Closing Time
When power companies close coal ash ponds, Ames Construction has the people, equipment, and know-how for project success.
Coal combustion residual (CCR) remediation projects involve complex environmental challenges, strict regulations, and firm deadlines. Multiple utility companies across the country have turned to Ames to execute these projects because of our experience in handling CCR and our capabilities in building the infrastructure these projects require.
For more than four decades, Ames has successfully delivered projects for some of the largest power plants in the nation. When it comes to CCR remediation, there is no project too big or too complicated for Ames to take on.
Ames’ CCR remediation experience
CCR is an umbrella term for the inorganic, solid byproducts that are left behind when coal is burned. It’s often referred to as coal ash. To prevent CCR from entering the air we breathe, coal-burning power generators have often mixed CCR with water to form a slurry, which is then stored in surface impoundments (coal ash ponds). The Environmental Protection Agency has recently established new criteria for coal ash disposal, requiring power plants to carry out CCR remediation projects.
Ames understands the unique properties of coal ash slurry and has experience in all aspects of its handling, including dewatering, conditioning, and transporting. With our heavy civil and industrial construction experience and one of the largest privately-owned equipment fleets in the country, we can also build the haul roads, bridges, concrete structures, retaining walls, and conveyor systems needed to close surface impoundments.
Our project delivery encompasses both traditional bid-build and alternative delivery methods, where we support the client and the client’s engineers through the pre-construction process by providing constructability, pricing, and schedule assessments. Because of our self-performance capabilities, we can make adjustments in labor and equipment through the life of a project to keep the work on schedule when unforeseen challenges arise.
How does Ames close a coal ash pond?
There’s no “one-size-fits-all” solution to closing a CCR surface impoundment—every site has its own set of geotechnical, safety, and environmental challenges. Tailoring our services to each specific project and owner, Ames has performed cap-in-place closure, closure by removal, and closure by consolidation projects. Our capabilities include:
• Excavation, hauling, and conditioning of coal ash
• Dewatering
• Water treatment
• Site grading
• Construction of access infrastructure
• Construction of drainage systems
• Groundwater management
• New landfill construction
• Landfill capping
As a closure project progresses, work scope may change and new challenges may be identified. We answer these challenges by leveraging our in-house expertise, people, and equipment to make every project successful.
From start to finish, Ames develops innovative solutions to accomplish complex CCR remediation projects. Through our performance, we’ve helped our clients achieve their environmental goals while establishing ourselves as an industry leader.
Contact Eric Hasemeyer, Business Development Manager, to discuss your upcoming projects.
Southeast office: 704-980-2637
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