Project Summary
Barclay Construction approached Layfield requesting assistance on a shoreline restoration project for Ontario Power Generation within the Gull Bay First Nations community in Gull Bay, ON. The project required that approximately 1.2km of shoreline be isolated from the lake (lake Nipigon) with a watertight barrier to prevent water from interrupting construction efforts and preventing construction runoff from entering the pristine fishing waters offshore. The barrier would need to be in place for approximately 4 to 6 months and handle varying water levels of up to 1 meter in height while remaining in place when battering waves and windstorm conditions that would arise when the weather becomes turbulent. The barriers would need to be provided within a month and would require the installation support of Layfield’s skilled installation technicians.
SOLUTION
Layfield proposed building custom AquaDams® that would span the entire length of the shoreline. The bulk of the proposed barrier consisted of 16, 1.2m tall x 74m long custom sections and 3 of Layfield’s newly designed double closed-ended 1.2m tall x 30m long sections. Barclay and Layfield agreed upon the ambitious plan, and Barclay Construction placed the order on June 7th, 2021. Layfield’s manufacturing plant quickly got to work on the order. In record time, 1.2km long by 1.2m tall custom AquaDam® sections were built within seven days and shipped from Layfield’s Edmonton facility to Gull Bay, ON, where they arrived on June 16th. Layfield crews arrived in Gull Bay on June 23rd and worked with Barclay to install the dam sections in 9 days, leaving the site ahead of schedule on June 30th.
INSTALLATION
With the AquaDam® being built, delivered, and installed within a three-week timeline, Barclay Construction could focus on the shoreline restoration work, knowing they had made the right choice of choosing Layfield and AquaDam®. The First Nations community of Gull Bay, Ontario Power Generation and Barclay Construction were thrilled with the effectiveness and high level of protection the AquaDams® provided to the sensitive offshore fishing waters of Gull Bay.
