Queen Lane Water Treatment Plant

ATC Group Services, LLC (ATC Group) retained Sci-Tek to perform a geotechnical engineering services for the Philadelphia Water Department. The purpose was to perform subsurface exploration at the proposed Ferric Chloride Tank site at the Queen Lane Water Treatment Plant. The new tanks will be built at the northeast end of the plant within an existing reinforced concrete chemical containment area that is approximately 112-ft long, by 30-ft wide, by 12-ft deep (below the adjacent grade). The existing containment area currently has six, 10-ft diameter by 20-ft long horizontal fiberglass tanks, each of which weigh approximately 90 kips. The containment area will be modified to hold four new vertical fiberglass tanks, each of which will be approximately 14-ft diameter, 40-ft high, and hold 40,000 gallons of ferric chloride at a specific gravity of 1.4.

Sci-Tek performed a review of available site drawings, geotechnical reports, and test boring information for the site. Drilling specifications were then prepared and a site representative from Sci-Tek was present who carried out the field exploration.  The geotechnical exploration for this project included six standard test borings, laboratory testing of select samples of material recovered from the test borings, and our evaluation of subsurface conditions at the test boring locations.

Representative samples of the soil and rock were selected and analyzed for physical properties. Sci-Tek provided a report which presented opinions on fill, soil, rock, groundwater conditions, and site class for seismic loading.  The report also included conclusions and recommendations for utilizing the existing mat foundation, the design of new foundations, subgrade preparation, subsurface drainage requirements, structural backfill and compaction requirements, based on the data obtained. Recommendations were based on the data obtained at the test boring locations, visual observations, laboratory test results, and the analyses performed.