Established in 1988, GFA International, Inc. is a full-service Engineering and Geological consulting organization providing Environmental, Geotechnical, Construction Materials Testing, Threshold and Special Inspections, as well as Code Compliance services across a broad spectrum of industries. GFA has offices strategically located to service clients throughout the State of Florida and beyond. GFA has carefully constructed their state-wide reputation for superior service, trustworthy business management, as well as, strict attention to health, safety and innovative engineering.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHTGfa 1

GFA Has Performed Testing And Inspection Services On Several Levee Projects And Has Extensive Experience Performing Contractor Quality Control Services On Army Corps Of Engineers Projects. To date GFA has successfully completed over 35,000 lineal feet of verification cores.  Below is just one of our notable projects.

Herbert Hoover Dike Rehabilitation – Task Orders 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Belle Glade, FL

The Herbert Hoover Dike, built around Lake Okeechobee, is listed as one of the nation’s dams in most need of repairGfa2 and has been a US Army Corps of Engineers top priority since 2007.  The 143-mile earthen dike surrounds Lake Okeechobee, the second largest freshwater lake in the nation.

Jacksonville District rehabilitated the dike’s most vulnerable section, the 22-mile section between Port Mayaca and Belle Glade. Emplacement of the cutoff wall provided immediate risk reduction benefits. The Corps began installing a partially penetrating cutoff wall in the dike in 2008. The wall serves as a barrier to water pathways or piping, which can lead to internal erosion, officials said. The two- to three-foot-thick wall extends from the top of the dike through the foundation to several feet beyond the limestone bedrock, averaging 50 to 70 feet below the crest of the dike.

To date over 21 miles of cut off wall have been constructed in reach 1.

GFA Services

  • Quality Control Testing
  • Drilling Verification

 Contract

  • $2.8 million per task order

GFA International, Inc., in conjunction with Keith & Schnars, P.A., provided the following services for the construction of Seepage Cutoff Wall.

  • On Site Laboratory / Laboratory Technicians – Fully equipped on-site laboratory performed all testing required by project specifications
  • QC Manager – Provided full-time QC inspector to prepare QC plan and monitor compliance to project specifications.Gfa 3
  • Verification Drilling Services – Backfill bore holes pursuant to project specifications; qualified drill crew performed 4” diameter cores of the cut off wall; wooden core box containers for preservation of cores; qualified Geologist or Geotechnical Engineer performed logging of bore holes with acoustical televiewer pursuant to project specifications; performed field permeability and testing pursuant to project specifications.
  • Cutoff Wall Logger Services – Geologist or Geotechnical Engineer provided cutoff wall logger pursuant to project specifications.

Task Order #3, 7 and 9

GFA International provided the quality control testing and inspections for the cutoff wall construction on Task Order #3, which included 16,900 feet; #7 included 16,795 feet and #9 for 2,450 feet of the wall.Gfa4

The services provided by GFA consisted of:

  • Pre-placement cut off wall testing for permeability and compressive strength testing
  • Post placement testing of cut off wall materials for compressive permeability and compressive strength testing
  • Verification borings, GFA performed over 12,000 feet of verification borings on the cut off wall material
  • Compressive strength testing of cores from verification borings
  • Field permeability testing of boreholes in cut off wall materials
  • Optical televiewer (video recorder) imaging of cut off wall boreholes
  • Testing of embankment materials and aggregate surface roads
  • GPR survey of existing utilities
  • Environmental species monitoring

Task Order #5, 6 and 8

GFA further provided the quality control testing and inspections on Task Order #5 (20,050 feet), #6 (14,070 feet) and #8 (3,340 feet) for the cutoff wall construction.

  • Verification borings, GFA performed over 12,000 feet of verification borings on the cut off wall material in levee conditions
  • Compressive strength testing of cores from verification borings
  • Field permeability testing of boreholes in cut off wall materials
  • Optical televiewer (video recorder) imaging of cut off wall boreholes

To learn more about GFA International, Inc and their Environmental, Industrial Hygiene or Geotechnical, Construction Materials Testing, and Inspection services, please visit www.teamgfa.com, email msabarese@teamgfa.com or call (800) 226-7522.

Contact: Melissa Sabarese
GFA International, Inc.
Phone: (561) 347-0070
Fax: (561) 395-5805
Email: msabarese@teamgfa.com
1215 Wallace Drive
Delray Beach, Florida 33444
TEAMGFA.com

 

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