ADT Increases Production With 7822DTs

Aquifer Drilling & Testing, Inc. (ADT) is currently operating between 8-12 crews gathering information to help design bioswales throughout the five boroughs of New York City as part of the City’s Green Infrastructure Plan which was developed to better manage stormwater runoff.  

New York City, like other older urban centers, is largely serviced by a combined sewer system where stormwater and wastewater are carried through the same pipes. Even though wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are designed to treat and disinfect twice dry weather flow, during heavy storms the system can exceed its capacity. When this happens, the system is designed to discharge a mix of stormwater and wastewater – called combined sewer overflow or CSO – into New York Harbor in order to prevent damage to wastewater treatment plants. 

Streets and sidewalks, two top contributors to stormwater runoff, make up approximately 27 percent of land in combined sewer drainage areas of the City. They represent a significant opportunity to manage stormwater using source controls. Source controls are systems designed to detain or retain stormwater at the source rather than at the end of pipe. In 2010, New York City released the NYC Green Infrastructure Plan, which called for the construction of source controls throughout the City to manage stormwater from impervious surfaces.

New York City’s Green Infrastructure Program is a multi-agency effort led by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). DEP and agency partners design, construct, and maintain a variety of sustainable green infrastructure practices such as green roofs, rain gardens, and right-of-way bioswales on City-owned property such as streets, sidewalks, schools, and public housing. Green infrastructure promotes the natural movement of water by collecting and managing stormwater runoff from streets, sidewalks, parking lots, and rooftops, and directing it to engineered systems that typically feature soils, stones, and vegetation. This process prevents stormwater runoff from entering the city’s sewer systems. DEP is currently building green infrastructure in compliance with NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) requirements to reduce combined sewer overflow discharges into New York City’s waterbodies.

One of the problems ADT encountered early on was being able to set up on locations with limited access.  Bill Poupis, Vice President and General Manager for ADT explained: “Parked cars, trees, narrow sidewalks, all posed problems for truck- and even track-mounted drill rigs. Gathering information such as blow counts and soil permeability required employing ‘Drive & Wash’ technology to drill at these locations.”  Because of this, ADT modified two of its Geoprobe® 6620DT units with auto hammers and mud swivels allowing them to drive 4-inch casing into the ground while collecting split spoon samples for blow count information. Moving over at the same location, 4-inch casing was driven into the ground at two different depths to perform permeability testing.

“With the recent purchase of four new 7822DTs,” Bill added, “we’re able to utilize up to six Geoprobe® crews for this bioswale project enabling faster and easier access to locations that previously required the coordination of blocking parking spots to allow drill rig access.”

ADT has provided environmental and geotechnical site services for over 25 years. “Our goal,” Bill added, “is to provide our clients with the highest level of service in a safe and cost-effective manner.”

“We’ve been able to increase our production by almost 50 percent using the Geoprobe 7822DT’s outfitted for ‘Drive and Wash’ drilling.  Parked cars, trees, fire hydrants, light poles and narrow sidewalks are easily navigated with these track units. Our crews love them and our clients request them!”

William A. Poupis • Vice President / General Manager
Aquifer Drilling & Testing, Inc. • Minneola, NY