Mining

• Slope stability evaluation of a geologic feature at a proposed mine at 12-14,000 feet in the Andes Mountains where over $1,000,000 (USD) had been spent on drilling and other characterization activities.  Demonstrated that the feature was not a landslide and that previous investigations were in error.  Thereby saving the client significant costs that were planned for removal of the feature.

• Evaluation of an active landslide at a Coal Mine near Centralia, Washington that displaced the main natural gas lines feeding Washington and Oregon.  Work included geologic mapping, drilling, and remote landslide monitoring devices.

• Geologic and geophysical investigation of karst conditions for the Freeport-McMoran Mine in Indonesia in support of heap leach pad development.  Included geologic mapping of glacial features that had erroneously been interpreted as karst features and extensive use of sub-bottom profiling to detect karst features below large tailings ponds.

 Pipelines

• Project Manager for all geologic, marine geophysical and geotechnical work along the proposed 150-mile-long oil pipeline around Puget Sound, Washington. Included 800 track-line miles of marine geophysics.

• Natural hazards evaluation -- 500-mile-long Northwest (Williams) Pipeline route in Eastern Oregon and Idaho.

• Natural hazards evaluation of the 730-mile-long Northwest (Williams) Pipeline route in Washington and Oregon.

Highways

• Detailed rock slope stability analyses of proposed and existing rock cuts for realignment of Interstate 90 at Snoqualmie Pass, Washington.  Work included extensive geologic mapping, structural mapping, borehole drilling program, and instrumentation. Landslide evaluation was a major issue because of reactivation of a slide along a critical part of the alignment.  A slide in that same area killed 4 construction workers in 1952.

• Task Manager for engineering geology, analysis of karst vulnerability, and geologic hazards along the 39.5-mile long West Lynn Canal alternative for the Juneau Access Highway, between Juneau and Haines, Alaska for ADOT/PF.

• Performed emergency response, remote and onsite monitoring, characterization and hazard mitigation activities for a rock avalanche that closed the North Cascades Highway (SR-20) in Washington State.  Included stability evaluation of the avalanche debris, estimated to be 1 million + cubic yards of material, using LIDAR and dye tracing techniques.  Specified geophysical evaluation of the proposed mitigation measures and geotechnical evaluation of mitigation design activities and construction support for WSDOT.

 Power Transmission Lines

• Geotechnical investigation for a 20-mile long power transmission line near Kittitas, Washington including a drilling program and evaluation of slope stability

• Power transmission line routing recommendations based on a reconnaissance investigation of foundation characteristics for the proposed 160-mile long Anchorage-Glennallen intertie

• Power transmission line routing recommendations based on a reconnaissance investigation of slope stability, snow avalanches, and soil/rock foundation characteristics for the proposed 150-mile long Valdez - Cordova - Glenallen intertie

Construction Claims/Legal Issues

• Landslide destruction of 18 homes in the Kuliouou Valley, Hawaii, required expert assistance to determine the age of sliding and the “state-of-the -practice” at the time the engineering work was conducted

• Independent determination of rock slope stability for an existing bridge pier, Kodiak, Alaska.  Assistance to the State of Alaska in preparation of a legal claim

• Quarry evaluation to estimate potential rip rap production, St. George Pribilof Islands, Alaska.  Assistance in the preparation of a contractor’s “changed conditions” claim

• Expert assistance with major construction claims on the Anchorage-Healy power transmission intertie.  Settlement was the largest on the West Coast for a claim of its kind

• Boulders found in an underground tunnel along I-405 near Renton, Washington, brought a contractor’s claim of “changed conditions.”  Evaluated claim  for Washington State DOT.