When doing maintenance or construction on a dam near a wetland habitat, the risk for local wildlife can be high. Your main difficulty is likely to be reducing water while retaining the wetland, which can seem like a significant contradiction. However, you can mitigate your impact using a portable cofferdam, the least intrusive and eco-friendly damming option to maintain a safe construction site. Read below to discover how inflatable cofferdams can revolutionize your dam repair projects.
Temporary And Portability Is The Name Of The Game
While repairing a dam in a wetland area comes with a whole host of complex problems, the most significant is the very water itself. Yet, drying out the wetland is not an option, so the second best is to create a temporary cofferdam to allow your workers a safe location to conduct their repairs. However, not all cofferdams are created equal. Sandbags can leak dangerous chemicals and don’t create a watertight seal. Concrete or steel-constructed cofferdams require drilling into the wetland and are difficult to remove once work is completed.
On the other hand, inflatable cofferdams combat all these problems and more. They are eco-friendly and constructed using a flexible geotextile, waterproof, puncture-resistant material. No chemicals enter the wetlands when you install a portable cofferdam, creating a safe and healthy place to conduct dam repairs. Furthermore, inflatable cofferdams have the lowest environmental impact compared to other damming options. They require no drilling, no permanent structures, and function by the weight of the water used to fill them rather than the weight of the materials used in construction.
How An Inflatable Cofferdam Works
Inflatable cofferdams work by inflating a flexible membrane with water to create a seal from sediment to the waterline. They accomplish this by having interior baffles that create isolated chambers to maintain the pressure that gradually builds until the watertight barrier reaches its desired depth. Inflatable cofferdams can be installed by a small crew of as few as three people in a few hours with minimal equipment other than the trucks and lifts used to hoist the dam into place. After work is complete, the water can be pumped out and returned to the wetland area with little to no discernable difference to the site.
These portable dams are used in many construction and flooding prevention scenarios thanks to their portability and versatility. Some alternative uses for cofferdams other than for dam repair are bridge repair and construction, dredging operations, and boat ramp construction. Only need to use a cofferdam once? Due to their portability, they are the only damming option that can be rented and will save you money in the long run. Need to cover a large area like an entire river span? Inflatable cofferdams are modular and can be integrated into one another and connected to service vast surface areas. Finally, do you want to store extra water off-site or nearby? Inflatable cofferdams make a perfect option to create a temporary water storage area and can be set up to last for weeks or months until your project or repairs are complete.
Learn More About Portable Cofferdams With The Pros At Dam-It-Dams
Find out everything you need to know and more about inflatable cofferdams from the experts at Dam-It-Dams. Call us today for a free consultation where we can work together to find suitable damming options for you. Our team has decades of experience in the construction industry and are here to help provide you with the most eco-friendly and effective methods for protecting wildlife habitats during dam repairs.