EARTHMOVING - MOVE CIRCA 40,000 CUBIC METRES OF OVERBURDEN

The works began in April and consisted of :

• In total, in excess of over 100’000m3 of overburden was stripped ranging from 1-5 metres in depth across the field, following the sand deposits
• The overburden material was hauled to a nearby Glebe lake, recently drained of water, which was once quarried for Fullers Earth many years previous.
• The ADT’s were required to cross a public footpath to gain access to the lake for placement which required a traffic management plan and full time banksmen at the crossing point.
• Placement commenced initially using a 21t Komatsu excavator, casting material over the sheer quarry/lake face until a safe working bench could be established for a Cat D6T to operate from.

The material placed had a high clay content value and was engineered in layers and tested to form an engineered geological barrier for future importation of inert materials to re-profile the base and restore back to a lake in the future.  

This proved challenging as continued ingress of water was present at all times around the lake/quarry perimeter as operations were below the natural water table. A full time pumping system was put in place by the client.

The works progressed very well, within budget and without any incidents or near misses reported.

This led to a second visit to Mercers Quarry later in the year for Glebe lake basal engineering works and a good working relationship between Client and Contractor which will hopefully continue for many years ahead.