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A water leackage problem on an underpass structure

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ysna

Geotechnical
Aug 27, 2015
16
Hi,
There is this project that we are working on right now, that has a serious seepage problem (see attached photo). It is an underpass structure which is not completely isolated when built, so water leaks from it's floor and possibly through the walls. The water table is 2 meters below ground level and the structure itself is right below the ground level. The question is, is there any test, a geoelectrical test maybe, to reliably determine the exact place of water leakage so we can find a way to isolate it. Our employer doesn't wants to go through the problem of digging all around structure, pumping water away and isolating from outside of building. the budget is tight, he says.
 
 http://files.engineering.com/getfile.aspx?folder=e44b1219-da1e-4010-8c5d-de2ffddae78b&file=photo_2016-05-12_11-18-09.jpg
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infrared (thermal-imaging) camera?
 
Infrared thermography probably won't do much good here because I doubt there is enough thermal differential to show.

You could try dye injection to see if the problem is from above or below. Even if you determine the source, the repair of an area like this will not be cheap! This will be a difficult undertaking and if your budget is severely limited, then you probably won't be able to do anything other than superficial repairs.
 
You might be tempted to hire a contractor specializing in injecting bentonite slurry or similar.

It might do some good, but sometimes fixing one problem that way causes another problem.

I'd be inclined to saw cut or grind a small "trench" along the up-hill wall. That can collect the water and can direct it to a discharge area more straightforwardly than what is there now.
 
Thank you all for your kind reply. Actually I was thinking of removing floor to depth of some 30 to 40 centimeters, building an aggregate drain right below floor which collects water in a well, allowing us to pump it away. But this is only applicable if the leakage is happening from floor. If the leakage is happening from walls, I think oldestguy's method of digging a trench along outside of the wall is an inexpensive logical solution to this problem. If there is any other thoughts or cheap solutions to this problem, I would be thankful to hear.
 
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