A cofferdam is a temporary enclosure in or around a body of water that is constructed to allow dewatering, diversion or damming of an enclosed area. The primary purpose of a cofferdam is to create a dry environment for a project to proceed. They were first used in 1736. Today’s cofferdams are typically conventional embankment dams of both earth- and rock-fill, although concrete or some sheet piling also may be used.
Headquartered in Michigan, Dam-It Dams, Inc. – offer cofferdams which use on-site water to fill dual inner tubes, therefore, leaving very little or no environmental impact. The dam’s chambers to slowly and evenly inflate, hence, forming a strong, stable cylindrical tube. While the inner tubes continue to fill, the dam unrolls in a controlled manner to create the cofferdam
There are as many water-control applications for cofferdams as there are types of cofferdams. Dam-It Dams’ patented, portable, water-filled Cofferdams offer effective and cost-efficient solutions for these major types of situations that are called the 3-Ds of water control:
Dewatering:
Dewatering, unwatering and water control are common terms used to describe the removal or drainage of ground or surface water, typically on a construction site. This technique is often required before subsurface excavation for such things as foundations, shoring, cellar space and repairs to existing water structures. As a result, a cost effective solution is necessary to keep the project moving. That’s where we can help.
Diversion:
Diversion is the temporary (or sometimes permanent) re-routing of water. It may be required to initiate a project and/or allow a project to proceed.
Damming:
Damming is the process of creating a barrier that holds back water. The barrier may be needed to maintain water table levels, collect water for storage and prevent water from crossing established/safety thresholds.
Because Dam-It Dams’ Cofferdams work with Mother Nature, not against her, they create effective water barriers that leave no – or only a minimal – footprint on the environment. Furthermore, our cofferdams are industrial strength and reusable to minimize additional investment costs.
Types of coffer Dams
There are various types of cofferdams. They include:
- Cantilever Sheet Pile Cofferdam
- Braced Cofferdam
- Earth Embankment Cofferdam
- Rockfill Cofferdam
- Double Wall Cofferdam
- Cellular Cofferdam
Read more about the different types of Cofferdams
