While Philly has been doing great in the news the dredging project has blown up a bit
There is talk of current dredging firm terminating contract
Based on measurements, the firm has only dredged PGRC and half of undine
Dock/ramps are not allowed to be reinstalled
This was Asi’s first federal contact and it appears be be won on price.
I feel for you philly , hopefully back on the water soon.
Tough Going for Philly Dredging Project
Re: Tough Going for Philly Dredging Project
Status as of Nov. 10, 2020:
The contractor, ASI, Inc., ceased dredging operations on Nov. 6, 2020. They are currently assessing their options on how to proceed with the project. USACE is coordinating with the City of Philadelphia and contractor.
https://www.nap.usace.army.mil/Missions ... g-project/
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Big Koala VI
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Re: Tough Going for Philly Dredging Project
Wow... at least it's a less unfortunate time when the boathouses are closed. Fingers crossed for a painless revival and completion of the dredging!
Re: Tough Going for Philly Dredging Project
It has been horribly slow progress (or lack there of). Other than car topping my 1x and launching at Temple, we haven’t been able to be on the lower Schuylkill since early March - yet full dues are still paid. Possibly paying for full years dues with absolutely no rowing. And - the worst part is that no matter what happens, the dredging still has to be done - both at the boathouses and on the course or Philly will lose regattas - and the associated revenue for the city - to other areas. Sad overall.
somewhere in the middle 1,000 of life..............
Re: Tough Going for Philly Dredging Project
I am waiting for Penn/Drexel to build a boat shed on the lower Schuylkill.DTMaster wrote:It has been horribly slow progress (or lack there of). Other than car topping my 1x and launching at Temple, we haven’t been able to be on the lower Schuylkill since early March - yet full dues are still paid. Possibly paying for full years dues with absolutely no rowing. And - the worst part is that no matter what happens, the dredging still has to be done - both at the boathouses and on the course or Philly will lose regattas - and the associated revenue for the city - to other areas. Sad overall.
the 30' channel is dredged on a schedule, unlike the forgotten upper Schuylkill & you have a pretty brilliant length of river to row on (though learning the tide patterns will be new)
Think of dues as paying into the maintenance dredging we have forgotten about for decades
And remember that the "island" is just the riverbed that hasn't been dredged since it washed down from the collapsed sea wall at the Canoe Club
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fullmetal
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Re: Tough Going for Philly Dredging Project
There had better be legal/clawback options to pursue here.
Re: Tough Going for Philly Dredging Project
US Army Corps of Engineers manages the entire thing, as they do with the routine dredging of the lower Schuylkill & Delaware.fullmetal wrote:There had better be legal/clawback options to pursue here.
So hopefully they know what they are doing.
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JT and Ben
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Re: Tough Going for Philly Dredging Project
https://www.radio.com/kywnewsradio/news ... -to-a-halt
Watching the guys from Atlantic Subsea (ASI) over the summer, there was zero urgency to get anything done on their part from day one, so I'm not surprised that they failed/gave up. I am surprised that over the course of six months they achieved so little, only 5% completed?! Yikes. I looked at their website, and it seems like they do a lot of underwater construction (piers, pipes, power plant stuff) but not necessarily a lot of dredging--I guess this is what happens when you give the job to the lowest bidder. . .
So now it looks like we'll have to restart dredging in the summer of 2021. In the meantime (assuming COVID eases up) what happens to IDR and all the camps and junior programs that operate out of Boathouse Row during the summer? If the docks need to come out again that's going to be another year with a lot of lost income. Thanks a lot USACE and ASI.
Watching the guys from Atlantic Subsea (ASI) over the summer, there was zero urgency to get anything done on their part from day one, so I'm not surprised that they failed/gave up. I am surprised that over the course of six months they achieved so little, only 5% completed?! Yikes. I looked at their website, and it seems like they do a lot of underwater construction (piers, pipes, power plant stuff) but not necessarily a lot of dredging--I guess this is what happens when you give the job to the lowest bidder. . .
So now it looks like we'll have to restart dredging in the summer of 2021. In the meantime (assuming COVID eases up) what happens to IDR and all the camps and junior programs that operate out of Boathouse Row during the summer? If the docks need to come out again that's going to be another year with a lot of lost income. Thanks a lot USACE and ASI.
Re: Tough Going for Philly Dredging Project
Let’s revisit 2001
RIVER'S EDGE
Let the Mudslinging Begin!
By *******
February 2, 2001, 10:42 a.m.
To describe the Schuylkill River of Philadelphia, and the logistical delights it provides, would require words not yet invented in the English language, or any other language for that matter. Centuries ago, the Lenape tribes that flourished along the shores named the river "Ganshowahanna," which means "falling waters." Ganshowahanna is an innocent name, one that paid homage to the natural beauty and purity of the then unspoiled waters. Had the Lenape known the future that would become, perhaps they would have chosen something more appropriate. Unfortunately, I think it's probably safe to say that there is no Lenape word for "stagnant place of much talking, no listening, followed by long time of waiting, which lets the opportunity pass." I don't think it exists in any short combination of syllables or clicks (or hand gestures) in any language. But, perhaps if the Lenape had demonstrated greater foresight, the Dutch would not have felt obligated to the rename the river "schuyl kil," which means hidden creek. That's a bit dark and morbid, don't you think? (Any word that ends in "-kill" probably has a hard time sounding bright and cheery.)
Maybe the Dutch were smarter than we think. Hidden creek could have so many meanings. The actual one was the thick vegetation that obscured the river's entrance at League Island, to the south of the City. But, a more realistic explanation for the name might be found in the observation that nothing associated with the Schuylkill is as it seems. The history (and present) of the river is one filled with secrets, paradoxes, mysteries, and some scandals. The bend in the river's 2000-meter stretch is the purest testimony that everything along the river is crooked, everything has an angle. You just need to be prepared to make the turn at the right time.
Which leads me to the issue at hand: mudslinging. To be precise, DREDGING, the removal of many cubic yards of mud, from the river's bottom and its transportation to some other place unpopulated by drinking water intakes, boats, launches, and aquatic recreationalists. How we got stuck, ahem, in our predicament is no recent matter. It finds roots in the first efforts the Europeans made at taming the wilds of Pennsylvania. In the 18th century, the river served as a transportation route and as an informal source of drinking water. The coal mining further west and its transportation by barge launched two centuries of silting, depositing anthracite coal refuse throughout the river's length. This lasted until the early 20th century. By itself, this might not have resulted in the mess at hand, for the river had a strong current and carried the dust all the way to the Delaware River. A nobler pursuit actually doomed the Schuylkill. It was the damming of the river at Fairmount, as part of a massive public waterworks project to provide drinking water to the City of Philadelphia and prevent the spread of yellow fever. Not only did the Fairmount Water Works and Dam bring reasonably healthful water to City residents, it provided a non-tidal, six-mile, freshwater "reservoir"---the part of the Schuylkill upon which we row. At the same time, however, the Dam also sealed the river's fate to a life of constant maintenance. The Fairmount Dam kept the water calm and placid, but it also prevented much of the coal silt from washing out into the Delaware. From this point forward, man and nature began an endless battle to keep the waters of the Schuylkill rowable and drinkable. The two final nails in the coffin were the re-building of the Fairmount Dam in the 1920s, which, at the request of the oil companies downstream, removed the last sluicegates from the river (apparently these petroleum giants could not afford to dredge THEIR docks), and the discontinuation of City efforts to annually dredge selected shallow spots.
In the second-half of the 20th century, the river required full-force dredging no fewer than 3 times. Each time involved monumental expenditure of resources, both real and political. The most recent (not counting the current fiasco) was in 1990. The efforts made a decade ago took only 6 years to be undone. Several floods and topsoil runoff upstream (thank you, suburban sprawl!) accelerated the silting to a degree never experienced in the 200-year history of man's futzing with the river. After several years of dedicated lobbying by members of the Schuylkill Navy, the current project was begun, so to speak. A brief synopsis of what happened, to catch everyone up:
1. Army Corps of Engineers puts out request for bids to dredge Schuylkill along Boathouse Row and Belmont Intake.
2. Bidding goes later than original completion date (October 1999).
3. Bid finally awarded, but winning bidder backs out several weeks later.
4. Bidding starts over again.
5. New bidder begins to set up equipment.
6. Setup takes forever, well past the revised completion date (December 1999).
7. River freezes for two months before dredging can start.
8. Re-revised completion date looms, and dredge is used to smash ice and get started.
9. Equipment re-setup, but still no spoils barge below the dam.
10. Floods flip the dredge (March 2000).
11. New dredge delivered, still no spoils barge.
12. Spoils barge arrives, silt is pumped on and the weight promptly sinks the barge onto the shallows beneath.
13. At high tide, dredger moves barge futher downriver.
14. Dredger ordered wrong size spoils barge. Can't find tugboat large enough to pull fully loaded barge and small enough to fit under bridges.
15. Several rowers are nearly hospitalized for "busting a gut" while laughing at what happened in items 1-14.
The men from the Schuylkill Navy, our brother rowers, were earnest in their task, and had no way of knowing that such a situation would arise, so I advise you now that they are NOT in any way to blame. In fact, other than the individuals who actually attempted the dredging, I don't think anyone in the lobbying or planning phase really had bad intentions. But that's the problem with a hidden creek. You never know what to expect.
We have hopes that the work will finally be completed prior to this spring, but based on the small scale of the job, I will still be a very young man when all of this happens again. So if you've got rowable water this spring and your aren't dodging spoils pipes and anchor lines, enjoy it to the fullest. On the Schuylkill, it will be business as usual.
RIVER'S EDGE
Let the Mudslinging Begin!
By *******
February 2, 2001, 10:42 a.m.
To describe the Schuylkill River of Philadelphia, and the logistical delights it provides, would require words not yet invented in the English language, or any other language for that matter. Centuries ago, the Lenape tribes that flourished along the shores named the river "Ganshowahanna," which means "falling waters." Ganshowahanna is an innocent name, one that paid homage to the natural beauty and purity of the then unspoiled waters. Had the Lenape known the future that would become, perhaps they would have chosen something more appropriate. Unfortunately, I think it's probably safe to say that there is no Lenape word for "stagnant place of much talking, no listening, followed by long time of waiting, which lets the opportunity pass." I don't think it exists in any short combination of syllables or clicks (or hand gestures) in any language. But, perhaps if the Lenape had demonstrated greater foresight, the Dutch would not have felt obligated to the rename the river "schuyl kil," which means hidden creek. That's a bit dark and morbid, don't you think? (Any word that ends in "-kill" probably has a hard time sounding bright and cheery.)
Maybe the Dutch were smarter than we think. Hidden creek could have so many meanings. The actual one was the thick vegetation that obscured the river's entrance at League Island, to the south of the City. But, a more realistic explanation for the name might be found in the observation that nothing associated with the Schuylkill is as it seems. The history (and present) of the river is one filled with secrets, paradoxes, mysteries, and some scandals. The bend in the river's 2000-meter stretch is the purest testimony that everything along the river is crooked, everything has an angle. You just need to be prepared to make the turn at the right time.
Which leads me to the issue at hand: mudslinging. To be precise, DREDGING, the removal of many cubic yards of mud, from the river's bottom and its transportation to some other place unpopulated by drinking water intakes, boats, launches, and aquatic recreationalists. How we got stuck, ahem, in our predicament is no recent matter. It finds roots in the first efforts the Europeans made at taming the wilds of Pennsylvania. In the 18th century, the river served as a transportation route and as an informal source of drinking water. The coal mining further west and its transportation by barge launched two centuries of silting, depositing anthracite coal refuse throughout the river's length. This lasted until the early 20th century. By itself, this might not have resulted in the mess at hand, for the river had a strong current and carried the dust all the way to the Delaware River. A nobler pursuit actually doomed the Schuylkill. It was the damming of the river at Fairmount, as part of a massive public waterworks project to provide drinking water to the City of Philadelphia and prevent the spread of yellow fever. Not only did the Fairmount Water Works and Dam bring reasonably healthful water to City residents, it provided a non-tidal, six-mile, freshwater "reservoir"---the part of the Schuylkill upon which we row. At the same time, however, the Dam also sealed the river's fate to a life of constant maintenance. The Fairmount Dam kept the water calm and placid, but it also prevented much of the coal silt from washing out into the Delaware. From this point forward, man and nature began an endless battle to keep the waters of the Schuylkill rowable and drinkable. The two final nails in the coffin were the re-building of the Fairmount Dam in the 1920s, which, at the request of the oil companies downstream, removed the last sluicegates from the river (apparently these petroleum giants could not afford to dredge THEIR docks), and the discontinuation of City efforts to annually dredge selected shallow spots.
In the second-half of the 20th century, the river required full-force dredging no fewer than 3 times. Each time involved monumental expenditure of resources, both real and political. The most recent (not counting the current fiasco) was in 1990. The efforts made a decade ago took only 6 years to be undone. Several floods and topsoil runoff upstream (thank you, suburban sprawl!) accelerated the silting to a degree never experienced in the 200-year history of man's futzing with the river. After several years of dedicated lobbying by members of the Schuylkill Navy, the current project was begun, so to speak. A brief synopsis of what happened, to catch everyone up:
1. Army Corps of Engineers puts out request for bids to dredge Schuylkill along Boathouse Row and Belmont Intake.
2. Bidding goes later than original completion date (October 1999).
3. Bid finally awarded, but winning bidder backs out several weeks later.
4. Bidding starts over again.
5. New bidder begins to set up equipment.
6. Setup takes forever, well past the revised completion date (December 1999).
7. River freezes for two months before dredging can start.
8. Re-revised completion date looms, and dredge is used to smash ice and get started.
9. Equipment re-setup, but still no spoils barge below the dam.
10. Floods flip the dredge (March 2000).
11. New dredge delivered, still no spoils barge.
12. Spoils barge arrives, silt is pumped on and the weight promptly sinks the barge onto the shallows beneath.
13. At high tide, dredger moves barge futher downriver.
14. Dredger ordered wrong size spoils barge. Can't find tugboat large enough to pull fully loaded barge and small enough to fit under bridges.
15. Several rowers are nearly hospitalized for "busting a gut" while laughing at what happened in items 1-14.
The men from the Schuylkill Navy, our brother rowers, were earnest in their task, and had no way of knowing that such a situation would arise, so I advise you now that they are NOT in any way to blame. In fact, other than the individuals who actually attempted the dredging, I don't think anyone in the lobbying or planning phase really had bad intentions. But that's the problem with a hidden creek. You never know what to expect.
We have hopes that the work will finally be completed prior to this spring, but based on the small scale of the job, I will still be a very young man when all of this happens again. So if you've got rowable water this spring and your aren't dodging spoils pipes and anchor lines, enjoy it to the fullest. On the Schuylkill, it will be business as usual.
Re: Tough Going for Philly Dredging Project
Fresh news is that the USACE Philadelphia district is allocating $5 million in new federal funding (via the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the 2022 Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act) to the above-the-dam Schuylkill dredging project.
https://www.nap.usace.army.mil/Media/Ne ... infrastru/
$5 million + $3.5 million on hand + $1 million in litigation btwn USACE & ASI (original contractor who failed to meet contract obligations)
Dredging could start (again) this July - USACE has already committed to a re-procurement.
$9-10 million seems like a much more reasonable budget for the work.
One would think that a greater water holding capacity above the dam could also play a role in alleviating the type of flooding we saw back in September, with water entering the expressway just a short distance below the dam.
As an aside, getting the Cape May Canal repaired is a needed piece of work too.
https://www.nap.usace.army.mil/Media/Ne ... infrastru/
$5 million + $3.5 million on hand + $1 million in litigation btwn USACE & ASI (original contractor who failed to meet contract obligations)
Dredging could start (again) this July - USACE has already committed to a re-procurement.
$9-10 million seems like a much more reasonable budget for the work.
One would think that a greater water holding capacity above the dam could also play a role in alleviating the type of flooding we saw back in September, with water entering the expressway just a short distance below the dam.
As an aside, getting the Cape May Canal repaired is a needed piece of work too.
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