Principles of Dewatering:
Techniques, Construction, and Hydrogeologic Effects

Learn the most common construction dewatering
methodology and a practical approach for estimating
flow rates into an excavation.

Even when we have a decent understanding of the geology, ground water can lead to excavation instability, project delays, and ultimately increased project costs for both the General Contractor and the Owner.

Controlling ground water is a critical factor for construction and can be unexpectedly challenging when water volumes become greater than anticipated at a project site.

Dewatering Pumps

Urban Dewatering

Dewatering demands special consideration of both the construction techniques and hydrogeology like no other engineering task.

There are a multitude of strategies for approaching projects in different hydrogeologic conditions and there are seemingly endless troubleshooting techniques when groundwater becomes that "unexpected problem".

GFLOW model output (Courtesy of Henk Haitjema, PhD)

Project scale may be daunting too. Surface water management requires the same attention to planning as pumping ground water for some sites. Geologic conditions, permitting, logistics, access constraint and even security are critical considerations at some sites....

....and simply asking the right question during the
pre-planning phase can make - or break - project budget.

Some common and some unique dewatering techniques from this 35 acre excavation will be presented as case studies during the webinar.

Midwest GeoSciences Group is tackling these tough questions about dewatering. Join us for this 90-min comprehensive webinar about not only how to evaluate a project site, but also share strategies for determining potential flow that can be expected from an excavation, how to troubleshoot some sites when excessive water is discovered, and some unique tips about how to manage surface water for a successful dewatering program.

Bronson Gerkin, PG, Technical Director of the Dewatering Design Department at Griffin Dewatering is among the most qualified to teach this important subject. Griffin Dewatering is one of the largest dewatering companies in the world and has performed over 20,000 dewatering projects. Griffin Dewatering has allowed Bronson to build, test, and refine many dewatering systems and improvements. He is going to share his knowledge during this purposeful webinar.

Blog Story

Webinar Highlights:

• Introduces common dewatering techniques and their applicability to various types of geology.
• Covers the information necessary to determine basic dewatering objectives and requirements.
• Presents the basics for designing a dewatering system.
• Introduces strategies for determining the potential flow of groundwater into an excavation.
• Discusses some geologic constraints and conditions that cause trouble during dewatering.

Webinar Benefits:

• Quickly assess whether a project appears to require dewatering
• Apply common hydraulic equations to estimate potential dewatering flow rates
• Recognize common dewatering techniques and discuss applicability for their specific project

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Fee:	199.00 USD Per Computer Site for our Members (unlimited participants per site) 299.00 USD Per Computer Site for Non-Members (unlimited participants per site)
Instructor:	Bronson Gerken, P.G.
Handouts:	Copy of Webinar Slides (pdf) Record of Attendance Form (pdf)
Duration:	1.5 hour plus Q&A (no restrictions on time limit for extra Q&A!)
Professional Development:	Earn 1.5 Professional Development Hours (1.5 PDH)

A Record of Attendance Form is included free with each webinar for your record keeping and individual PDH verification. We ask your on-site coordinator to return the completed and signed copy of the Form to us following the webinar for (1) maintaining a separate copy as a service to attendees and (2) forwarding to NIU confirming attendance for those who order certificates.

Attendees may also order an official a Course Completion Certificate from Northern Illinois University for a small administrative fee. The Certificate is optional and may be ordered separately following the webinar to confirm your attendance and showcase the certificate on your office wall. Instructions for ordering certificates are given during the webinar.


* This webinar is eligible for the 'BUY THREE, GET THREE' discount; however ANY webinar series discount shown above cannot be combined with it.

Attendees will be invited to actively participate during this live and interactive on-line web seminar. Discussion is planned following the webinar for those who want to continue the session. Bring your questions to the webinar and present them to the instructor and other participants for exploring the best solution.

Instructors Bio

Bronson Gerken, P.G.

Bronson Gerken, P.G. has been in the dewatering industry for over 8 years and is the Technical Director of the dewatering design department at Griffin Dewatering. He obtained his Bachelor's in Geology from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and is a licensed geologist in the State of Kansas.

Bronson has been involved in numerous groundwater control projects across the United States and currently leads a team of geologists and engineers in designing groundwater control systems to meet each of their clients needs. Being in the dewatering industry, Bronson has had the opportunity to be involved with multiple aquifer pumping tests, has become proficient at creating and understanding groundwater modeling, and has come to understand proper water well construction and design.