Dikes / Levees

Current situation

Dike and levee systems are an important component of flood management. Many of our towns and villages would not be habitable without them, and adjacent industrial areas rely on the protection provided by the surrounding artificial dike and levee systems.

Maintaining and strengthening these structures in preparation for flooding is an important task for the responsible flood control authorities. Existing structures must be maintained, improved or rehabilitated, and new ones must be built.

Risk events

Global warming leads - among other things - to:

• Heavy rainfall-induced flood events, which more frequently last for days from mountainous headwaters to lower reaches of rivers.

• Sea level rise and associated risks of extreme flooding for island nations (especially in the Pacific), coastal regions, and lower lying cities.

Seepage, piping, partial liquefaction, surface erosion due to flooding or wave action usually cause significant damage to the protection system. With the appropriate product, such as a cut-off wall, this can be prevented or significantly mitigated.

Our mission

BAUER has all relevant and proven technologies for the effective installation of cut-off walls.

The application of cut-off walls for seepage path extension (using construction methods such as Mixed-in-Place, Cutter-Soil Mixing, grab/cutter or even with grouting), are often considered as a solution against the risk of the above-mentioned causes of damage. The walls or individual elements can be reinforced if necessary and can thus be used to improve the stability of the dike.

The construction method to be selected and the wall geometry will depend on the available building area on the dike, the ground conditions, especially the properties of the permeable layer, and the depth and properties of the underlying impermeable layer. The thickness of the wall and the materials used for the seepage barrier can be adapted to meet the specific project requirements.

Whatever the boundary conditions of a project, we have a suitable technology that can be used.