While not widely known among environmental engineers, one-pass trenching is gaining traction as an innovative solution for large-scale environmental control and cleanup projects. This technology reduces installation costs and enhances efficiency, making it an increasingly popular choice.
A leading global energy and resource services company chose to use the DeWind method for a remediation project at a gas plant. The site faced contamination from sour gas sweetening chemicals and light hydrocarbons that were dissolved in shallow groundwater. The plume, traveling within a narrow corridor, posed a risk to nearby infrastructure. The company was contracted to design and install a system to intercept and remediate the contaminants effectively.
Conventional excavation methods, such as hydraulic excavators and bulldozers, were impractical due to the site’s limited space. Traditional trenching would have required a larger excavation footprint, resulting in higher costs for spoil removal and remediation.
DeWind One-Pass Trenching provided the ideal solution for this job. Developed by Greg DeWind in the early 1990s and continually refined – this technology enables precise trench installation without open excavation.
In a single pass, the system can:
- Cut a narrow trench, 18, 24 & 36’’ inches wide, up to 35 feet deep.
- Install a vertical well and a horizontal slotted HDPE SDR 11 pipe at 35 feet below grade.
- Simultaneously backfill the trench with a permeable material, such as pea-stone.
