Global Treats 227M Gallons of PFAS-impacted Groundwater to Support Gordie Howe International Bridge Construction

Various custom treatment systems including:

MWT-2K2 Water Treatment Trailer

MWT-10K2 Water Treatment Trailer

MWT-3K2S Water Treatment Trailer

LPV-5000 Media Vessels

Global Environmental provided dewatering and groundwater treatment services to support construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge which connects Detroit, Michigan to Windsor, Ontario.

The Global team managed and treated PFAS-impacted groundwater to support extensive underground utility installations, soil removal, and foundation construction on a 167-acre site. Groundwater was dewatered and directed to purpose-built retention ponds across the site. Global was responsible for pumping water from these ponds, treating it with various customized systems, and discharging the treated water to the Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) under an approved permit.

Global deployed a range of treatment systems throughout the project, including the MWT-2K2, MWT-10K2, and MWT-3K2S water treatment trailers, and LPV-5000 media vessels. These systems were specifically designed to remove PFAS, PCBs, VOCs, SVOCs, and heavy metals from the groundwater. The water treatment flow rate varied from 100 GPM up to 800 GPM during peak dewatering periods, and over the course of the project Global successfully treated a total of 226,599,851 gallons of water.

In addition to treating water for discharge, Global collaborated with the customer to integrate temporary water towers, which provided treated effluent for dust control trucks. This recycling operation significantly reduced reliance on municipal water hydrants, resulting in an estimated savings of $198,000 in sewer disposal fees and $160,000 in hydrant water usage fees.

Global maintained daily site operations and managed occasional unattended overnight operations to meet the demands of the dewatering process. The team also provided carbon change-outs as needed and responded quickly to changing site conditions, minimizing disruptions to other contractors on site and keeping this incredibly massive project on-schedule.

Along with contributing to this remarkable project, our team also had the opportunity to sign one of the bridge's beams, joining the many contractors who played a foundational role in its construction.

Total water volume treated: 226,599,851 gallons
Client savings by avoiding sewer disposal fees: ~$198,000
Client savings by avoiding hydrant use fees: ~$160,000