That soil density report from the Port of Houston threw me for a loop

I was digging through old project files last Tuesday and stumbled on a geotechnical report for a channel dredge near the Houston Ship Channel. It said the sediment density was 40% higher than what I assumed from years of eyeballing it, which explains why my barge loads were always coming up short on weight. Has anyone else had a report completely change how you estimate your cuts?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_nina1mo ago

Threw me for a loop" is putting it mildly, but I gotta say, I think that report might be the problem, not the solution. You've been eyeballing those cuts for years and getting work done. That report sounds like it was written by someone who never left the office. High-density sediment on a Houston Ship Channel dredge? That flies in the face of every core sample I've ever pulled out of that muck. You'd be better off trusting your gut and the feel of your bucket than some lab report from a desk jockey.

ross.angela1mo ago

Don't you just hate it when someone in an air-conditioned office tries to tell you what's really going on out in the field? I've seen too many lab results that just don't match up with what my hands and eyes are telling me. You're right to trust your experience on this one, the bucket never lies.