Major Levee Upgrade with Pressed-in Steel Sheet Piles in Southern California-Paper

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The Huntington Beach Channel and Talbert Channel Sheet Pile Repair Project upgraded flood protection for residential communities in coastal Orange County, California. Existing channel walls, installed in the early 1980s, had deteriorated from saltwater exposure, while flood risk was increasing. The project installed more than 16,000 linear feet of new steel sheet piles alongside the existing walls.<br /><br />Because homes, pools, utilities, bridges, and other structures were close to the channels, conventional impact or vibratory driving posed unacceptable noise and vibration concerns. The project used the press-in method, which hydraulically pushes piles into the ground using previously installed piles for reaction. Where dense or difficult soils required it, augering assisted installation. The ground consisted mainly of silty sand with gravel and clay layers.<br /><br />Work was complicated by segmented wall locations, roadways, overhead power lines, and other obstacles, which required equipment to be relocated and operations restarted. To meet the 230-day schedule, multiple rigs worked simultaneously at different channel sections, with as many as four piling operations underway at once. The project installed piles of 40, 45, and 50 feet in length.<br /><br />The project was completed on schedule with no safety incidents and no resident complaints about noise or vibration. The authors conclude that press-in piling, including installation with simultaneous augering, is well suited to complex urban sites with hard soils, sensitive structures, and strict limits on disturbance.

Keywords

Huntington Beach

Talbert Channel

sheet pile repair

flood protection

steel sheet piles

press-in method

auguring assistance

urban infrastructure

noise and vibration control

coastal Orange County