Sheet Pile / Soil Bentonite Wall at McCormick and Baxter - Portland, OR

The McCormick and Baxter Creosoting Company's Portland Plant site covers approximately 58 acres of terrestrial and aquatic land located on the east bank of the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon. McCormick & Baxter was founded in the early 1940s to produce a variety of treated wood products during World War II. Various wood treatment processes have been used at the facility, and site investigations between 1983 and 1990 revealed many releases of chemical compounds such as pentachlorophenol (PCP), creosote, chromium and arsenic to soil, groundwater, and sediment. In 1990, the wood treatment operations ceased and early remediation actions were initiated to remove process equipment, piping tanks, and treatment formulations. The site is presently listed as a Superfund site under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).

The scope of work for this project included the abandonment of groundwater sampling wells, installation of over 100,000 square feet of interlocking sheet pile wall to depths up to 80 feet, and the construction of over 112,000 square feet of a soil bentonite barrier slurry wall to depths exceeding 70 feet. In addition, numerous utilities including high-pressure natural gas and sewer mains required temporary relocation, abandonment and/or monitoring during the course of construction.

Project Performance

Despite encountering numerous unforseen conditions, including the discovery of many underground obstructions during construction of the slurry wall and sheet pile wall, the project was completed within the original project schedule and under budget.