increases the need for Data must be plotted graphically to
things to observe. Readily available careful planning. understand the key relationships. It’s
current and historical high-resolution Subsurface explorations are usually far easier to simply tabulate the data.
satellite images (e.g., Google Earth) conducted for two inter-related pur- In fact, nearly all geotechnical reports
are very powerful, and can be a great poses: (1) to obtain data for design, and include tabulated data. While doing this
help in understanding site geography. (2) to assist construction contractors preserves the data, it does not help data
However, don’t be fooled into thinking in planning and pricing their work. It’s users understand meaning. The most
these can substitute for actual site easy to fall into the trap of focusing useful plots are (1) data vs. depth, and
visits; there are too many important solely on gathering data for design (2) data vs. time.

www.geoinstitute.org 25
 As I See It

5. Engineering analyses are not reality. interface due to lack of understanding exploration to writing detailed recom-
We routinely use mathematical models and communication between team mendations, helps define construction
to quantify anticipated project perfor- members. Geoprofessionals frequently risks. It’s therefore essential that
mance. Engineers are generally quite provide design parameters to structural geoprofessionals be educated about all
good at analyses, as this was a focus of engineers. Structural engineers think kinds of construction contracts and the
most of our formal training. However, about geomaterials quite differently than risks they pose to them.
our math skills far exceed our actual we do. The extra effort to maintain good
understanding. Ground conditions, working relationships and continued 7. Learn and have fun!
construction practices, and future load- communication with structural engi-
ings are almost always different than neers serves us well.
what we envision. We should not be It’s also important for geotechnical j DAVID L. MATHEWS, PE, ENV SP,
overly confident in our model results, engineers to understand construction M.ASCE, is an independent consultant in
but rather should lean heavily on actual contracts. Risk allocation for subsurface the Kansas City area. He has over 35 years
field experience. conditions can vary greatly with differ- of experience with the U.S. Army Corps of
ent types of contracts (design-bid-build, Engineers, where he managed a wide array
6. Know how results are used. design-build, construction manager at of projects, including dams and levees,
Geotechnical engineering work products risk) and contract pricing arrangements buildings and infrastructure on military
are usually handed off to other engineer- (firm-fixed-price vs. cost-plus, and installations, and environmental clean-
ing professionals to incorporate into unit pricing vs. lump sum). Everything ups. He can be reached at mathews3@
projects. Quality issues can occur at this we do, from planning subsurface mindspring.com.

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26 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

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28 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

PLI, Part 2
By John P. Bachner

Three years ago (March/April 2015 safety responsibilities, something that

can happen when a field representative
GEOSTRATA, pp. 62-65), I wrote a says or does the wrong thing, and
assumption of fiduciary responsibility,
“GeoCurmudgeon” column about something you could unwittingly do
just by calling yourself your client’s
professional-liability insurance, representative.

also known as errors and omissions Four: PLI is not a commodity. The
contracts insurers use vary from com-
insurance (even though an omission is pany to company. How PL companies
respond to claims varies, too, as do
an error), PL insurance, and PLI. I made the no-cost benefits some companies
provide. If you select your PLI provider
five important points. based on price alone, you could be
making a big mistake. Find out what
your money really buys.
One: You need PLI for marketing you helped design, near a retaining
purposes, if nothing else. Few clients wall you were involved with, and on ad Five: Understand what “claims-made”
will work with an uninsured firm. But infinitum. In other words, it’s not just means and what you need to consider.
also consider this: Each professional in clients, constructors, and fellow design- PLI policies are issued on a “claims-
your firm is personally liable, meaning team members you have to worry about. made” basis; i.e., the PLI policy in force at
that, if the firm does not have enough And unlike businesses that can dissolve the time a claim is made — not when the
PL insurance capacity and/or capital and governments that can declare sov- claim-inducing incident occurred — is
reserves to settle a claim or fund a ereign immunity, geoprofessional firms the policy that covers. Given that claims
judgment, opposition counsel can go cannot evade liability, if only because typically arise three or more years after
after individuals and whatever assets geoprofessionals are personally liable. an alleged negligent act was committed,
they may own. It doesn’t happen often, the policy you buy today will respond
but it does happen. Would you want to Three: PLI has holes. Your firm faces almost exclusively to negligent acts you
work for that firm? many risks that PLI does not cover, like allegedly committed in the past. Will the
contractual liabilities and other exclu- insurer be in a position to pay; i.e., is it
Two: You owe a duty of care to any sions listed in the PLI policy. Certifying creditworthy? To answer that, you need
party that could foreseeably be dam- one thing or another is one of these, to know about Best’s Capital Adequacy
aged or injured by your negligence. Just because certifications can be considered Ratio,” or “BCAR,” a creditworthiness
about anyone can come after your firm guarantees that can significantly expand metric that A. M. Best — the world’s
by alleging that your negligence caused your uninsured-liability exposure. Also leading insurance-rating organization —
them a foreseeable injury, on a highway usually excluded: Assumption of on-site develops based on more than 100 tests.

www.geoinstitute.org 29
 GeoCurmudgeon

As you no doubt are aware, PL insur- agent or broker as well as the insurer. high-quality services and other benefits
ance is not cheap. So, this time around, Dealing with an established company that show up on the bottom line.
I focus on a few issues that relate to the is wise. You do not want to deal with a
cost of coverage and other issues you here-one-day-and-gone-the-next outfit Money for Loss Prevention: You’d think
should consider before making a choice. whose first response to a claim is trying that every PLI company would have
to not cover it. You also want to know an extensive array of loss-prevention
Get Bids: Especially if you have a good about “extras” the PL insurer is willing to resources for its insureds. Not so. When
claims-against record, making your firm give you in addition to coverage. it comes to loss prevention, PL insurers’
a desirable PLI buyer, have your agent most common educational service
shop around. Once you get the lowest ​ onsider Agentless Insurance:
C is helping insureds understand and
responsible bid, let your current insurer Typically, about 10 to 15 percent of review contracts. Even though only a
know. Many will lower the renewal your PLI premium goes to the agent few people in the typical firm deal with
premium to keep you “in the fold.” (This as a commission. While some agents contracts, PL insurers emphasize the
can aggravate some PLI buyers, who provide valuable services that make the issue because a good contract — say one
believe the company to which they have commission worthwhile, just about all with a limitation-of-liability provision —
been loyal should offer its best price the those services — other than wining, reduces the insurer’s exposure. But what
first time around... but so it goes.) Do dining, and golf — can be had from a about issues like client relations, estab-
not buy based on premium costs alone! direct seller of PLI. In some cases, the lishing project-intervention teams, and
Before dealing with a new company, rates are less, but the services may not the like? What’s the PLI industry’s usual
speak with other insureds to learn what be as robust. In other cases, the rates offering? Nothing at all. What about
their experience has been, with the may be higher, but the companies offer reimbursement for webinars, seminars,

Mark Your Calendar!

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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | March 24-27

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Pennsylvania Convention Center/Loews Philadelphia Hotel

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30 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

and programs like Fundamentals of claim situation, and so on? Yes, it would other insureds who have been through a
Professional Practice? Usually nothing be nice, but it’s not often found. For the claim or plaintiff’s
at all. Ask about these matters. Do not most part, you will be advised to speak construction-claims attorneys who have
proceed under the false assumption with your agent. Some agents have faced a given PL insurer’s selection for
that “My PL coverage is all I need.” It’s in-depth knowledge of contract issues; defense. Important:
not; not by a long shot. At least one many more do not. But say you could Some geoprofessionals have experi-
insurer “out there” gives even some of have 12 or more hours a year of access enced major problems because they
its smallest insureds $5,000 or more to a reliable, top-flight lawyer, not just assumed, erroneously, that the great
each year to invest in firm-betterment an agent. How much would that be lawyer they rely on for general business
programs selected by the firm, as well as worth? Close to $5,000 or more. or personal issues can handle construc-
programs such as peer review, usually a tion claims well. That is seldom the
once-every-five-years under-the-hood Legal Assistance When a Claim Is Filed: case… and any attorney who indicates
look at a firm that can easily cost The best PL insurers assign seasoned otherwise without the requisite con-
$40,000 or more. construction-claims attorneys to handle struction-claims litigation experience is
their insureds’ defense, making life a lot not a great lawyer.
Free Legal Guidance: Wouldn’t it be nice easier for you at a time when you really
to have a direct line to your PL provider’s need some comfort. What’s the practice Lower Rates for Expert-Witness
top attorney; someone who can provide of the PL provider you’re considering? Service: How much of your firm’s
easily understood guidance about Some seem to care more about attor- income comes from expert-witness
contract dos and don’ts, negotiating neys’ hourly rates than their capabilities. engagements? If it’s a relatively small
better deals, responding to a possible Ask those in a position to know; e.g., percentage — what many PL insurers

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www.geoinstitute.org 31
 GeoCurmudgeon

consider “normal” — it would not have

any real impact on rates. That can
change when the percentage is high,
because those who serve as experts are
just about bulletproof from a profes-
sional-liability viewpoint; I’ve never
Firms that are risk-aware and heard of an expert being successfully
sued for rendering a professional
experience few claims should opinion. Given that expert-witness
service imposes just about no risk

enjoy lower rates than others. on a PL insurer, those who derive a

significant portion of their income from
forensic/expert services should pay a
What would you have to do to percent-of-gross rate that is markedly
less than the rate paid by those firms
become more risk-aware? that derive almost all their income from
engagements that create far more risk.

Lower Rates for Excellent Performance:

Firms that are risk-aware and
experience few claims should enjoy
lower rates than others. What would
you have to do to become more risk-
aware? By how much would your cost
MISSOURI S&T of coverage decline if you could do it?

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that information or at least fund or help
fund activities — like peer review — that

CIVIL ENGINEERING (MS/DE) can help you identify your risk-related

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pathway to your master’s degree. Projects: Some client types are generally
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Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering derive a level of income and profitability
that makes the (typically) higher PLI
Infrastructure Renewal
rates and more-frequent claims worth-
Project Engineering and
while, so be it. But how much could you
Construction Management
save by attracting less risk-prone clients
and projects?

Distance Graduate Programs Establish Your Own Little PL Insurance

for Working Professionals. Company: In most cases I’m aware
of, your PLI-policy deductible has a
significant influence on your premium;
the lower your deductible, the higher
LEARN MORE your bill. But what if you could increase
your deductible almost without risk?
dce.mst.edu/credit/care Suppose, for example, that your deduct-
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possibly want to consider obtaining a

32 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

universal life-insurance policy, which is the insurer. In some cases, however, you j JOHN PHILIP BACHNER has been an
principally an investment instrument can have the insurer charge a higher independent consultant since 1971. Through
that builds cash value much faster than interest rate; e.g., 10 percent instead of 2 his firm’s (Bachner Communications’)
conventional whole life. How much percent. Why? Because, it’s your or your association-/foundation-management
coverage should you obtain? Well, firm’s money to begin with. As such, if division, he served as the Geoprofessional
assuming you’d want to double your you’re able to charge, say, 10 percent, Business Association’s (GBA’s) executive
deductible to $100,000, you’d obtain you might be able to deduct 100 percent vice president from 1973 through 2015.
enough coverage to build a $50,000 cash of the interest as an expense, but 80 per- GBA is a not-for-profit association that
value fairly quickly; say in three to five cent of that interest would go into your develops programs, services, and materials
years, if not even faster. While universal universal-life account, where it would to help its member firms and their clients
coverage is pricier than whole-life, you grow on a tax-deferred basis. And if you confront risk and optimize performance.
might be able to offset some of the have no claims you need to borrow to GBA-Member Firms provide geotechnical,
premium cost with the money you’d cover, you could derive an excellent geologic, environmental, construction-
save on your PL-insurance bill. Should bonus when you’re set to retire. materials engineering and testing (CoMET),
a claim arise, you would pay for your and related professional services (en.
additional $50,000 of self-insurance Bottom line: There’s a lot more to PLI wikipedia.org/wiki/geoprofessions). GBA
not by cashing in the universal policy, than meets the eye. If you haven’t invites geoprofessional constructors,
but rather by borrowing against its cash previously been informed about some of educators, and government officials to
value. You can pay the loan back over the concepts I’ve touched on here, why become involved. Contact GBA at info@
time at a modest interest rate — often not? More important: What can you do geoprofessional.org.
around 2 percent — paid to and set by about it?

www.geoinstitute.org 33
 Lessons Learned from GeoLegends

Evert Hoek, D.Sc, F.RAE,

F.CAE, NAE
By Shane Markus, Alex Grant, PhD, and William Pollock

E
vert Hoek is a world-renowned contributor to the
fields of engineering geology and rock mechanics. He
has contributed to academia as a graduate researcher
and professor, has worked in industry, and has been a mem-
ber of numerous civil and mining engineering consulting
boards. Hoek is perhaps best known for his contributions
in estimating the strength of jointed rock-masses with the
Hoek-Brown Criterion and Geological Strength Index (GSI),
but has contributed to countless other understandings, tech-
niques, and methodologies for the analysis of the behavior of
rock as an engineering material.
Hoek was born in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).
He moved to South Africa in 1951 and was granted the presti-
gious Beit Scholarship to attend the University of Cape Town.
There, he obtained B.Sc and M.Sc degrees in mechanical
engineering and studied the behavior of materials. In 1958,
he was employed by the South African Council for Scientific
and Industrial Research, where he investigated rock as an
engineering material. In 1965, he was awarded a PhD in
mechanical engineering by the University of Cape Town,
where he studied rock fracture under static stress conditions.
In 1966, Hoek was appointed a reader, and eventually a full
professor, at the Imperial College of Science and Technology
in London. He was awarded a D.Sc in engineering by the
University of London in 1975.
In 1975, Hoek left academia to join Golder Associates in
Vancouver, Canada. In 1987, he returned to academia as an
Evert Hoek industrial research professor at the University of Toronto. In
1993, he returned to Vancouver as an independent consultant,
serving as a member of consulting boards, an advisory consul-
tant, and an expert witness on projects around the world.
Hoek’s contributions to the field of rock mechanics
have been enormous. He authored or co-authored four
landmark textbooks: Rock Slope Engineering with John
Bray, Underground Excavations in Rock with Edwin Brown,

34 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

The Chuquicamata open pit copper mine, Chile, 2013. In this photograph, the pit is 4-km long, 3-km wide, and 1-km deep.
The vehicles at the bottom of the pit are 400-ton capacity trucks.

Practical Rock Engineering, and the William Smith Medal (1993). He was the University of Cape Town, initially
Support of Underground Excavations elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy interested in jet-engine design and
in Hard Rock with Peter Kaiser and of Engineering (1982), a Fellow of the aircraft engineering. In fact, my
William Bawden. He has also published Canadian Academy of Engineering master’s degree specialized in strength
more than 100 papers on stress (2001), and a Foreign Associate of the of materials and stress analysis. In
analysis, brittle fracture, laboratory U.S. National Academy of Engineering those days, before the advent of
equipment design, rock-slope stability, (2006). Hoek has also presented several computers, we used physical models,
underground excavation design, and named lectures, including the Sir Julius such as photo­elasticity, for the analysis
other related topics. Werhner Memorial Lecture (1982), of stresses in materials. Unsure where
Hoek has received numerous the Rankine Lecture (1983), the Perez I should go to develop my skills in
prestigious awards for his work, Guerra Lecture (1996), the Glossop aircraft engineering, I accepted an invi-
including the Consolidated Goldfields Lecture (1998), the Terzaghi Lecture tation from a friend to visit the National
Gold Medal (1970), the AIME Rock (2000), and the Kersten Lecture (2008). Mechanical Engineering Research
Mechanics Award (1975), the E. Burwell Institute, a branch of the South African
Award (1979), the Gold Medal of the Q: What led you to pursue a career in Council for Scientific and Industrial
Institution of Mining and Metallurgy rock mechanics? Research. During the visit, I was offered
(1985), the Müller Award (1991), and I started as a mechanical engineer at a position as a research engineer, to

www.geoinstitute.org 35
 Lessons Learned from GeoLegends

Excavation for the right abutment of the Sykia Dam in Greece.

work in the field of stress analysis and in South Africa. Most of my work, until I civil engineers, and physics experts
strength of materials. I accepted the job left the institute in 1966, was related to who dealt with the mechanics of mate-
and moved to Pretoria in 1958. brittle failure of intact rock. rials. It was really my background in
The research institute had been stress analysis and strength of materials
approached by the gold-mining indus- Q: How did your background in that equipped me to look at rock as an
try for assistance with rock burst issues mechanical engineering help engineering material.
in their deep excavations. We accepted shape your perspective as a rock
the work, naïvely assuming that rock mechanician? Q: Who were your mentors?
is just another engineering material, In those days, rock mechanics was not My earliest mentor in South Africa
but soon we realized that rock is quite an engineering discipline. Looking was Günter Denkhaus, the Institute
unusual. I was part of a team of about back, people came from many different director when I was there. He was a fine
10 people working in geophysics and fields. In fact, rock mechanics drew on mathematician in his own right, and
mining engineering that had assembled expertise from mechanical engineers, contributed significantly to some of

36 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

the early work in rock mechanics like by precision surveying. For me, this board (of which I was a member)
calculating stresses around excavations project was extremely challenging and decided that four underground settling
of different shapes using elastic theory. rewarding. This project is still ongoing, chambers were required. Technically,
This was before the development of and is now being transformed from the chambers were reasonably straight-
models for failure propagation, so the open-pit to an underground mine. forward, but the politicians decided
work was simplistic. they wanted this scheme operating by
In 1966, I started at Imperial Q: Did you ever work on a project a certain date before all of the settling
College as chair in the first formal rock that didn’t go well, and what lessons chambers would be ready. The consult-
mechanics program. My principal did you learn from it? ing board disagreed with this decision,
mentor was Professor Alistair Black, Problems in engineering are more often but was overruled. A German colleague
head of the Department of Mining, related to people rather than technical and I resigned from the consulting
who was responsible for setting up the issues. One such problem arose on a board because we could not accept
rock mechanics program. I also worked hydroelectric project overseas. It was being party to this decision. The project
with people like Professors Alan Bishop a massive project, with a 27-km-long went ahead, and my understanding
and Alec Skempton in soil mechanics, intake tunnel, a very large underground is that there was significant turbine
and Neville Price in geology, all of powerhouse, and a lower dam. Because damage. While not a technical failure,
whom had a significant impact on my of high monsoon rainfalls, flash the project was certainly a people
academic career. flooding of sediment- and debris-laden failure. Technical problems can usually
rivers was common. To avoid damaging be worked out, but people problems
Q: What’s the most interesting or the turbines, the project’s consulting are often more challenging.
challenging project you’ve worked on?
One of my most interesting projects
was the Chuquicamata copper mine
in Chile, which has been operating

BOREHOLE SHEAR TEST

for nearly 100 years. When I left the Sometimes the

ONLY OPTION
Geotechnical Advisory Board a few
years ago, the mine was 1-km deep,
is not just an option; it is the
4-km long, and 3-km wide. It was one
of the largest open-pit copper mines in
the world. when undisturbed core samples are not recoverable.
This project was fascinating
BST in weathered granite, total testing time less than one hour:
because of the challenges of the scale
A test that can pay for itself the first time it is used.
of the project. In the early days, we
recommended setting up high-level
computing capabilities on site, and
that appropriate site investigation and
laboratory testing be undertaken to
establish a comprehensive database
of rock and rock-mass properties.
We also recommended that the mine
slopes be monitored to check that the
stability calculations were meaningful.
They set up electro-optical distance
devices, still in the relatively early days
of lasers. When I left, there were 1,000
targets around the site, and six moni-
toring stations automatically tracking
movements every 20 minutes. The
mine was probably the best monitored Data courtesy of
at the time, but today many mines National Geotechnical Consultants, The Gap, Queensland, Australia
have similar systems. With the advance www.handygeotech.com
www.handygeotech.com
of satellite technology, they now do a Handy Geotechnical
Handy Geotechnical Instruments,
Instruments, Inc.,
Inc., Madrid,
Madrid, Iowa,
Iowa, 50156
50156 USA.
USA.
lot of monitoring by GPS rather than

www.geoinstitute.org 37
 Lessons Learned from GeoLegends

Q: How has rock mechanics changed

since you began working in the
field?
Obviously, much more knowledge
has been gained, but the technology
change has been particularly
phenomenal. From having practically
zero computing power when I started
(my “computer” was a slide rule), to
having enormously powerful programs,
tools, and instrumentation, has been
an enormous change. We had strain
gauges and a few other instruments
at the time, but we did not have the
ability to compile and process the data,
and then interpret the results, as we do
today. While I’m impressed with these
tools and what they can accomplish,
there’s a danger that this technology
can get out of control. The tools are so
powerful that most people have no idea
what the programs are actually doing,
so they put their faith into the program
and assume that the results are correct.
This line of thinking can be dangerous
and requires senior-level oversight.

Q: How will the methods and prac-

tices you’ve developed adapt with
advances in technology?
I’m probably best known for my
approach to estimating rock-mass
properties. Between 1975 and 1980,
I co-authored a textbook on under-
ground excavation engineering with
Professor Ted Brown. While writing the
chapter on rock-slope engineering, it
occurred to us that a good method for
rock-mass stability didn’t exist. These
analyses are easy if the rock-mass has
distinct blocks with definable 3D geom-
etries and strength along the surfaces.
But when you stand back and look at
a 1,000-m-high slope, you can see the
big faults, but everything else looks like
gravel. To help tackle this problem of
scale, we decided we needed a criterion
that could link geological observations
to strength properties of poor or closely
jointed rock. This became known as
the Hoek-Brown Criterion, and the
Geological Strength Index. While I
A challenging highway cut in Highway 22 in the Himalayan foothills in Northern India. consider this method to be crude, it has

38 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

An underground powerhouse for the Mingtan hydro-electric project in Taiwan. The final cavern is 22-m wide, 46-m high,
and 158-m long.

been widely adopted and used because

of the lack of suitable alternatives.
I see things progressing in the
evolution of numerical modeling. With Today's tools are so powerful that most
models like Itasca’s 3DEC, you can
create models using input from field people have no idea what the programs
geologists to calculate the reactions
needed for design. I see much room are actually doing, so they put their faith
for advancement here. Some work’s
already been done, but it’s at the into the program and assume that the
limit of our computing abilities. As
technology improves, I see us taking results are correct. This line of thinking
geological observations and observed
rock-mass properties, plugging them can be dangerous and requires senior-
into a model, and seeing what’s likely
to happen in large, complicated rock- level oversight.
masses. Geologic observations could be
much more detailed and factual as well,
like with LiDAR measurements, so that

www.geoinstitute.org 39
 Lessons Learned from GeoLegends

Top heading and bench excavation in poor-quality rock for a 40-ft span tunnel on the Egnatia Highway in Northern Greece.

statistical properties of discontinuities

and intact rock properties could be
incorporated in the models. This would
be a huge advance over the empirical
models currently used.

Q: Are there any fundamental issues

in rock mechanics that should be
addressed in the next 5 or 10 years?
I see a progression. You solve one
problem, which leads to solving
others. I’m reminded of our very early
slope-stability calculations. The first
time I did a wedge analysis, I used an
engineering drawing approach that
would not be used today. Later, calcula-
tors simplified this task. Now, we’ve got
programs that perform these tasks very
easily and quickly. There’s a definite
Left to r: The authors: Will Pollock, Shane Markus, and Alex Grant. progression that I see going forward.

40 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

For example, software is available to a machine to pump out students, j ALEX GRANT, PhD, is a research civil
conduct 3D wedge analyses, and future hoping that they’ll all be employed and engineer at the USGS. He recently
advancements will allow incorporation useful, but you don’t maintain quality completed his PhD at the University
of earthquake loading in a much more with mass production. Students must of Washington, where he focused on
realistic manner. recognize this problem and make this regional-scale, co-seismic landslide-hazard
happen themselves. All too often I see forecasting. He can be contacted at agrant@
Q: What mistakes have you wit- students go straight from their BS and usgs.gov.
nessed young engineers make, and MS degrees into a PhD program, into
how can they better avoid them? academia as a junior lecturer, work j WILLIAM POLLOCK is a PhD candidate
I’ve noticed that young engineers are their way up to associate professor, in civil engineering at the University of
unfamiliar with broad subject matter and finally, professor. I know many Washington, where he studies regional-
and applications. It’s too easy that professors who have never worked in scale, quantitative landslide-risk assessment.
someone can pick a solution and go the field, and that perturbs me. He can be contacted at wpollock@u.
with it, whether or not it actually fits washington.edu.
the problem. That’s how students are j SHANE MARKUS is a master’s student
taught, and it’s a mistake I commonly in civil engineering at the University of
see, but fortunately it’s usually Washington, where he investigates rock-
recognized quickly by experienced mass stability assessment. He can be
people who oversee the work. Again, contacted at [email protected].
it’s a consequence of the overemphasis
on computing rather than on exposure.
This problem is particularly prevalent
in less developed countries. I’m
contacted by builders in these places to
help with tunnels, and it’s clear to me
they sometimes haven’t the slightest
idea what they’re doing. I often advise
them to hire a consultant to help out.
The problems we’ve discussed with
education in the developed world are
not nearly as large as in third-world
countries.
Fortunately, there is a growing
tendency to incorporate practical
exposure in academia by means of
co-op programs. In these, students are
teamed up with companies or consult-
ing organizations. These students work
and get mentored for periods of up to
six months during their undergraduate
degree programs.

Q: Do you have any other advice for

young engineers?
Get out there! Take a break from school
and get out into the real world! I can’t
think of any other way to overcome the
constraints that the university system
has imposed on itself. It’s sad for me,
as a former academic, having come
through universities in a different era,
to see this happening. The tendency
is, today, to treat the university as

www.geoinstitute.org 41
MAY/JUNE ADDRESSING

2018 INFRASTRUCTURE
NEEDS

Sustainability
& Resilience in
Transportation
Infrastructure
Geotechnics
Integrating Advanced Technologies
for Better Asset Management
By Anand J. Puppala, PhD, PE, D.GE, F.ASCE, Jasaswee T. Das, EIT, S.M.ASCE,
Tejo V. Bheemasetti, PhD, A.M.ASCE, and Surya S.C. Congress, S.M.ASCE

42 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

 T
he 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development, adopted by the
United Nations General Assembly
in September 2015, enumerates 17 sus-
tainable development goals (SDGs) to be
achieved by the member countries by 2030.
The resolution highlights the importance of
sustainable cities and communities to their
future needs for sustenance and livability.
Transportation infrastructure like roads,
embankments, bridges, railroads, airports,
docks, and canals serve as pathways for
the mobility of people, goods, and services,
and form the backbone of cities and
communities. The construction, operation,
and rehabilitation of these facilities puts
significant strain on the local, state, and
federal agencies, for example by depleting
natural resources and contributing to the
Pavement damage in North Texas
caused by a slope failure.
global carbon footprint and greenhouse gas
emissions. Further, these features stimulate
anthropocentric (i.e., human beings are
the most significant entity of the universe)
development in a region that affects land-
use patterns and influences the demography
of communities.

www.geoinstitute.org 43
 economic, and environ-
mental benefits — as well as
resilient — possessing the
ability to recover from man-
made and natural hazard
events in the shortest span
of time.
Geotechnics play a
major role in terms of
employing new materials,
devising novel strategies,
and harnessing advanced
technologies for holistic
stewardship of the country’s
transport infrastructure.
Some sustainable, geotech-
nical solutions involving
alternate materials and
sustainable construction
processes include innova-
tive ground improvement
methods, use of recycled
and alternate materials in
construction, biotechnical
and nature-inspired
slope stabilization, use of
geosynthetics and natural
Figure 1. Effect of soil reuse on sustainability factors. fibers for soil reinforcement,
foundation reuse and
retrofitting, geothermal pile
The onus is on engineers to seek sustainable approaches foundations, and reuse of natural geomaterials for rehabilita-
to offset the adverse environmental and socio-economic tion and maintenance of infrastructure.
consequences of emerging and existing transport infrastructure. In the direct aftermath of large disasters, such as hurri-
Geotechnics, being an integral element of almost every such canes, earthquakes, or snowstorms, the preservation and
infrastructure feature and development, can be leveraged resilience of transportation infrastructure is extremely crucial
to enhance the overall sustainability of the transportation for economic growth of the region and restoring mobility. The
network. Increasingly, there’s consensus that the oppor- quick, post-disaster restoration of transportation systems
tunities for incorporating sustainability are highest at the requires a smart, reliable, and efficient way of assessing the
project-planning phase, and progressively these opportunities damages and then addressing and restoring the infrastructure
decrease as a project moves toward the implementation to a functional state. Because information regarding local soils
stages. Geotechnical components (e.g., pavements, slopes, and their property variations is insufficient after these extreme
embankments, bridges, and tunnels) are built at the incipient events, geotechnical engineering is often guided by judgement
stages of construction. These components can influence the and experience, and the probable ranges of soil properties
sustainability of transportation infrastructure in subsequent must be estimated for design. Best practices for property char-
phases of construction, so considering their importance at acterization and comprehensive hazard analysis are rapidly
early project stages is essential. growing areas of research.
The poor state of America’s transportation infrastructure is
reflected in the 2017 ASCE Report Card, which rates it at a sub- Using Alternate Materials and Methods
par D+. The ranking emphasizes the exigency for sustainable Ground improvement methods focus on altering the engineer-
and resilient solutions to the nation’s burgeoning infrastructure ing properties of the ground to satisfy design specifications
demands. The report advocates the use of alternate materials, and construction requirements. Present-day improvement
innovative approaches, and smart technologies to ensure that techniques involve different levels of soil treatments — shal-
our infrastructure is sustainable — yielding significant social, low, medium, and deep — and employ a range of mechanisms

44 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

such as compaction, dewatering, reinforcement, and the alternate to conventional backfill materials in port structures
addition of admixtures to amend the soil. Recently concluded to reduce lateral earth pressures and liquefaction potential.
field studies by researchers at the University of Texas at Sustainability of transport infrastructure can also be
Arlington (UTA) for the Texas Department of Transportation enhanced by the reuse of natural geomaterials and recycled
(TxDOT) used additives such as lime, cement, and fly ash aggregates for new construction and rehabilitation projects
to stabilize the weak, sulfate-rich subgrades encountered at (Figure 1). Asphalt pavements can be recycled and reused as
many construction sites in the state. For example, a project in reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), which is a beneficial sub-
Haltom City, TX, involved applying the deep-soil mixing (DSM) stitute to virgin aggregates in roadway construction. Studies
technique for stabilizing expansive subsoils along the I-820 suggest that concrete used in construction can be recycled and
corridor north of Fort Worth. As part of another project for the reused as earthwork material. For the Integrated Pipeline (IPL)
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, researchers at UTA attempted project that supplies water to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex,
sustainable biopolymer treatments to arrest surficial cracking the excavated soil was chemically amended for use as backfill
on the slopes at Joe Pool Dam and Grapevine Dam in Fort and bedding material.
Worth, TX. For a state highway extension project involving A wide variety of geosynthetics and sustainable polymeric
SH360 in Arlington, TX, recycled materials such as reclaimed materials can be used in transport infrastructure geotechnics.
asphalt pavement and cement-stabilized quarry fines were Incorporating geogrids increases the bearing capacity of soil
successfully used as pavement base materials. significantly, and the use of conventional geogrids and geotex-
The use of recycled materials and waste products is tiles for soil reinforcement is well established. Researchers at
rapidly gaining traction in transportation geotechnics. Fly UTA are studying the behavior of geocell-reinforced pavements
ash, a byproduct of coal combustion, is routinely combined with reclaimed asphalt pavement bases. Efforts are underway
with lime for stabilization of expansive clayey soils having to seek more sustainable alternatives for soil reinforcement.
high sulfate content. Industrial byproducts such as steel slag A recent development includes a geogrid manufactured from
fines and quarry dust are used with lime or cement to impart recycled plastic bottles, which is a cost-effective solution as
strength and stiffness to the treated soils. Shredded rubber compared to conventional geogrids.
tires have been used to mitigate swelling in expansive clayey It’s estimated that 40 percent of Texas bridges have “bump”
soils. Granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) has been used as an issues due to settlement of the approach slabs. Expanded

Figure 2. Geofoam blocks to mitigate bridge settlement.

www.geoinstitute.org 45
Figure 3. Combined assessment framework with output displayed as a radar chart.

polystyrene (EPS) geofoam, a lightweight polymeric fill Devising Novel Tools and Strategies
material, was successfully implemented as a remedial measure A comprehensive assessment of sustainability and resilience is
to mitigate this settlement at a bridge approach slab on U.S. necessary prior to deploying alternate materials and innovative
Highway 67 in Johnson County, TX (Figure 2). The lightweight methods for the construction and maintenance of transport
geofoam reduces stress on the underlying soft soils and infrastructure. A number of metrics, tools, and rating systems
decreases time-dependant slab settlement. Data recorded from exist to evaluate system sustainability. Some are qualitative
inclinometers at the site show a total settlement of less than in nature, involving color-coded indicators and point-based
1 in. over a three-year monitoring period compared to 1 in. indicators, while others follow a life cycle assessment (LCA)-
per year for conventional construction. This technology has based approach. A life cycle assessment has two components:
been proven to provide high-quality, long-term, sustainable life cycle inventory (LCI) and environmental impact assessment
benefits, because it can mitigate approach slab settlements (EIA). Resource consumption is determined through LCI via
and associated repair works. energy (or mass) accounting. EIA consists of impact categories
Recent advances in sustainable geotechnics, with partic- such as global warming potential, ozone depletion potential,
ular relevance to transport infrastructure, include microbial acidification potential, eutrophication potential, and human
geotechnology, geothermal pile foundations, biotechnical toxicity potential. The economic impacts are gauged through a
soil stabilization, and modification of clay behavior using life cycle costing (LCC) analysis.
nanotechnology. As part of an ongoing study sponsored In addition to sustainability, it’s also imperative to
by TxDOT, UTA researchers are exploring the feasibility of consider the resilience of an infrastructure to natural and
using geothermal energy to melt snow and ice from Texas human-induced hazards. However, few models consider the
roads during winter. Biotechnical stabilization involves resilience characteristics of the infrastructure in tandem
placing live and dead plant cuttings along a transportation with sustainability. The objective of resilience evaluation is
corridor to mechanically stabilize embankment slopes. Two to permit assessment of the condition of the infrastructure
novel ground-improvement techniques are also gaining so that its performance can be projected over its life cycle.
prominence — one involves the application of microbes Researchers generally characterize resilience through four
(microbiologically induced calcite precipitation) to impart properties: (a) robustness, or the capacity to withstand a
strength and stiffness to loose sands, and the other uses certain level of stress without loss of function; (b) redun-
nanotechnology for modifying the behavior of weak clays. dancy, dictated by the extent to which a component can be
Field verification studies are in progress, and more details replaced in the event of damage; (c) resourcefulness, or the
will be forthcoming. ability to identify distress; and (d) rapidity with which the

46 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

 the radar chart. The different metrics
of sustainability and resilience are
depicted in Figure 3. The area enclosed
on the radar chart is indicative of the
degree of sustainability and resilience
of a system. For this particular project,
6 percent lime is the best alternative, as
it occupies the least area on the radar
chart (less impact across all categories).

Harnessing Advanced
Technologies
The poor condition of transportation
infrastructure in the U.S. was high-
lighted previously. Several pressing
issues, including obsolescence,
rapid industrialization, population
growth, human-induced disturbances,
durability issues, age, and others, are
counterproductive to infrastructure
sustainability and hinder sustainable
development of communities. Identi­
fying distress and bottlenecks in
the system without delay is a key to
losses are contained. Any considerations of sustainability sustainable asset management and is regarded as a proactive
without accounting for resilience would render the goal of approach to manage the infrastructure. The geotechnical
sustainable development unrealized. assets of transportation infrastructure should be subjected
Recognizing the need to balance the sustainability and to periodic health monitoring using cutting-edge instru-
resilience aspects of an infrastructure, researchers at UTA mentation and advanced technologies. Departments of
developed a framework for the combined assessment of transportation (DOTs), city administrations, and other stake-
sustainability and resilience of transport infrastructure holders should devise appropriate monitoring protocols,
involving different design or construction alternatives. rehabilitation measures, and contingency plans for effective
The framework is based on a multi-criteria analysis that asset management.
integrates project-specific metrics of resilience into an LCA Conventional intrusive and non-intrusive (non-destruc-
methodology. The individual metrics (impact categories) tive) studies and field instrumentation, along with smart
of sustainability — resource consumption, environmental monitoring, prevail in practice. Remote-sensing techniques
impact, and socio-economic impact — and the metrics and photogrammetry studies using light detection and
of resilience — robustness, redundancy, resourcefulness, ranging (LiDAR) cameras, satellites, and unmanned aerial
and rapidity — are attached weights based on their relative vehicles (UAVs) can be employed for remote and forensic
importance. Then a combined sustainability and resilience monitoring, and distress detection in transportation
index called ICSR is introduced to designate the overall quality infrastructure. UTA researchers, in collaboration with TxDOT
of the infrastructure. The results of the analysis are plotted and the National Science Foundation, are deploying UAVs
on a radar chart (Figure 3), and the candidate method that for structural health monitoring of bridges and pavements,
occupies the least area on the chart is denoted as the most as well as rail corridor and material stockpile estimations.
suitable alternative. Figure 4 shows a UAV conducting an inspection of a rail
The assessment shown in Figure 3 was conducted for bridge near Presidio, TX. UAV-based studies for inspection
a subgrade stabilization project for a high-volume road in of critical infrastructure have been recently recognized
Fannin County, TX. As part of the TxDOT-supported field as an important priority. As promulgated by presidential
study, UTA researchers constructed two test sections and memorandum, the U.S. DOT was directed to implement
attempted to stabilize the sulfate-rich expansive clays using the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot Program
two combinations of chemical additives — (a) 6 percent (UIPP). Outcomes from this initiative in coming years should
lime + 3 percent fly ash, and (b) 6 percent lime, one for each include more innovative tools and algorithms to use UAVs for
test section. The two alternatives are denoted as 1 and 2 on infrastructure monitoring and asset management.

www.geoinstitute.org 47
Figure 4. Deployment of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for structural health monitoring.

The Way Forward j ANAND J. PUPPALA, PhD, PE, D.GE, F.ASCE, is the associate dean
A comprehensive asset management strategy for new of research and Distinguished Teaching and Scholar Professor in the
infrastructure needs to be formulated by incorporating Department of Civil Engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington.
transportation geotechnics principles, which would comprise He has been actively involved in research related to in-situ testing,
of three components: ground improvement, and sustainable design and construction for the
past 30 years. He can be reached at [email protected].
 ssessing sustainable and resilient alternatives — This
1. A
includes implementation of the combined assessment j JASASWEE T. DAS, EIT, S.M.ASCE, is a doctoral candidate in the
framework to designate the most sustainable and resilient Department of Civil Engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington.
alternatives prior to construction. Opportunities to imple- He focuses on developing tools to assess the sustainability and
ment sustainability are highest at this phase, and the choice resilience of civil/geotechnical infrastructure. He is the immediate past
of sustainable alternatives could contribute to the overall president of the Geo-Institute chapter at UTA. He can be reached at
sustainability of the infrastructure in the latter stages. [email protected].
 tilizing alternate materials and methods — Reusing mate-
2. U
rials and incorporating alternate materials in construction j TEJO V. BHEEMASETTI, PhD, A.M.ASCE, is a post-doctoral fellow
enhances the sustainability of the infrastructure. The and adjunct professor at The University of Texas at Arlington. He works
combined assessment undertaken in the first step yields on research topics related to risk and reliability analysis, geostatistical
the selection of appropriate materials for construction interpolations, optimizing test data, and sustainability and resilience
or rehabilitation, and reduces wastes generated during analyses for geotechnical engineering structures. He serves on
construction. technical committees of the Transportation Research Board and the
 arnessing new technologies — The final step involves health
3. H Geo-Institute. He can be reached at [email protected].
monitoring of assets at regular intervals after construction
or commissioning. A robust monitoring program, coupled j SURYA S.C. CONGRESS, S.M.ASCE, is a doctoral student in the
with advanced technologies using UAV platforms and others, Department of Civil Engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington.
could be used to proactively manage the infrastructure and He is involved in research related to applications of unmanned aerial
reduce premature failures. vehicles (UAV) to structural health monitoring and pavement forensics.
He can be reached at [email protected].
These three components would add to infrastructure per-
formance, and mitigate rehabilitation costs and related traffic
delays from infrastructure distress and failures.

48 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

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MAY/JUNE ADDRESSING

2018 INFRASTRUCTURE
NEEDS

Proactive Management
of Landside- and
Rockfall-Prone Slopes
A New Program for Federal Land
Management Agencies
By Douglas A. Anderson, LG, LEG, Darren L. Beckstrand, RG, CEG,
Eric Bilderback, PhD, LG, Eli Cuelho, PE, and Evan Garich, PE, M.ASCE

50 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

M
ost people realize that the nation’s transportation infrastructure is aging
faster than federal, state, and local governments can manage with
traditional methods. In fact, a national and international trend is occurring
where stakeholders are moving toward better management
of transportation assets through the concepts of asset
management. Asset management focuses on the long-term
performance of assets at the lowest, long-term costs.
Key components of asset management include
maintaining assets in a state of good repair, meeting
performance requirements in a cost-effective
manner, considering life-cycle costs, and
maintaining a functioning network.
Applying the concepts of transportation asset man-
agement to bridges and pavements is now required at
the federal and state level in 23 U.S. Code § 119, which
established a national highway performance program
in 2012. Transportation asset management is gradually
becoming commonplace in departments and agencies
with significant transportation-related assets. Following
30 years of successful implementation of slope inven-
tory and rating systems, there has been a move toward
applying asset-management principles and processes
to geotechnical assets during the past decade.
Historically, most agencies have generally reacted
to geotechnical problems as they arose, whether the
issue was a landslide, a failed embankment, or a road
closure due to rockfall events. More recently, asset-
management principles and processes are being applied
to geotechnical assets as a greater understanding of —
and an appreciation for — the role of these “dirt” assets
in transportation systems has developed. Geotechnical
asset management (GAM) is increasingly recognized
as an integral part of corridor functionality, and should
therefore be managed as a component of transportation
asset-management programs. More comprehensive pro-
grams have included earth-retaining structures, tunnels,
materials sites (e.g., borrow, pit, and quarry sites), foun-
dations, culverts, rock and soil slopes, embankments,
and other elements of a transportation system.

Why Do It?
Typical unstable rock slope in Transportation corridors for roads and trails contain
Douglas County, OR, that has numerous unstable slopes, both natural and con-
been evaluated with the USMP. structed (cut slopes and embankments), all subject

www.geoinstitute.org 51
 information available to them, the
• Geotechnical Performance Goals and Objectives – a GAM Plan
program has also been designed to
be flexible and scalable, ranging from
• Inventory, USMP Rating and Condition Assessment programmatic-level implementation
to corridor-level use on specific
• Performance Modeling and Measures, Key Performance Indicators project lengths.

• Project Alternatives, Cost and Economic Analysis Defining Principles

The principles of asset management,
performance management, and
• Decision Support – Priority Selection, Short & Long Term Allocation of Funds
risk management formed the basis
of the USMP. Modern, proactive,
• Monitor Performance – Reassess Processes, Performance & Modeling
asset-management-based programs
are designed to maintain assets in a
Figure 1. Geotechnical asset management process roadmap for USMP. state of good repair, meet a required
level of service in the most transpar-
ent and cost-effective manner, and
consider economics and life-cycle
to some form of failure — from slow creep failures to sudden costs for the transportation network as a whole, rather than
rockfall. Often, these slope failures are simple maintenance focus on single assets. Performance management adds in the
nuisances that require an unplanned expenditure of public element of setting and meeting appropriate performance
funds, but sometimes they are serious incidents that cause levels and goals established by the agencies. Risk management
loss of life, injury, and/or property damage, block use of roads is also considered part of the process in the modern systems
or trails, and cost into the millions of dollars to fix. Indirect approach to assess risk cost as an integral part of economic
costs can even be higher when commerce and tourism are analysis. The USMP process flow chart is shown on Figure 1.
disrupted. To help address these problems and demands, the
Federal Lands Management Agencies, through the Federal Standardized Forms
Highway Administration, started research and development The first step in USMP is to inventory and assess the condi-
of the Unstable Slope Management Program (USMP) in 2013, tion of unstable slopes within the transportation study area.
when it was recognized that GAM for unstable slopes could be To this end, standardized forms have been developed with
adapted for federal agencies’ use. rating criteria and for associated hazards and risks. This work
Several state transportation agencies have some form builds on the framework of GAM programs that have been
of management system for unstable slopes. Most of these started at several state DOTs, including Alaska, Montana,
programs have inventory and rating systems, but have not Washington, Oregon, and Colorado, among others (see the
taken steps to integrate unstable slope programs with broader March/April 2014, GAM-themed issue of GEOSTRATA, where
transportation asset-management techniques. Some of these some of these programs are described). After developing
strategies include: the initial rating form, a field demonstration was performed
oo Establishing performance objectives and goals on approximately 20 unstable slopes. This was done with
oo Developing benefit/cost analyses to prioritize unstable partnering federal agencies (National Park Service, U.S. Forest
slopes for risk-reduction interventions or mitigation Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Indian
oo Tracking adverse events and maintenance efforts in a way Affairs), and was used to finalize rating categories, criteria,
that communicates deterioration of slopes and forms.
Although developed based on the needs of the partnering
A few agencies have taken steps to address unstable slopes federal agency stakeholders, the USMP is relevant and
from the standpoint of risk management, but there is no sys- applicable to several other federal agencies, as well as state,
tematic and transparent prioritization process that is currently county, and local departments of transportation. The USMP
being utilized. was designed to meet the Moving Ahead for Progress in the
The USMP has been developed for roads and trails 21st Century Act (Map-21) and the Fixing America’s Surface
where unstable rock and soil slopes can compete equally. It Transportation Act (FAST) guidance. The standardized, multi-
specifically addresses lower-volume roads, thawing slopes, agency, unstable slope rating categories fall into three groups:
environmental and cultural impacts, right-of-way, and 1. Preliminary rating
includes unstable slope hazards and risks in one relative rating 2. Detailed hazard rating
score. Recognizing federal agencies have differing needs and 3. Detailed risk rating

52 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

 Numeric scores are calculated based on the conditions and landslides, slopes are scored over nine additional hazard
observed at the time the slope is rated; these scores form the categories beyond the two preliminary hazard-rating catego-
basis of the preliminary and the detailed total USMP ratings. ries. Three hazard-rating categories are the same for soil and
All sites identified for potential inclusion in the Federal Lands rock slope assets: slope drainage, annual rainfall, and slope
Management Agencies’ unstable slopes database receive height/axial length. Due to the different failure types for rock
preliminary ratings that are intended to be rapidly assessed slopes and soil slopes, the remaining six rating categories
and provide guidance on whether to continue through the differ between the two asset types. For landslides and
more detailed hazard and risk-rating assessment. Preliminary erosion failures, the remaining hazard categories describe
rating categories include: the roadway or trail width affected, landslide/erosion effects,
oo Roadway width affected roadway or trail length affected, thaw stability, instability-
oo Slide/erosion effects related maintenance frequency, and movement history.
oo Roadway length affected (for landslides) For rockfalls, the remaining hazard categories describe ditch
oo Ditch effectiveness effectiveness, rockfall history, rockfall event size, rockfall-
oo Rockfall history related maintenance frequency, and two differing cases of
oo Block size/volume (for rockfall) geologic character.
oo Impacts on users and the roadway/trail importance (for all The detailed risk ratings seek to describe the potential
landslides and rockfalls) impacts of an adverse event on the traveling public, the
agency, and the environment and cultural resources if an
If a slope’s preliminary rating score is fair to poor, a detailed adverse event should occur. There are nine additional,
hazard and risk assessment is performed. detailed, risk-rating categories beyond the two preliminary
The detailed hazard ratings seek to assess the likelihood risk-rating categories. The risk-rating categories are the same
of a landslide or rockfall occurring at a site. For both rockfalls for all unstable slope types.

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www.geoinstitute.org 53
 possibly making an error, or hav-
ing to organize site photographs
and upload them one at a time
for each site. The mobile appli-
cations eliminate these issues
and are very efficient. Figures 2
and 3 display the website and
mobile-platform interfaces.

Preliminary Conceptual
Design and Cost
Estimating
The USMP rating and condition
scores help “categorize” the poor,
fair, and good slopes together
for the next step of the USMP
process. From the relative rating
scores, a smaller group of highly
rated, unstable slopes can be
Figure 2. The “Searching and Reporting” dropdown menu from the USMP website (top) assessed by a slope-stability
and selection boxes displayed within the USMP website “Slope Rating Information professional to develop prelim-
Search” (bottom). inary conceptual designs and
cost estimates for the agency
to consider. The relative USMP
Within the USMP, there are two other forms that can ratings and conceptual design and cost estimates are intended
be used to support the management and decision support to feed the benefit/cost analyses and help agencies proactively
system: request funding and plan for needed interventions to reduce
1. New Slope Event Form — used by agency employees to the risk of unstable-slope events.
report unstable slope events that can be directed to agency
managers for follow-up and possible inclusion in the USMP. Benefit/Cost Formulation and Analyses
2. Maintenance Tracking Form — used by field maintenance The final step in implementing the USMP is to apply benefit/
crews to track normal, scheduled maintenance activities cost analyses to prioritize risk reduction and mitigation
associated with unstable slopes already in the agency’s efforts in a prioritized order for long-term planning and
USMP inventory and new unstable-slope events requiring programming. These analyses integrate the data collected in
intervention maintenance. This form can be used to capture previous steps (e.g., asset condition and corridor importance)
the level of effort and associated costs required to maintain into a single metric, which allows straightforward, transparent,
the roadway or trail, reopen the road or trail, or preserve the and defensible project prioritization. The need for this priori-
integrity of the roadway through specialized maintenance tization arises from funding limitations faced by every agency,
projects to reduce the likelihood of unplanned unstable where the total cost of all deserving projects almost always
slope events. More importantly, the information can be used exceeds the available funds.
to predict deterioration rates (life cycles) for geotechnical Benefit/cost calculations enable planners to consistently
elements, such as rock reinforcement, draped mesh and net- determine the maximum benefit achievable for a given
ting systems, lightweight fills, and geosynthetic-reinforced amount of funding based, of course, on the quality and com-
embankments, to name a few. prehensiveness of data in the asset-management database. In
a final list of prioritized, unstable-slope projects, the projects
These forms can be filled out in the mobile applications that provide maximum benefit to the user for minimum
(iOS and Android) that were developed as part of this tool. funding will be prioritized when allocating budget resources.
The rating forms are web-based and designed to be filled out Considerations, like one-way access in and out of a popular
electronically in the field with uploaded site photographs, tourist destination or private inholdings, reduction in main-
although paper forms can be used as well. The forms can tenance costs, and improving the resiliency of transportation
be filled out in the absence of an Internet connection and corridors, must also be considered by the agency as it develops
uploaded into the database when an Internet connection is priority routes for implementing the USMP data to support
re-established, eliminating the need to enter data twice and organizational decisions.

54 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

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 for decision-making. This is useful if USMP ratings have not
been conducted in a corridor, or as a supplemental tool to help
prioritize a subset of highly rated slopes by putting them in a
“perceived” societal hazard and risk context for the public and
decision-makers.

Information Sharing
To manage the information developed in the USMP,
researchers have developed an open-source, searchable
database that’s integrated with a GIS-based platform to map
and present the information. The database is exportable into
an open format (comma separated values, .csv) that permits
data to be incorporated into a variety of text and geodatabase
formats. The searchable data from the USMP forms are largely
dropdown selections to maintain the quality and integrity of
the data for searchability. The search and reporting function
on the website allows agencies to export the data to their
internal database, if desired.

Figure 3. The USMP mobile app selection menu. Benefits of GAM

By inventorying and assessing unstable slopes within a
Four alternative methods for calculating benefit/cost ratios selected agency (or subset thereof), incremental improvements
have been developed for integration in the USMP. A range of to the entire inventory can be tracked when maintenance
methods were developed because differing levels of data may is performed or more significant improvements are made.
be available within each federal agency. The most rigorous Tracking these events is useful for managing the program and
approach may be used if the average daily traffic, detour understanding the life cycle of geotechnical assets, similar
lengths, and an estimate of the environmental cost of a slope to our current understanding of pavement and bridge life
failure are known. In this case, the benefits and costs may be cycles. As repeated cycles of slope ratings are conducted, the
calculated using: condition may change, and performance can be tracked.
For the Federal Lands Management Agencies’ USMP,
performance measures connect the agency objectives, goals,
and policies with the performance metrics based on the
When less information is available, a priority index may be slope-condition rating system. Performance measures and
calculated using: key performance indicators relate to an agency’s progress,
as measured by the condition ratings, to improve the overall
condition of an agency’s slope assets. For agencies with strate-
where “ADT” is the average daily traffic and “Size” is the gic goals and organized, comprehensive programs to address
estimated square footage of face for rock slopes or the linear the current and future condition, cost, and performance of
extent along the roadway for landslides. their respective asset portfolios, it is possible to create a useful
If less agency information is available, intermediate alter- USMP program integrated in the agency’s existing asset-
natives may be used between the calculated benefit/cost ratio management plan.
and the USMP score priority index. The goal of the USMP is to proactively plan and implement
transparent decisions for the greatest benefit of the users
Quantitative Risk Analysis and to invest in the wisest approaches to making our
Quantitative risk analysis (QRA) is another decision-support transportation corridors more resilient with limited funding.
tool inside the larger USMP. This work has been adapted from Incorporating measures to preserve existing geotechnical
information collected and published following the massive assets maximizes system performance at the lowest lifecycle
recent earthquakes in New Zealand. The information has cost. In the end, slope assets are usually the largest asset-cost
been adapted by the National Park Service Geologic Resources component within transportation agencies, with some state
Division to help communicate unstable-slope hazards and inventories exhibiting more than three times the replacement
their related risk to decision-makers and the public. The costs than a state’s bridge inventory. The tool presented
purpose of the QRA is to compare estimated risk at any provides an efficient and valuable approach to managing that
unstable-slope site with other societal risks to provide context asset, the USMP for Federal Lands Management Agencies.

56 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

j DOUGLAS A. ANDERSON, LG, LEG, is an engineering j ERIC BILDERBACK, PhD, LG, is a geomorphologist and
geologist with the Western Federal Lands Highway Division lead for the Geologic Hazards & Disturbed Lands Program
of the Federal Highway Administration in Vancouver, WA. for the National Park Service’s Geologic Resource Division in
He is responsible for design and construction of transporta- Lakewood, CO. He is responsible for servicewide guidance
tion-related geotechnical projects in the northwest U.S. and and technical assistance on active geologic processes. He
Alaska. He has 23 years of engineering geology experience can be reached at [email protected].
gained from FHWA, Washington State DoT, the USFS, and
Kenneth G. Neal and Associates, Inc. He can be reached at j ELI CUELHO, PE, is a senior engineer at Texas Research
[email protected]. International (TRI), where he manages the transportation
research, testing, and services division. He has project expe-
j DARREN L. BECKSTRAND, RG, CEG, is a senior geologist rience related to geotechnical engineering, geosynthetic
with Landslide Technology in Portland, OR. His areas of and pavement design and analysis, and remote sensing and
expertise include geotechnical instrumentation, geotechnical data acquisition equipment. He can be reached at ecuelho@
asset management, and the evaluation, investigation, and tri-env.com.
mitigation of landslide and rockfall hazards. He serves as
the deputy co-chair for the Transportation Research Board’s j EVAN GARICH, PE, M.ASCE, is a geotechnical engineer with
subcommittee on Geotechnical Asset Management. He can the Western Federal Lands Highway Division of the Federal
be reached at [email protected]. Highway Administration in Vancouver, WA. He is responsible
for the design of geotechnical assets along transportation
corridors. He can be reached at [email protected].

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www.geoinstitute.org 57
MAY/JUNE ADDRESSING

2018 INFRASTRUCTURE
NEEDS

PALEOFLOOD ANALYSES
FOR DAM AND LEVEE
SAFETY ASSESSMENTS
Was That Really the “500-Year Flood”?
By Keith I. Kelson, C.E.G.

Sandy, bedded flood deposits representing several flood events along the Missouri River in North Dakota.

58 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

 “We ain’t seen no water as high as ago, or even farther back in time, although many studies
that barn right there, even since are now focused on assessing the size and recurrence
before Grandpappy Joe lived here of large prehistoric floods within shorter time periods
on the ranch. He said that, just (hundreds to thousands of years) that are applicable to
before he passed away last spring- safety assessments of engineered structures.
time. So, we’re good about putting Paleoflood analysis is the application of paleoflood
our house down close to the barn, hydrology for assessing flood hazards to, and risks
no problem.” associated with, critical infrastructure. It characterizes
the magnitude and timing of large, rare floods applied
You’re likely to hear something like this if you’ve ever to society’s needs for improved engineering decisions.
walked down to the river and stumbled upon the local The value of paleoflood analysis, then, lies in the ability
rancher who takes to talking about the way things work. to apply the science of paleoflood hydrology to flood
Usually there’s a kernel of truth in the seemingly idle hazards, in much the same way that paleoseismology
talk. While you might not want to bring up the subject of assesses earthquake hazards, and paleotempestology
“science” during that conversation, the kernel of truth helps define hurricane hazards. Paleoflood analyses
is that these observations from the past can help assess characterize hydrologic hazards to critical infrastructure
the chance of future flooding because there may be no systems that border or cross rivers, including bridges,
other recollections about significant floods. While it power plants, dams, and levees, as well as housing tracts,
might seem just fine to keep the ranch house down by environmental habitats, cultural resource sites, and many
the river, you might also understand that the time since other societally important features.
Grandpappy Joe lived there is not long enough to cap- Early engineering designs often considered only
ture an adequate history of flooding. The decision to put existing historical and systematic (gaged) streamflow
a house down there (can you believe on the floodplain, records, which are short compared to the recurrence
gosh darn it) would be based on a short history of only of large storms and floods. Most systematic hydrologic
maybe 50 years, and might not be so wise. records in the U.S. are less than about 100 years old;
If you were a scientist, you might want more streamflow records approaching 200 years in time are
information before putting the ranch house down by very unusual. So, how do we know what the “500-year
the river; that is, evidence showing an absence of past flood” is, without data from at least a few hundred years
flooding, or perhaps evidence of exactly how high ago? Perhaps statistical analyses give us confidence
the water has ever been. You would know that a lack in extrapolating limited historical data to longer time
of evidence of flooding in the past few years does not periods, but obtaining paleoflood data can confirm or
demonstrate an absence of flood hazard; a house down refine these extrapolations.
by the river might be at risk anyway. You might want In other words, existing data records may or may not
more information, perhaps from a time period longer adequately capture large, infrequent and potentially
than Grandpappy Joe’s memory. You would want data damaging hydrologic events, so searching out a longer
on the timing and magnitude of past floods, over a time record of floods is warranted. The goal of paleoflood
period that’s as long as you could possibly find. You analyses, then, is to develop defensible scientific data
would want a paleoflood analysis. on the timing and magnitude of large, infrequent
floods, and incorporate these data into long-term flow
All about Paleoflood Analyses frequency statistics for critical infrastructure systems.
Paleoflood hydrology is the study of ancient floods: the The question is, how do we do this?
study of where and when large floods occurred, and of
how large they really were. There’s considerable literature How Are Paleofloods Analyzed?
written about past floods, biblical or otherwise — some
works describe huge Pleistocene “mega-floods,” such “Back in the day, Grandpappy Joe
as those along the Columbia River; others summarize told us he could dig a shallow hole
the science and explain why and where extreme floods and then tell us when the river last
have occurred. The science of paleoflood hydrology ran high, up close to the corral.
is an established endeavor, one that uses the related We thought he’d had too much
scientific fields of geology, geomorphology, hydrology, sunshine, or maybe too much
hydraulics, and statistics to characterize rare or extreme moonshine!”
floods. Paleoflood hydrology provides evidence of
extreme floods that occurred tens of thousands of years From the science of paleoflood hydrology, various

www.geoinstitute.org 59
 A
techniques for identifying and charac-
Qt3 (PSI)
terizing prehistoric floods have been
AC
developed. Geology and geomorphology
play a big role in identifying physical
evidence of past floods; unusually large
floods often create geomorphically sig-
nificant changes to floodplains and river
C1
Qt2 (NEB) terraces. They can also leave evidence
of high-flood stages that may persist
through geologic time. These pieces
LOP-OSL5
@ 52 cm of evidence, referred to as paleostage
indicators (PSI), can be identified and
dated to give a record of prehistoric
LOP-OSL4
@ 78 cm
floods (Figure 1).
Qt3 Common PSI include slackwater
C2 TP-5
deposits formed in back-eddies near
Qt1 (NEB) tributary mouths or in caves, cobble and
gravel flood bars, erosional scars and
scour lines, and tree scars (Figure 2).
Botanical evidence, such as anomalies
in tree rings, or vertical growths from
broken or inclined tree stems, can
help identify past high-water events.
Archaeological evidence of flooded
or abandoned habitation sites may
also indicate past flooding events.
Figure 1. A geomorphic map showing distribution of fluvial terraces that represent Searching for evidence of past floods
paleostage indicators (PSI) and non-exceedance bounds (NEB) along the Middle Fork need not be restricted to geologic,
Willamette River in central Oregon. Inset: Photo of exposure of silty paleoflood depos- geomorphic, botanical, or archaeologic
its from a paleoflood about 370 years ago. sciences; adaptive and opportunistic
investigations are needed to yield
multiple lines of evidence. Features
that yield well-defined ages are also
critical for evaluating the frequency of
flooding. Common dating techniques
include radiometric analysis of charcoal
fragments or plant matter in sediments,
optically stimulated luminescence dat-
ing of sandy alluvium, tree-ring analysis,
relative soil-profile development, and
cultural artifact analysis.
Another type of evidence useful in
paleoflood analyses are geomorphic
or geologic features that have not been
inundated, known as non-exceedance
bounds (NEB). Common geomorphic
features (e.g., alluvial fans, colluvial
wedges, fluvial terraces) can be utilized
as NEB if they exhibit a lack of flood
Figure 2. Examples of paleostage indicators from the Missouri River in central North erosion or deposition; elevations of
Dakota. The photo on the left shows 4.5-ft-high exposure of slackwater deposits these features provide an upper limit
preserved in a local back-eddy; the photo on the right shows tree scar from ice to past river stages. The time period
impact during flood discharge. that has elapsed since the formation

60 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

of a NEB feature is the interval over which the river has
not flooded to that stage. The range in age of a NEB can be
estimated via dating techniques similar to those for PSI. For
example, the degree of soil development on the surface of
an alluvial-fan deposit can demonstrate that the original fan
surface has not been disturbed over the period of geologic
time needed for this weathering to take place. Geomorphic
and soil characteristics can show that a site has experienced
surface stability (that is, no significant erosion or deposition)
within the past several thousand years or more. Other geologic
dating techniques can sometimes be used to capture the
time interval during which a deposit or landform has not
experienced erosion or deposition. In some cases, uncertainty
about the age of a PSI or NEB drives the level of uncertainty in
the paleodischarge frequency analysis.
Elevations of PSI and/or NEB are used to estimate paleodis-
charge via standard hydraulic methods. Reconnaissance-level
studies use relatively simple slope-conveyance or slope-area
relations to estimate peak discharge based on cross-sectional
area, average water slope, and channel roughness. More
sophisticated models using detailed topography and 2D
hydraulic modeling (e.g., HEC-RAS software, Figure 3) yield
down-valley profiles of water surfaces at various discharges.
To help define uncertainties in paleodischarge estimates,
sensitivity analyses can be run using various water depths for
the PSI or NEB, and varying channel and overbank roughness Figure 3. Example of a 2D hydraulic model derived from HEC-
parameters. These analyses yield interpretations of preferred RAS software, showing calculated flow depths (colors ranging
paleodischarges for each PSI or NEB, as well as a reasonable from orange [deep] to light blue [shallow]) and relative flow
range of paleodischarges. The ranges of paleodischarges, and velocities (white lines); surrounding hillshade elevation map
of PSI or NEB ages, are used in developing flow-frequency (colors ranging from green [≈1700 ft] to red [≈1800 ft] to grey
curves for the river reach. [≈1900 ft]); flow is from top to bottom of figure; Missouri River,
central North Dakota.
What Are Common Paleoflood Results?

“Y’all mean that lookin’ at the dirt in time frame, and are usually expressed as an annual exceedance
that there hole actually does speak to probability, or AEP.
you about when this ranch is gonna get In paleoflood studies, geologic analyses of PSI result
flooded again? The way I figure, when in an associated preferred, and range in, paleodischarge
that 500-year gulley washer comes down, that occurred during a specific time interval. If a NEB is
we’ll all be long dead and buried, so it characterized, results include a range in discharge that has
don’t matter much anyways.” not been exceeded over a given time period. These results are
used directly in statistical analyses to calculate flood AEP for
A common misperception is that “100-year” or “500-year” a given watershed location. Current practice in flood statistics
floods occur once every 100 (or 500) years. This would imply utilize the Expected Moment Algorithm, which incorporates
that large floods occur on a regular basis and are predictable, streamflow data that cannot be represented as individual
which is not the case. While the processes that produce large values, such as data from crest-stage gages, ”fuzzy” historical
floods are becoming better understood, current practice information, and paleoflood results. Paleoflood data are
usually treats each significant event, or group of closely spaced incorporated into astatistical algorithms, along with system-
events, to be independent of preceding events. The occurrence atic and historic data, through use of ”flow intervals” and
of a particularly large flood this year does not preclude the “perception thresholds” (Figure 4). A flow interval represents a
occurrence of another equally, or more, significant flood next range of discharge values for a given flood event, particularly
year. As a result, paleoflood analyses instead provide likeli- for historical floods or paleofloods for which well-constrained
hoods that specific stream flows are exceeded within a selected measurements are unavailable.

www.geoinstitute.org 61
 Historical and Gaged Peak Discharges
100,000
Historical Record Systematic Record
90,000
80,000
The value of paleoflood information
Peak Discharge (cfs)

70,000
60,000 lies in the fact that the effective length
50,000 of the hydrologic record is extended
40,000
beyond the limited time frames of
30,000
20,000
systematic gaging stations and histor-
10,000 ical observations, and provides direct
0
1860 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020
evidence of magnitudes or limits of past
Water Year floods. Although paleoflood data points
Annual Peak Discharge
Historical Peak Discharge
are few and far between compared to
annual peak data from gaging stations,
the ability to look back farther into the
past and glean information on ancient
Paleoflood, Historical, and Gaged Peak Discharges
floods yields much greater confidence,
300,000 both statistically and intellectually, for
250,000 assessing hydrologic AEP.
Peak Discharge (cfs)

Paleoflood Non-Exceedance Bound (200,000 cfs)

200,000

150,000
What Are the Implications of
Paleoflood Discharge (100,000 cfs)
Paleoflood Analyses?
100,000

50,000
“Ah hah! That’s why y’all
0 are doing this hole-diggin’,
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000

Water Year
speculatin’, and head-
scratchin’. It’s all wizardry
Annual Peak Discharge Paleoflood Peak Discharge (High) Paleoflood Non-Exceedance (High)
Paleoflood Non-Exceedance
stuff to me. Glad y’all are on
Historical Peak Discharge Paleoflood Peak Discharge
Paleoflood Peak Discharge (Low) Paleoflood Non-Exceedance (Low) this — keep at it — but I’m
gonna get fixin’ to move the
Figure 4. Example of flow intervals and perception thresholds for use in EMA ranch house up on the hill
flow-frequency analysis. and above that flood plain.”

Perception thresholds are used to describe the range of The implications of having better information about the
discharge that would have been measured or recorded, by likelihood of high-river stages reach across many of our
whatever means (such as historical notes, high-water marks, societal needs. Critical facilities near rivers and creeks can
or geomorphic features). If it is known that Grandpappy be designed or retrofit in ways consistent with the actual
Joe lived next to the river 100 years ago and that he would risk, given that the probabilities of high water are known
have recorded all the large floods during that time, then a or reasonably estimated. Paleoflood information improves
perception threshold would be the smallest flood he would assessment of the most likely probabilities of flooding, and
have noted during his time there if it occurred. A flood that helps evaluate the degree of uncertainty in hazard estimates.
was observed during historical time indicates its discharge For many societally important infrastructure systems, such
was above the perception threshold. The geologic and geo- as nuclear power plants or crucial transportation viaducts,
morphic techniques of paleoflood hydrology provide a means paleoflood analyses may or may not revise the most likely
to estimate perception thresholds over geologic time frames, expected (mean) hazard level, but almost assuredly would
by demonstrating that certain discharges did or did not occur, provide better characterizations of uncertainties surrounding
much like an observation that Grandpappy Joe might have that expected hazard. Often, better information on the
made. If the ranch barn would have been inundated with a likelihood of rare floods will narrow the bands of uncertainty
discharge of, say, 10,000 cfs, then the perception threshold associated with a flow-frequency curve. However, sometimes
must be lower than 10,000 cfs since the barn was built. the level of perceived uncertainty rises, which suggests that
Similarly, if a geologic NEB feature (such as an alluvial fan the original assessment of uncertainty was not quite right—
surface) would have been inundated with a discharge of, say, perhaps not even realistic. Paleoflood analyses, therefore,
50,000 cfs, then the perception threshold must be lower than provide a means to better assess the degree of uncertainty in
that value over the time since the alluvial fan was formed. In a hydrologic system.
other words, the perception thresholds represent the “observ- For example, paleoflood analyses for dams can refine a
able range” of floods, and not necessarily the peak discharges reservoir inflow frequency curve, as derived from the timing
that have actually occurred. and magnitudes of peak discharges in systematic, historic,

62 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

and paleoflood records using
the EMA. Figure 5 shows
hypothetical inflow frequency
curves, illustrating possible
effects of using paleoflood
data. The green line is a curve
generated without paleoflood
data. In some cases, using
paleoflood data suggests that
a large flood (say, 200,000
cfs) is more common than
calculated via historic and
systematic records (blue line
on the figure). In other cases,
incorporating paleoflood
data may indicate that large
floods are less common than
otherwise estimated. Either
of these cases could have
significant implications to
safety assessments of dams or
other facilities. Figure 5. Hypothetical peak inflow frequency curves. The green line represents a
Using systematic hydro- curve developed without paleoflood data; the blue line represents a scenario in which
graph data for flow duration, paleoflood data yield higher frequencies for large floods; the orange line suggests
volume-frequency curves are lower frequencies for large floods. Hypothetical PSI and NEB discharges and age
developed, which then lead ranges are also plotted for illustration.
to “stage-frequency curves.”
These represent how frequently
the reservoir level rises or falls due to water coming in from hazards. Identifying geologic evidence of large prehistoric
tributary watersheds, and going out via reservoir spillway or floods, or the absence of them, is key to extending the record
outlet releases. Stage-frequency curves depict the expected of events beyond the historical and gaged data sets, and to
frequency of loading the dam with water levels that impinge on better capture uncertainties in flood loading calculations. In
a dam, and are essential for assessing dam response for various this way, paleoflood analyses provide a basis for understanding
loads. These data are then used to evaluate the probabilities whether the “500-year flood” is a statistical extrapolation from
of distress and are annually combined with associated eco- a few decades of information, or is truly the discharge with an
nomic or life-loss consequences to evaluate dam safety risk. AEP of 0.002. Simply put, paleoflood analyses can provide real,
Hence, paleoflood analysis is a key component of evaluating physical evidence to address long-term hydrologic hazards.
long-term hydrologic loadings for dam safety, and often is an For the flood that could take Grandpappy Joe’s barn down
integral part of dam safety risk assessment. the valley, paleoflood analyses can tell us, or at least help us
For levees, paleoflood analyses can improve the under- understand — was that really the “500-year flood”?
standing of the likelihood that high river stages will load the
embankment. This information can improve estimates of how
often flood waters will impose on levee components, and for j KEITH I. KELSON is a certified engineering geologist in California,
how long the water will act upon the levee system. A better and has more than 30 years of experience in applying geologic
understanding of the frequency and duration of riverside load- principles to government and consulting engineering projects. His
ing helps assess the likelihoods of levee seepage, foundation work has focused on characterizing seismic and hydrologic hazards
underseepage, and other potential failure modes. for infrastructure projects, including dams, levees, power plants, and
Whether for a dam or a levee, or other types of facilities transportation systems. He currently serves on the U.S. Army Corps
along a river’s edge, a better understanding of the size of Engineers’ Senior Oversight Group for dam and levee safety
and timing of rare floods can help make better decisions evaluations, leads the national Paleoflood Group of the Hydrologic
about protecting the infrastructure. Although not always Hazard Team for the Corps, and is involved in levee and dam
straight-forward, paleoflood analyses are simple in concept, projects throughout the nation. He can be reached at keith.i.kelson@
with a goal of improving the characterization of hydrologic usace.army.mil.

www.geoinstitute.org 63
 WHEN
MAY/JUNE ADDRESSING

2018 INFRASTRUCTURE
NEEDS

BRIDGES,
ROADWAYS,
AND DAMS

64 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

NEED
OUR HELP
Innovative Techniques Can Help Save
Our Nation’s Critical Infrastructure
By Jeff Hill, PE, M.ASCE, and Phillip Gallet, PE, M.ASCE

T
he nation’s infrastruc- • ASCE’s Report Card disclosing repeated low grades
ture is showing its age. dating back to 1988
The signs are obvious • High-profile incidents like failure of the Oroville
with structure distress, lack Dam spillway in California in February 2017, and the
of functionality, and failure I-35 Mississippi River bridge collapse in Minnesota in
reported frequently over August 2007
the last several decades.
Specialty geotechnical • Lack of spending at state and federal levels to
construction techniques may maintain even the current infrastructure condition
provide a solution to help specifications (e.g., in Missouri, transportation spend-
reduce the cost and increase ing is at its lowest levels since 1992; the budget for
the speed of repairing this 2018 is $325 million versus $1.3 billion in 2011)
infrastructure. Direct and • Declining revenue for state DOT funds because the
indirect examples of the federal gas tax rate has not changed since 1992, and
infrastructure woes include: today’s vehicles are more fuel-efficient

www.geoinstitute.org 65
Figure 1. Compaction grouting added volume to the soil lost during consolidation of the bridge fill that caused the bridge bump.

The U.S. public now recognizes that much of its nation’s alternative delivery methods to reduce impacts to the public.
deteriorating infrastructure functions below intended The construction industry is improving the planning and
operating conditions and well beyond the intended design coordination of projects. Aggressive schedules are leading
life. But despite these obvious problems, legislative-directed to double shifting, and new techniques are reducing costs.
funding for repairs remains very tight. In addition to Missouri’s Public agencies have been using public-private-partnership
history, many DOTs now work with smaller budgets than what (P3) financing to help reduce the need for budgets to fund
they had decades ago, and certainly below the budgets needed large, new projects. Such projects often reduce transportation
to effect necessary repair and/or replacement. Deferred access in the form of tolls and may have other disadvantages
maintenance is unfortunately becoming a necessary evil for not yet discovered. These improvements to the construction
these government agencies that are tasked with protecting process often go unrecognized due to recurring failures
the public. Regarding transportation, spending can mean and the public’s resistance to being “inconvenienced” by
implementation of a patching program instead of a roadway construction projects.
replacement. A quick fix to repairing structures can mean new Which innovative techniques can agencies turn to for more
paint and replacement bearings and joints, in combination mainstream, everyday maintenance of their infrastructure that
with structural repair, instead of a necessary bridge replace- will reduce the impact on the public? The answer may be in
ment, for example. No engineer involved with these agencies what lies underneath. A variety of specialty geotechnical tech-
wants to see the infrastructure in such a state of disrepair, but niques has been implemented over the last several decades.
professionals are often stymied due to lack of funding. They provide long-term solutions to geotechnical problems
As the infrastructure continues to wither away, there’s a while achieving cost-effective outcomes with less impact
greater need for healthy budgets at the state and federal levels. on the public. While innovative to many, these construction
Without increases in budget spending, the country will see methods are not new.
more failures, collapses, and potential losses of life. For the
time being, state agencies must stretch existing maintenance Compaction Grouting
and construction dollars, and be more creative when spending First developed in the U.S. during the 1950s, compaction
available funds. grouting was applied by relatively few firms in a limited
Ironically, even as state budgets have shrunk, transporta- geographical area for the first 25 years. As more jobs were
tion agencies, design professionals, and contractors are using completed successfully, the use of the ground-improvement

66 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

technique became more widespread. Since the 1990s, The settlement caused a leak in the tank itself, which aggra-
compaction grouting has been used successfully on a regular vated the rate of settlement of the already poor fill materials. To
basis throughout North America. It can be used to reduce liq- cost-effectively lift the settled tank, the geotechnical specialty
uefaction and sinkhole potential, decrease settlement, increase contractor performed compaction grouting along the exterior
bearing capacity, and stabilize sinkholes. perimeter (Figure 2), densifying the underlying soils and lifting
Compaction grouting is the injection of a low-slump, the settled underground water storage tank. Once the tank was
mortar grout to densify and reinforce soil or fill subsurface lifted to its intended level elevation, repairs were made to the
voids. In lieu of removing and replacing earthen materials, this tank to prevent future leaks.
displacement technique has been used to densify subgrade
soils and even lift settled structures. It is accomplished by: Low-Mobility Grouting Applications
oo Drilling or driving a casing through soft-settled subgrade to a Compaction grouting has been used to remediate a variety of
bearing stratum subgrade problems. Looking at the diversity of projects where
oo Pumping a volume of low-mobility (zero to 2-in. slump) the injection of compaction grout material has been used, a
material into the subgrade to horizontally displace the soft broader term would be low-mobility grouting, which has been
soil as the casing is withdrawn, and then densifying the used to backfill karst sinkholes and voids below bridges and
subgrade in situ by injecting a 100 to 250 psi compressive other structures. Low-mobility grout has the same rheology
strength grout material into the ground and mix design as a compaction grout. However, the term
“low-mobility grout” is used in cases in which compaction of
Once the pumping reaches a volume or pressure cutoff cri- surrounding soils is not possible, or not desired. For example,
teria, the casing is lifted 1 ft, and additional grout is placed in low-mobility grouting has been used to fill voids from aban-
each subsequent lift. When the horizontal pressure exceeds the doned mines. Conventional room and pillar coal mine-related
vertical confining pressure, the structure will start to lift. The grouting projects can be found in many regions of the U.S.
concept is to densify the soil horizontally while limiting uplift where underground mining has occurred, such as southern
of the overburden soil. Once lift is achieved, the path of least Illinois and the Kansas City area. Low-mobility grout is injected
resistance will be the surface, so compaction will be limited.
Specialty contractors have used this technique for a variety of
solutions, such as lifting very heavy structures like tanks and
grain bins, to applications with less-confining pressure like
utility trenches and settled pavement. Compaction grouting is
discussed in further detail in the ASCE publication Compaction
Grouting Consensus Guide.

Sick Bridge Approaches

In New Mexico, I-40 bridge approach slabs were experiencing
settlements of over 4 in. due to soil consolidation, resulting
in pavement settlement and the inevitable “bump at the
end of the bridge.” This was a statewide problem that was
aggravated by a lack of funding preventing a statewide
solution. To minimize disturbance to the motoring public, the
geotechnical specialty contractor closed one lane at a time and
worked during the night shift to densify the underlying settled
subgrade. Drill holes were patched before the end of every
shift and reopened during daylight hours for normal roadway
operations. The compaction-grouting process added volume
to the soil that had been lost during consolidation (Figure 1).
Compaction grouting reduced the bump, thereby improving
the quality of the motorists’ experience, and more importantly,
reducing the dynamic impact of truck traffic.

A Leaky Tank
In Broomfield, CO, a flat-bottomed, concrete, underground Figure 2. Settlement from poorly placed fill caused a leak in a
water storage tank for public drinking water was differentially water storage tank (Broomfield, CO) and required compaction
settling due to poorly compacted fill beneath half of the tank. grouting to correct the issue.

www.geoinstitute.org 67
 through a series of holes drilled into
the abandoned coal mine. It then forms
pillars to support the mine roof, or in
some cases, forms a barrier that encloses
the high-mobility grout pumped inside.
Geotechnical construction
techniques vary as much as the soils
that construction specialists work in,
and this is especially important when
attempting to modify the subgrade with
compaction grouting. There is no “one
size fits all” technique that can repair
all foundation distress. As a cautionary
note, however, compaction grouting
must be evaluated by an experienced
professional prior to application.

Collapsed Mines and Tunnels

Low-mobility grouting has been used
successfully in many Rocky Mountain
locations, such as on I-70 in Colorado to
fill “wildcat” mine shafts that had never
been located until the top of the shaft
collapsed, resulting in a sinkhole. In
this case, drill holes were used, and the
Figure 3. State Highway 24 closed north of Leadville, CO, where a tunnel collapsed. grouting not only filled the voids, but
also improved the soils disturbed by the
mining operations. Another example of
low-mobility grouting in Colorado is the
filling of a historic railroad tunnel that
had collapsed from age and exposure
to the elements. When the tunnel
collapsed, State Highway 24 was closed
north of Leadville, CO (Figure 3). The
contractor mobilized equipment to the
site and started placing low-mobility
grout within a few hours of the collapse
to open SH 24 before the start of a
popular bicycling event that benefits the
local economy.

Soil Nails
Segmental block walls are another
type of infrastructure that seem to fail
with greater frequency than other wall
types. While these walls have been
successfully used in the U.S. for the last
four decades, there have been some
structures that have not performed as
anticipated. Many of these performance
failures have been associated with
Figure 4. The movement of a grade separation MSE wall impacted two roadways in improper applications and poor con-
Irving, TX. struction practices, such as improper

68 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

Figure 5. The specialty contractor’s design-build solution included installing soil nails to minimize impact on the main roadway.

backfilling or misaligning reinforcing straps. Repairs are The owner requested a solution for the repair from specialty
accomplished by advancing and grouting soil nails into the geotechnical contractors. To minimize impacts on the main
ground mass behind the face of the failed wall and engaging roadway at the higher elevation, soil nails were installed
the nails with a new structural wall that covers the failed wall. using top-down construction directly behind the face of the
wall, as seen in Figure 5. This approach dramatically reduced
Failed MSE Wall impact to the public and allowed the new wall to be built in
One repair example is a mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) close proximity to the location of the previous wall. Top-down
wall in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that sits on highly expansive construction allowed for removal of the wall incrementally
soils that are subjected to the forces applied by soils that while soil nails and shotcrete were installed. The nails were
undergo volumetric changes. During the summer of 2012, installed to provide resistance against the horizontal soil forces
record-breaking, dry summer heat desiccated the expansive by extending them well beyond the original length of the MSE
clays. When fall arrived and temperatures subsided, autumn wall reinforcing straps.
rains filled the desiccation cracks in the expansive soils. As
the clays rehydrated, the water-filled cracks caused the clay Micropiles
to expand. Several walls were subjected to horizontal and Micropiles have been around since the early 1950s. They were
vertical forces that exceeded what they had been designed for, originally developed in Italy to help repair buildings damaged
resulting in undesirable movement. Perhaps the most dramatic during World War II. The first micropile project in North
site was on State Highway 161 in Irving, TX. The wall slid nearly America was in the 1970s. By the 1980s and 1990s, their use
2 ft horizontally. Despite the movement, the wall remained had expanded in the U.S. for a variety of infrastructure proj-
intact and continued carrying traffic loads. Because traffic is so ects, and micropiles are now a standard in the construction
heavy in that area, the roadway could not be closed for repairs. industry. The Federal Highway Administration first released
Unfortunately, the wall slid into the shoulder of an adjacent a manual on the design and construction of micropiles in
road below, resulting in repair work that impacted not just one 1997. After the engineering community accepted this manual,
roadway, but two (Figure 4). micropiles became a staple in the engineer’s toolbox for

70 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

low-headroom, restricted-access work.
They can be installed in as little as 6
ft of headroom without vibration. As
such, they are often installed beneath
existing structures, as was the case in the
following project.

Temporary Structural Support

Micropiles were the perfect solution for
construction to replace gusset plates
and bearings on a bridge in Kansas City,
KS. The bridge, owned by the Kansas
DOT, had been built similarly to the I-35
Mississippi River bridge that collapsed in
Minneapolis in 2007. To prevent a similar
catastrophic collapse, the Kansas DOT
issued an emergency contract to provide
a design-build solution to remove
and replace the bridge’s gusset plates
and bearings. Shoring towers were
erected below the bridge to support the
full weight of the bridge span and to
permit removal and replacement of the
structurally inadequate items. Because
the foundations for the shoring towers Figure 6. The project team’s design-build solution shifted the weight of the bridge
had to be installed below the structure onto the shoring towers so that the underpinning and structural repair could be
(Figure 6), open headroom techniques completed safely.
like driven piles or drilled shafts were
not viable.
In addition to these constraints, the shoring towers had “new” by some agencies. Often, specialty contractors and
to be placed above an existing U.S. Army Corps of Engineers geotechnical engineers must put on the hat of a teacher and
(ACOE) levee. Because the ACOE limited the foundation types educate agencies that are not as familiar with these specialty
that could be used to prevent any long-term damage to the techniques and their effectiveness.
levee, the contractor worked with the ACOE to implement The techniques mentioned in this article have all been
a drilling method with the least impact. This meant that utilized to allow for repairs to our nation’s infrastructure in
non-displacement drilling techniques were needed because cases that would have dictated replacement of a bridge, road-
compressed air or water could not be used to reduce the way, dam, or other public facility in the past. Given the tight
chance of hydrofracturing the levee. A casing was grouted budgets facing the owners in our public sectors, it’s difficult not
into the levee with low-permeability bentonite grout. The to consider changes in construction that lower costs or reduce
permanent micropile casing was then installed through the public inconvenience. Acceptance of the specialty geotechni-
grouted sleeve. Ultimately, the underpinning and structural cal construction techniques will broaden both the owner’s and
repair was completed safely and on schedule. The shoring engineer’s toolbox to minimize the closure of bridges, roads,
towers were removed and the micropiles cut off and aban- and other infrastructure for extended periods of time and save
doned below grade. on maintenance financing.

Helping Infrastructure Construction in the Future

There are a variety of ways to improve current foundation j JEFF HILL, PE, M.ASCE, is director of business development
conditions of infrastructure with limited disturbance to the for Hayward Baker Inc., in St. Louis, MO. He can be reached at
public. These foundation and earth-retention solutions — [email protected].
compaction/low-mobility grouting, soil nailing, and micro-
piles — are not new techniques to our industry. Each has a j PHILLIP GALLET, PE, M.ASCE, is a project manager for
proven track record throughout the U.S. in both the public and Hayward Baker, Inc., in Denver, CO. He can be reached at
private sector. However, the techniques are still considered [email protected].

www.geoinstitute.org 71
 Look Who’s a D.GE

Raymond J. Franz,
PE, D.GE, M.ASCE
is a member of ASCE and the Ground required significant collaboration among
Improvement Committee of the Deep numerous stakeholders. It also necessi-
Foundations Institute. He is also a past tated coordination of numerous internal
president of the ASCE Geo-Institute’s engineering and field resources.
Chicago Chapter. He received his As with many infrastructure projects
bachelor’s degree from Worcester of this type, there were design criteria
Polytechnic Institute and his master’s in regarding the magnitude of allowable
civil engineering from Purdue University. settlement, but in this case there
He is married with two sons, a daughter, were also requirements for the timing
and a dog. of settlement, which controlled the
paving schedule and therefore the
What class did you enjoy the most completion date for the project. To
while in school? provide “proof of concept,” demonstrate
I thoroughly enjoyed Photogrammetry performance, and quantify the time-rate
and Air Photo Interpretation at Purdue. of deformation, we designed and
It was not only a unique and interesting constructed an instrumented, full-scale
RAYMOND J. FRANZ elective, but proved to be an invaluable test embankment. The test embankment
lesson in geomorphology. For years covered unimproved ground and
Franz is a vice president for geotechnical afterward, I would scan the ground from multiple patterns of aggregate columns
specialty contractor Hayward Baker Inc., airliners to see if I could identify the and rigid inclusions. The data were
with responsibilities for the company’s landforms and location. shared in real-time with the stakeholders
work in the Midwest. He is a licensed and also were used to optimize designs
Professional Engineer in Pennsylvania, What was your favorite project? and performance predictions. Several
Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, I think the Louisville-Southern Indiana other “production” embankments
Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota. Prior Ohio River Bridges Project would rank and walls were also instrumented to
to joining Hayward Baker as a project as one of my favorites. The $2.3 billion provide quality assurance during the
manager in 2003, he had accumulated project included ground improvement work. Successfully providing the desired
broad experiences with geotechnical for approximately 45 different embank- performance on a project of this scale
consultants Mueser Rutledge Consulting ment and retaining wall structures for and complexity was very rewarding.
Engineers, Golder Associates Inc., and the Kentucky and Indiana approaches
ECS, Ltd. to the Abraham Lincoln, Kennedy, and What is your favorite song and artist?
Franz currently holds an Lewis and Clark bridges. The project My favorite song is Franklin’s Tower by
appointment as adjunct lecturer at was delivered under Design-Build and the Grateful Dead. As far as favorite artist
Northwestern University and has been Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Maintain goes, I am not sure I have one. My tastes
a frequent instructor for the University Public-Private Partnership contracting range from AC/DC to Yo Yo Ma, and every-
of Wisconsin-Madison’s Engineering mechanisms. Consequently, the bidding, thing in between. If I had to pick, though, I
Professional Development program. He negotiation, engineering, and execution would probably select the Rolling Stones.

72 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

What is your favorite movie or construction, I am concerned about the solicited for my applications. I have to
television show? current culture in which all stakeholders thank Eric Zimmermann for his dogged
I really enjoyed The Matrix. I thought the seek complete risk deflection rather than determination to get me to apply and
story concept was very clever, and the equitable risk allocation. This occurs at for his frequent reminders to keep my
film did it justice. and between all levels: owner and A/E insignia visible.
firm, A/E firm and sub-consultants, and
Where did you spend most of your owner/engineer and construction team. What are some of your personal
childhood, and what was it like for By masking, or ignoring, the source of hobbies and interests? 
you to grow up there? the risks, the real responsibilities for I enjoy trying to learn how to golf and
I grew up in a bedroom community in them and the appropriate measures for also downhill skiing, when I have the
Bergen County, NJ, just northwest of managing them, project teams may not opportunity. I was very fortunate to
New York City. It was enjoyable, as most adequately address those risks and are be able to participate in scouting and
of my extended family were very close likely to be wasteful of finite resources. high-adventure activities with both of
by. Some were only a bike ride away. It One of the stakeholders always my Eagle Scout sons, and I enjoy watch-
also allowed for trips to the mountains finances the risk. Is the amount always ing my daughter compete in soccer,
or the shore in only 90 minutes or so. appropriate? diving, and gymnastics.
I am also concerned about the com-
When did you realize that you wanted moditization of specialty work and the For the complete article, please visit:
to study civil engineering? What were rapid consolidation of engineering firms. geoprofessionals.org.
the key factors in your decision to There is the risk of “dumbing down” the
become a civil engineer? service provided by the teams to match
I think I had always been fascinated low, commodity-level price points.
with the allure of “constructing” things. With significant consolidation, it seems
I spent a lot of time with Tonka® trucks to me there is also risk of succumbing
in my back yard as a small kid. I had to “group think” when developing or
some aptitude for math and science, implementing solutions with fewer and
I believe the
so guidance counselors suggested fewer choices of providers.
engineering or architecture. I took a
drafting class in high school and didn’t Do you have a message about profession has
connect very well to the architectural specialty certification that you’d
side. Civil engineering seemed to be a like to share with other professional
great potential to
good balance that matched my skills and engineers?
was a discipline that provided the ability The additional designation after my
to directly connect with the end results. name often prompts a question about its contribute to the
meaning. I believe my explanation of the
How do you feel about the state of certification process helps communicate
next generation of
civil engineering and the profession to the client/colleague that they are
as it is today? engaging a professional who has been
I believe the profession has great poten- recognized by his/her peers as having major infrastructure
tial to contribute to the next generation well-developed competencies in the
of major infrastructure renewal. That specialty. I believe that promotes confi-
renewal. That
should be good for communities and dence in the Diplomate and allows for
for practitioners. The discipline is also the certified professional to maximize
changing with the application of rapidly his/her contributions to the project. should be good for
developing technologies. I expect it will I would encourage those meeting the
continue to evolve. We will have to see criteria to apply. communities and
where that takes us.
Was the effort to get the D.GE worth it?
What do you feel are the biggest I don’t recall the effort to obtain for practitioners.
challenges on the horizon for the certification as being that daunting. It
profession? was actually a welcome opportunity
Having spent roughly half of my career to discuss the credentialing and to
in consulting and the other half in reminisce with the several references I

www.geoinstitute.org 73
 G-I ORGANIZATIONAL MEMBER NEWS

Our Newest Organizational Organizational Members Network, Recruit at IFCEE

Member: Maccaferri, Inc.
The Geo-Institute welcomes Maccaferri,
Inc., as its newest Organizational Member.
Maccaferri was born in 1879, producing
gabions by hand. Its Rockfall Division has
over 60 years of experience providing
rockfall protection and natural hazard
mitigation systems throughout the world.

Mac.RO™ Systems are used to stabilize

rock and soil slopes, debris flow, shallow
landslides, and snow masses.

S&ME Names Doubrava In addition to the other offerings at IFCEE, the Organizational Members (OMs) had two
Vice President events on their schedules that were just for them. First was a dinner with the
S&ME recently Organizational Member Council, to network and explore ideas for the Organizational
named Jeff Member program.
Doubrava, PE,
M.ASCE, as a vice
president. Doubrava
leads S&ME’s geo-
Doubrava technical engineering
services for the
greater Atlanta area. He received his bach-
elor of science degree in geological
engineering from the University of
Missouri-Rolla in 2001 and joined S&ME
in 2010.

The next evening, representatives of 28 Organizational Members convened at the

Organizational Member Career Fair to meet promising geotechnical graduates. For the
first hour of the fair, representatives met with 40 students selected by the Organizational
Member Council from a pool of applicants. Several representatives have already

74 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

 requested copies of all the resumes of the
selected students.
The second hour of the fair was
open to all students. In all, more than
100 students participated in the Career
Fair, which was a great opportunity for
OM representatives to meet promising
candidates in person.

j ORGANIZATIONAL
MEMBERS: Please
submit your news to
[email protected].

GEO-INSTITUTE ORGANIZATIONAL MEMBERS

Visit us at geoinstitute.org/membership/organizational-membership

jA
 dvanced Construction j Fudo Construction, Inc j Hart Crowser Inc j Schnabel Engineering
Techniques, Inc
j Gannett Fleming, Inc. j Hayward Baker, Inc. j Schnabel Foundation Co
jA
 merican Engineering
j Geocon Incorporated j HNTB Corporation j Sentez Insaat LTD, STI
Testing, Inc.
j Geo Engineers, Inc. j Huesker, Inc. j Shannon & Wilson Inc
j Ardaman & Associates, Inc.
j Geo-Instruments Inc j Kleinfelder j S&ME
j Bechtel Corporation
j Geokon Inc j Loadtest j SME
jB
 erkel & Company
Contractors, Inc jG
 eopier Foundation j Maccaferri, Inc j Specrete-IP Incorporated
Company
j Braun Intertec Corporation jM
 oretrench American j Stantec
j Geo-Solutions Corporation
j CH2M HILL j Strata Systems, Inc.
jG
 eoStabilization jN
 icholson Construction
j ConeTec, Inc. j Subsurface Constructors, Inc
International Company
jD
 an Brown and j TenCate Geosynthetics
j Geosyntec Consultants, Inc. j NTH Consutlants Ltd
Associates, PC
j Terracon
j Geotechnology, Inc jP
 AGANI Geotechnical
jD
 'Appolonia Engineering Div
Equipment j Terra Insurance Co
of Ground Technology, Inc. j Golder
jR
 embco Geotechnical j WSP USA
j Densification, Inc. j GRL Engineers Inc
Contractors, Inc
jE
 C S Corporate Services, LLC j Haley & Aldrich
j Rocscience Inc.

www.geoinstitute.org 75
 Stan Boyle (Chair) Tim Abrams Curtis R. Basnett Ronald Boyer Donald E. Gerken Ara G. Mouradian Robert M. Saunders

“We’re Looking Out for You!”

The Geo-Institute Organizational Member Council (OMC) •O
 pportunity to publish news about your company, including
invites your organization to join us. Enjoy the numerous awards, new staff and promotions, company projects, etc.
benefits that G-I organizational membership offers, including
•Y
 our company logo posted on the G-I website at geoinstitute.
the following:
org/membership/organizational-membership.
• Up to a 50 percent discount on the G-I annual Geo-Congress
•Y
 our company name listed in Organizational Member News in
for one person.
each issue of GEOSTRATA magazine.
• A 5 percent discount for advertising in GEOSTRATA magazine.
•O
 pportunity to display the G-I logo on your website and on
• Forty percent ($400) of your annual G-I OM dues goes directly printed materials.
to fund G-I student activities. A portion of that money finances
•O
 pportunity to display a G-I Organizational Member placard at
student travel to the annual Geo-Congress and the OM/Student
your exhibit booth.
Career Fair.
For more information, visit the G-I website at geoinstitute.
• Each year during the annual Geo-Congress, the OMC hosts
org/membership/organizational-membership, where you can
an OM Career Fair/Reception. Two OM members from each
download the Organizational Membership application.
OM firm are invited to participate, along with 45-50 students
carefully chosen by the OMC.

ASCE members

receive
2 uses
FREE data

of the NEW
Salary Calculator
www.asce.org/salaries

76 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

 r s it y Th e m e d P
Dive 2018
c ongr
C CONTESTa t ula t e s
G-I OEPHOTO
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heTHEMED
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THE G-IThe
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G-I OEC congratulates
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2018 Geo-Institute Con
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Dorothy J. Verdon Doroth

CPSM/ Corpor
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8 Schnab Schnabel Engineering e

2 0 1
2018 t h o to C
West
West Chester, PA

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r so t
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1ST PLACE Dorothy J. Verdon, 2ND PLACE Allen Cadden, 3RD PLACE Tugce Baser, Ph.D.,
CPSM/ Corporate Communications, PE, D.GE, F.ASCE, Chairman of Board, A.M.ASCE, Postdoctoral Researcher,
Schnabel Engineering, West Chester, PA Schnabel Engineering, University of Alberta,
FREE Registration to any 2018 or 2019 West Chester, PA Edmonton, Alberta
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WATCH FOR THE 2019 OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT PHOTO CONTEST IN FALL 2018!
 COREBITS NEWS

Washington State Delegation, ASCE Fly-In 2018. L to r: Bernadette Sison, M.ASCE; Conrad Felice, PhD, P.Eng, PE, D.GE, F.ASCE;
Roger Millar, Jr, PE, AICP, F.ASCE, WA State Secretary of Transportation; Menzer Pehlivan, PhD, PE, M.ASCE; Savannah Linders,
A.M.ASCE; and Ben Hoppe, R.Eng, PE, M.ASCE.

G-I Members’ Fly-In to Washington, D.C. solutions and addressing the investment deficit. The delegations
On March 13-14, 2018, 40 members of the Geo-Institute also discussed President Trump’s infrastructure plan, Federal
participated in ASCE’s Legislative Fly-In. In this annual event, ASCE Aviation Administration reauthorization (H.R. 2997/S.1405), the
members from around the country meet with and inform their Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), and the Securing
representatives in Washington on the importance of improving and Required Funding for Water Infrastructure Now (SRF WIN) Act
maintaining our nation’s infrastructure. (H.R. 4902/S. 2364).
This year’s Fly-In was attended by more than 200 delegates All ASCE members are encouraged to review the
from 49 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Infrastructure Report Card at infrastructurereportcard.org.
On the afternoon of March 13 and the morning of March 14, All ASCE members are also encouraged to participate in the
the Fly-In delegates heard from members of Congress, ASCE ASCE Key Contact program. For more information about the
leadership, and industry representatives on specific issues and program, please contact Maria Matthews ([email protected]).
concerns relating to the state of the nation’s infrastructure. On Information on the 2019 Fly-In will be available in Fall 2018.
the afternoon of March 14, the delegates met with senators,
representatives, and staff from their home states. In Memoriam: Don U. Deere
In light of the 2017 ASCE Infrastructure Report Card’s overall Don U. Deere, PhD, PE, M.ASCE, a world-renowned engineering
grade of D+ for the current state of our nation’s infrastructure, geologist, passed away on January 14, 2018, in Gainesville, FL, at
the delegations highlighted the importance of identifying the age of 95. An expert on tunneling, dam building and design,

78 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

and the construction of large underground spaces, he was spent 61 years together.
appointed by President Reagan as chairman of the U.S. Nuclear After working as a mining engineer in Arizona and New
Waste Technical Review Board in 1989. He received numerous Mexico, Deere and his wife moved to Puerto Rico, where both
distinctions throughout his career, including being elected to both served on the faculty at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez.
the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of There, Deere started the Foundation Engineering Company of
Sciences. He was a member of ASCE and delivered both the Martin Puerto Rico and met Dr. Karl Terzaghi. In 1955, he accepted a
S. Kapp and Stanley D. Wilson memorial lectures. joint appointment as an associate professor in the departments
Deere was born on a farm in Mt. Etna, IA, on March 17, 1922. of civil engineering and geology at Illinois and helped lead that
He received his bachelor of science degree in mining engi- institution’s geotechnical engineering program to international
neering from Iowa State University in 1943, a master of science prominence. He resigned his appointment as professor in 1972 to
degree in geology from the University of Colorado in 1949, and pursue full-time consulting and moved to Gainesville, FL, where
a PhD in civil engineering from the University of Illinois in 1955, he co-founded Deere and Merritt, an international consulting
studying under Dr. Ralph Peck. He met his wife, the late Carmen firm in geology and rock mechanics, and joined the University of
Pilar Garcia of San Juan, Puerto Rico, at Iowa State, and they Florida as an adjunct professor.

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www.geoinstitute.org 79
 COREBITS NEWS

In 1964, Deere developed the Rock Quality Designation Millennium Tower Inspires New
(RQD), which became a standard index for core logging and Geotechnical Guidelines
scan-line surveys. RQD also remains a key input parameter San Francisco’s 645-ft-tall Millennium Tower has been making
in rock-mass classification systems. In the 1970s, he brought the news a lot lately, as it has settled an incredible 16 in., and
attention to the importance of foliation shear zones. In 1993, tilted at least 2 in. to the northwest. However, the City and
together with Dr. Lombardi, he developed the Grouting County Department of Building Inspection (DBI) has issued
Intensity Number (GIN) method for rock-mass grouting. interim guidelines and procedures designed to prevent these
Major projects to which he contributed included the types of problems in the future for new buildings over 240 ft tall.
construction of the World Trade Center, the Channel Tunnel, Besides the height requirements, the guidelines kick in when
Cheyenne Mountain NORAD, Yucca Mountain, New York City a building is in the City’s “softest soils and/or liquefaction zones,
water tunnels, the Washington DC Metro subway, the Hong as defined by the California Seismic Hazard maps.”
Kong Island tunnel, the Suez Canal Crossing, and numerous According to GeoPrac.net, new buildings affected by the
hydroelectric facilities throughout the Americas, most notably guidelines will need to have two geotechnical reviewers on the
Itaipú, the world’s largest hydroelectric project at the time. Engineering Design Review team unless the project has piles
Perhaps his greatest legacy was that of a teacher, mentoring a or drilled piers anchored into bedrock (in which case they can
whole generation of leaders in the tunneling industry through- have one reviewer). Additionally, all these buildings will require
out his career. the project sponsor to contract with qualified monitoring
surveyors and instrumentation engineers
to monitor the settlement of the
buildings and foundations of the project
for 10 years after completion. They must
submit a legal document every year
containing the monitoring results that will
be recorded against the building’s title. If
the settlement exceeds the geotechnical
designer’s predicted settlement by a
factor of 1.5, the DBI’s deputy director
must be notified.

Join a Geo-Institute (G-I) Chapter/Technical Committee - Share

your expertise and learn from fellow Geoprofessionals locally
and nationally. Join your local G-I Chapter and

ƒ Focus on local issues that impact your workplace

ƒ Benefit from onsite professional development programs
ƒ Build long-lasting friendships and strong business
partnerships with professional peers
ƒ Grow into a leadership role on chapter committees

chapters.geoinstitute.org

Share your expertise and join a G-I Technical Committee. The twenty technical
committees encompass all major technical disciplines within geotechnical engi-
neering and the geoprofession and focus on unique technical areas within the
geo-industry. Share your knowledge, grow your network and build your career.

committees.geoinstitute.org

80 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

Develop G-I WEBINARS
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For questions regarding attending webinars, please contact [email protected].
 Message from ISSMGE’s
New Vice President for
North America

W
hile many of you know the International Society at Harvard in 1936. This organization now provides a focus for
for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering professional practice and leadership for 90 national societies and
(ISSMGE), you’re probably less well acquainted with approximately 20,000 individual members around the world.
the Society’s day-to-day activities. ISSMGE is a professional body I recently became ISSMGE’s Vice President for North America
that represents the interests and activities of global engineers, for a four-year period. My mandate is to support the activities of
academics, and contractors that actively participate in geotechni- the three North American geotechnical organizations (Canadian
cal engineering. The Society has its roots in the First International Geotechnical Society, Geo-Institute of the ASCE, and Sociedad
Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering held Mexicana de Ingeniería Geotécnica), and I’m really looking for-
ward to serving my region in this capacity.
Allow me to tell you a little more about the
Society and my goals during my term.
I encourage you to visit the ISSMGE
website (issmge.org), where many of the
Society’s achievements are showcased.
Engineering Ethics The website provides information on
Real World Case Studies the Society’s activities related to global
geotechnical practice, including webinars,
Steven K. Starrett, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE;
Amy L. Lara, Ph.D.; and Carlos Bertha, Ph.D. lectures, and articles. The Society is
actively involved in international con-
ASCE Press
ferences, and managing and supporting
Entrusted by the public to provide professional solutions to specialist and larger regional conferences,
complex situations, engineers can face ethical dilemmas in such as the XVI Pan-American ISSMGE
all forms. In Engineering Ethics: Real World Case Studies,
conference in Cancun in 2019. Every
Starrett, Lara, and Bertha provide in-depth analysis
with extended discussions and study questions of case four years, ISSMGE also organizes the
studies that are based on real work situations. Important pre-eminent International Conference
concepts, such as rights and obligations; conflicts of on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical
interest; professionalism and mentoring; confidentiality;
Engineering (ICSMGE) that many of the
whistleblowing; bribery, fraud, and corruption; and ethical
communication with the public in a social media world are world’s geotechnical engineers attend.
discussed in practical and approachable terms. Organized by the canons of the ASCE Code of The conference was last held in Seoul in
Ethics, this book is intended for practitioners, consultants, government engineers, engineering September 2017, and the next conference
educators, and students in all engineering disciplines.
is planned for Sydney in 2021. A recent
2017 | 134 pp. | List $44 | ASCE Member $33 major initiative of ISSMGE is the imple-
Soft Cover: ISBN 978-0-7844-1467-5 mentation of an open-access policy for
E-book PDF: ISBN 978-0-7844-8035-9
its publications. The online library has all
American Society of Civil Engineers of the ICSMGE proceedings archived from
1801 Alexander Bell Dr. Reston, Virginia 20191 1936, and includes more than 10,000 con-
1-800-548-ASCE | 703-295-6300 (int’l) ference papers that are directly available
www.asce.org/publications to the website’s visitors.
Over 1,000 individual members are also

82 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

directly involved in Society activities through membership in one improved technical competence and excellence of geotech-
of the many international Technical Committees (TCs). Each TC nical engineers
focuses on a specialist area of geotechnics, and this work leads oo Promote attendance of young engineers and students at
to conferences, symposia, and workshops. The Society dissem- regional ISSMGE events and develop other mechanisms to
inates the output of these TCs through various publications and facilitate their interaction with peers and mentors in academia
reports. A bimonthly electronic publication, the ISSMGE Bulletin, and industry
outlines ISSMGE news and events. The Society is also prominent oo Strengthen the relationships and cooperation of ISSMGE’s
on social media, with a presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, North and South American regions for the mutual benefit of
and the GeoWorld online platforms. There’s now even an ISSMGE the Americas
app available for iOS devices.
Please explore the ISSMGE website to get a feel for what
During my four-year term, I hope to: the Society offers to our engineering community and contact
oo Enhance the cooperation between our three North American me with your ideas on what the Society might contribute to
societies and encourage regular exchange of technical informa- geotechnics in our region.
tion and views
oo Help the societies and committees organizing the next ISSMGE
Pan-American Conference in Cancun (2019) and the speciality j TIM NEWSON, PhD, is ISSMGE’s vice president for North
conferences within the region America, and associate professor of civil and environmental engi-
oo Assist the functions of the TCs in our region with an emphasis neering at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario,
on linking research and practice, and developing professional Canada. He is also the director of the new Western Geotechnical
geotechnical resources Centrifuge Facility and a research director of the Geotechnical
oo Support and foster cross-border initiatives that will lead to Research Centre. He can be reached at [email protected].

www.geoinstitute.org 83
 COREBITS CHAPTERS

San Antonio Chapter Georgia Chapter

L to r: John Wolosick, a member representative of the Georgia

Chapter, accepts the Geo-Institute’s Best Chapter Award for
L to r: Dr. Papagiannakis and Dr. Lytton, two of the speakers at Georgia, with Jeremy Varner, past chapter chair and Local
the Geo-San Antonio 2018 Conference. Involvement Committee representative, and G-I President
Youssef Hashash.
On March 9, 2018, the University of Texas at San Antonio hosted
the 11th Geo-San Antonio Conference. Organized by the San
Antonio Chapter of the Geo-Institute, the event’s theme was
Sustainability in Geotechnical Infrastructure. The conference
attracted in excess of 140 geoprofessionals, over a dozen
exhibitors and sponsors, and more than 25 graduate students from
UT San Antonio, UT Austin, and UT El Paso. The technical presen-
tations covered various aspects of roadway pavement mechanistic
design and were provided by Robert Lytton, PhD, PE, D.GE,
F.ASCE, Andrew Wimsatt, PhD, PE, M.ASCE, Reza Ashtiani, PhD,
and Tom Papagiannakis, PhD, PE, F.ASCE. Additional presen-
tations included: low-impact urban development by Nefi Garza,
PE, of the City of San Antonio; urban watershed remediation by Georgia G-I Chapter group photo.
Kerry Averyt, PE, of the San Antonio River Authority; and harbor
infrastructure development by John LaRue, executive director of The Georgia Chapter was awarded the Geo-Institute’s 2018 Best
the Port of Corpus Christi. Finally, Phil King, PE, D.GE, F.ASCE, Chapter Award, established to recognize a Chapter’s outstanding
lectured on geoprofessional ethics and responsibilities. Over the commitment in advancing the geo-profession. Georgia’s outreach
years, proceeds from this popular conference series have allowed and collaborative efforts have marked them as a leading, geotech-
the Chapter to create an endowment that funds scholarships for nical regional organization hosting technically-current presenta-
local graduate students with geotechnical interest. tions and seminars by local and nationally renowned geotechnical

84 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

professionals. The Annual Sowers Symposium, co-hosted with Geo-Institute Chapter. The Georgia Geo-Institute Chapter of ASCE
the Georgia Institute of Technology, is recognized as a premier, officers for 2018 include Chairman Sarah Fick, Immediate Past
regional event. Annual awards and scholarships are offered to Chair Jeremy Varner, Treasurer Clinton Carlson, Secretary Danny
individuals dedicating themselves to the advancement of the geo- Brahana, and Speaker Coordinator Scott Ballenger.
profession. Creating events showcasing young professionals and
students is a priority, along with updating geotechnical practices,
participating in professional licensure conversations, participating
j P
 LEASE SUBMIT G-I chapter and company
in Geo-Institute activities, and developing fresh and new ideas. news and career achievements
These all demonstrate a community eager to network, interact, to GEOSTRATA via [email protected].
and exchange ideas that encompass the qualities of the Georgia

www.geoinstitute.org 85
ASCE EDUCATION and CAREERS
ASCE/G-I Co-sponsored j Lessons Learned from the ASCE/G-I Seminars Guided Online Courses
Design, Construction, and All posted seminars offer Guided Online Courses are
Online Live Webinars Maintenance of Permeable
All posted webinars offer continuing education units asynchronous, online, instructor-
Pavements for Stormwater (CEUs). led programs in which you
professional development hours
Management (PDH:1.0) move through a 6- or 12-week
(PDHs) as indicated.
June 19, 2018 j Ground Improvement learning experience with your
j Inspection and Rehabilitation 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. (ET) Methods: Selection, Design, peers. The Guided Online
Methodologies for Large- Construction, and Monitoring/ Course content includes video
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Diameter Water Transmission
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June 28, 2018
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j Design of Foundations for
Tanks: Out of Sight; But Are May 31 – June 1, 2018 Jobs (CEU:1.0)
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11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (ET) j Principles of Contract
May 9, 2018 j Earthquake-Induced Ground
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. (ET) Motions (CEU:1.6) Negotiation (CEU:1.0)
j Dynamically Loaded Machine
June 7 – 8, 2018 June 4 – July 13, 2018
and Equipment Foundations: A
j Installation, Verification, and Sacramento Metro Area, CA
Design Primer (PDH:1.5) j Principles of Critical Path
Application of Driven Piles
July 9, 2018 Scheduling (CEU:1.0)
(PDH:1.5) j Dam Breach Analysis Using
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (ET) July 16 – August 24, 2018
May 17, 2018 HEC-RAS (CEU:2.4)
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (ET) j Introduction to Geotechnical June 13 – 15, 2018
Grouting (PDH:1.5) Denver, CO
j Mechanically Stabilized Earth
(MSE) and Gravity Retaining
July 12, 2018 j Site-Specific Seismic Hazard On-Demand Learning
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (ET) Analysis and Design Ground On-demand learning
Wall Design Software
Motions - NEW (CEU:1.6) opportunities offer continuing
Parameters (PDH:1.5) j Design of Slab on Grade for
June 14 – 15, 2018 education units (CEUs).
May 21, 2018 Light Buildings on Shrink Swell
El Segundo, CA Recorded from ASCE’s most
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (ET) Soils (PDH:1.5) popular live webinars or
July 17, 2018 j Instrumentation and in-person seminars, these
j Geosynthetic Reinforced
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (ET) Monitoring Bootcamp: courses allow you to hear the
Mechanically Stabilized Earth
Walls (PDH:1.5) Planning, Execution, and instructor’s lecture, see the
j Avoiding Failures of Retaining Measurement Uncertainty for presentation, and listen in on
May 24, 2018 Walls (PDH:1.5)
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (ET) Structural and Geotechnical questions from the audience.
July 23, 2018 Construction Projects
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (ET) (CEU:1.4) For more information about
j Long-Term Durability (aka,
Lifetime) of Geosynthetics - June 21 – 22, 2018 webinars, seminars, guided
NEW (PDH:1.5) Chicago Metro Area, IL online courses, and on-
June 7, 2018 demand learning, visit the ASCE
j Soil and Rock Slope Stability Continuing Education website:
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (ET)
(CEU:1.4) asce.org/continuing_education/
j The Seismic Coefficient June 21 – 22, 2018
Method for Slope and Seattle, WA
Retaining Wall Design (PDH:1.5) j Ground Improvement
June 15, 2018 Methods: Selection, Design,
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. (ET) Construction, and Monitoring/
Inspection - NEW (CEU:1.4)
July 19 – 20, 2018
Hyannis, MA

Internships Available
Are you looking for an internship? Explore the positions listed on the ASCE website to help you obtain the experience
you need to further your career path. New opportunities are added all the time, so start your search today:
careers.asce.org/jobs?keywords=internship.

86 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

 CONNECT WITH US

www.asce.org/geo twitter.com/GeoInstitute facebook.com/GeoInstitute LinkedInGeo GeoInstituteASCE

INDUSTRY CALENDAR
COMING IN JULY/AUGUST 2018

Case Histories & 2018 GeoMEast International

Forensics Conference and Exhibition
ASCE Met Section November 24-28, 2018
As I See It: What Makes a Geotechnical Seminar Cairo, Egypt
Great Geotechnical Expert? May 10, 2018 issmge.org/events/
By Ralph Finizio New York, NY geomeast-2018

Geotechnical Earthquake
As I See It: Geotechnical
Reporting – A Source of Engineering and Soil 2019
Potential Liability? Dynamics V 2018
By Demetrious C. Koutsoftas June 10-13, 2018 2019 Geo-Congress
Austin, TX March 24-27, 2019
geesdconference.org Philadelphia, PA
The San Jacinto Monument
By Jean-Louis Briaud geocongress.org
5th GeoChina International
Conference: Civil Theory to Practice in
A Case Study on
Infrastructures Confronting Numerical Modeling
Standard of Care
By Patrick C. Lucia
Severe Weathers and Climate June 16-19, 2019
Changes Pasadena, CA
July 23-25, 2018
Forensics Investigations HangZhou, China Pipelines Conference 2018
Get to the Facts
geochina2018.geoconf.org July 14-18, 2019
By W. Allen Marr
Toronto, ON
Central Pennsylvania pipelinesconference.org
Poison Oak, Mistakes, Geotechnical Conference
and Lessons: Tales of October 31-Nov. 2, 2018
Geofailure Investigations Hershey, PA 2020
By Edmund Medley
central-pa-asce-geotech.org
2020 Geo-Congress
Avoid Negativity Bias Rocky Mountain February 2020
By Stuart G. Walesh
Geotechnical Conference Minneapolis, MN
November 2, 2018
Lessons from GeoLegends: Denver, CO
Donald T. Goldberg
By Andrew Rohrman, Arash Pirouzi, and
Shreeya Pandey
For more seminar information:
asce.org/continuing-education/face-to-face-seminars

www.geoinstitute.org 87
 GeoPoem
By Mary C. Nodine, PE, M.ASCE

Design-Build
Owner has a bridge to fix. DB team wants to change their style!
Deadline’s short — he needs a trick. With a brand-new kind of pile.
Design-then-bid holds no appeal — Design addendum on the way.
He purchases a package deal. Equipment swapped without delay.

Contractor’s from out of town. Owner’s face is turning blue...

New technologies abound. We should have TOLD them what to do!
Ahead of schedule is the goal!
First: we need to drill more holes. Contractor is back on site.
New technique is working right.
Clay — it’s softer than we thought. Schedule starts a bit behind,
Extra deep here, to the rock. Catch up through the daily grind.
Constitutes a changed condition...
To the budget, an addition. Owner breathes a heavy sigh.
Project made it through alive.
Owner keeps a calm, cool head, He, in turn, tried not to weep,
Sure he’ll still come out ahead. While losing hair and losing sleep.

Start construction, no delays! But crossing his new bridge, he grins.

After working several days, Satisfaction seeps back in.
Drilling not progressing well. After all, he’ll acquiesce...
Work is stopped and meetings held. Can’t build this world without some stress!

Owner’s trying not to panic.

Steers his thoughts from the “Titanic.”

MARY C. NODINE, PE, M.ASCE, is a geotechnical poet, a member of GEOSTRATA’s Editorial Board, and a project
manager with GEI Consultants, Inc. in Woburn, MA. She can be reached at [email protected].

88 GEOSTRATA MAY/JUNE 2018

 WIRELESS
RST Instruments Ltd. offers
2 Wireless Data Collection
Systems to quickly get you
connected to your data:
RSTAR and DT LINK.
Both systems offer minimum
per channel cost, extra long
battery life and long distance
DATA COLLECTION
data transmission. for Geotechnical Monitoring Instrumentation

FULLY AUTOMATED COLLECTION (REMOTELY) NODE

(data logger and sensor)
The RSTAR
An RSTAR System uses Hub shown
data loggers (nodes) at the left contains
a flexDAQ
sensor level, deployed in a
Data Logger
star topology from an active System with
RSTAR Hub containing an an antenna
and battery.
RST flexDAQ Data Logger. Collected data
RSTAR
is saved to HUB
F E AT U R E S the flexDAQ NODE
Up to 10 years of battery life from 1 lithium ‘D’ cell. memory
where users
Up to 14 km range from Hub to Node in open country. can access
(depending on antenna type) it remotely,
either on-site
Up to 255 nodes per RSTAR Hub. or off-site.
Based on 900 MHz, 868 MHz and 2.4 GHz spread spectrum band. NODE
(country dependent) (data logger and sensor)

Watch the video for both systems at: www.rstinstruments.com/Wireless-Data-Collection.html

SEMI-AUTOMATED COLLECTION (ON-SITE)

C

DT LINK is an on-site
wireless connection to RST
data loggers for quick data
collection. Ideal for hard to A B
B
access areas where the data
logger is within line of sight.

F E AT U R E S
C
Safely & easily collect data from data loggers that are in areas
with poor access, trespass issues and hazardous obstacles.

Years of battery life from 1 lithium ‘D’ cell.

Range up to 800 m (900 MHz) and up to 500 m (2.4 GHz).

Pictured: (A) DT LINK WIRELESS data logger, connected to a vibrating
Collect data in seconds with a laptop connected to DT LINK HUB. wire piezometer and housed in a (B) protective enclosure, has its data
collected from a laptop connected to the (C) DT LINK HUB - all within
seconds from the convenience of your vehicle.

RST’s “DT Series” Data Loggers accommodate the RSTAR and DT LINK WIRELESS Systems.
Compatible sensor types include
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[email protected] CANADA / USA - Sales, Service & Mfg.: 604 540 1100
Toll Free (Canada / USA only): 1 800 665 5599
www.rstinstruments.com EUROPE / MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA: +44 1449 613677
RST Instruments Ltd., 11545 Kingston St., Maple Ridge, BC Canada V2X 0Z5

www.youtube.com/user/RSTgeotechnical www.linkedin.com/company/rst-instruments-ltd-
RST Instruments Ltd. reserves the right to change specifications without notice. MIG0296L
MAY // JUNE 2018