DDS ENGINEERING, PLLC has recently completed drilling and laboratory testing services for the Owensboro riverfront project in Owensboro, Kentucky. On April 25, 2008 DDS ENGINEERING, PLLC and Qore Property Sciences loaded a mobile drill rig on a barge owned and operated by M. Bowling, Inc. to drill test borings along the south bank of the Ohio River in Owensboro, Kentucky. The purpose of our exploration was to obtain and classify soil conditions at locations predetermined by the city of Owensboro for the riverfront project design team. Our scope was to provide nine soil test borings to a maximum depth of forty feet while providing standard penetration values. Samples were obtained during drilling operations to perform laboratory testing including moisture content, plasticity index, -#200 wash, and hydrometer analysis. Positioning the drill rig on the barge and stabilizing the barge during drilling operations were challenging tasks to overcome. To position the rig allowing boring operations off the edge of the barge and to create a working surface for the drill operators, we built a platform off the front end of the barge utilizing two 4 feet wide, 21 foot  long, and 14 inches thick wooden mats. The mats were placed with about six feet of overhang above the Ohio River. Two stacks of two by tens were screwed to the mats to create a working platform for the drill operators and safety handrails were built around the perimeter of the work area. To farther stabilize the barge from the rivers current, a second barge was placed parallel to the river bank. Once the stabilizing barge was in place, spuds were dropped to the bottom of the river bed preventing horizontal movement. The drilling barge was positioned at the boring location and tied perpendicular to the stabilizing barge. The drilling method used was a mud rotary technique in which a tri-cone bit connected to the bottom of drill stems is rotated to advance the boring. A mixture of bentonite and water (mud) is circulated in the borehole by pumping the mud down through the drill stems while picking up cuttings and carrying them to the surface. Split spoon samples were taken while performing the standard penetration test at depths determined in the field. Drilling was successfully performed on April 25th, 28th, 29th, and completed on the 30th. DDS ENGINEERING, PLLC thrives on challenging projects such as this one. The completion of this project was the result of teamwork between the City of Owensboro, M. Bowling, Inc., Ted Lolly, and DDS ENGINEERING, PLLC.

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