New Westminster sits at just 60 meters above sea level on the north bank of the Fraser River. That low elevation means the water table is high and the soils are soft. We deal with this every day. The city’s population density – the highest in Metro Vancouver at over 5,200 people per square kilometer – pushes construction onto marginal land. Land that often needs ground improvement. Stone column design is our primary tool for these sites. We use it to reinforce the compressible silts and clays found across the city. A CPT test helps us profile these soils without disturbing them. The data feeds directly into our column grid design. The goal is settlement control and bearing capacity increase. We know the local geology. The Fraser River delta deposits here can extend over 100 meters deep. Standard footings are not enough. We step in when the ground is too weak.
In the Fraser River delta, stone columns routinely cut foundation settlements by half while accelerating consolidation time in the soft clays.
