Beaver River Crossing
Project Location: Near Cold Lake, Alberta
SolidEarth completed a geotechnical investigation for a proposed Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) pipeline installation across the Beaver River near Cold Lake, Alberta. The project consisted of the installation of an approximately 1,200 m long pipeline with entry and exit pads on either side of the river. The river valley was approximately 45 m deep with instability concerns. The horizontal portion of the drill trajectory (deepest point) was approximately 30 m below the bottom of the river (75 m below top of valley banks).
SolidEarth completed a terrain analysis and geo-hazards evaluation. The evaluation was based on site reconnaissance, analysis of aerial LiDAR dataset, historical aerial photographs, and review of borehole data.
SolidEarth also completed a geotechnical assessment consisting of subsurface investigation (auger and wet rotary borehole drilling), ERT geophysical survey, slope stability modeling, and engineering assessment of the bore path design and alignment selection. Engineering evaluation included recommendations for drill trajectory through saturated granular deposits, soil parameters for bore design, potential of instability with the river valley and mitigation options, and identification of No-drill zones.