“Silly Putty” Clays

bad for foundations, good for containment of environmental contaminants

Environmental scientist Carol Phillips couldn’t believe her eyes retrieving soil samples from a subsurface exploration she was performing to check for metal, volatile organic compounds and other potential environmental contaminants. Pulling the sleeves from the borings, she discovered thick, high plasticity clays of a beautiful array of colors. From a very light lavender color to an almost turquoise color and bright orange sand layer, this was one of the most exciting soil samples she has ever seen.

“Phoning a friend,” Carol reached out to Rhea Sublett, staff geologist who offered some background information on the lacustrine deposits from the glacial Lake Monongahela, the region of her subsurface exploration. Lake Monongahela was formed a few hundred thousand years ago during an ice age where the glaciers dammed river flow to create a lake extending from approximately Pittsburgh, PA south to Clarksburg, WV. Lake Monongahela no longer exists, but after the glacier receded, its waters created what is now the Ohio River.

The unique history of Lake Monongahela has created fascinating and challenging geologic patterns and conditions in and around Morgantown. The fine-grained lacustrine deposits are the consistency of Silly Putty and often extend up to 80 feet below existing grades. The shrinking and swelling clay materials are problematic for building foundations and construction. However, the thick make-up of the clay materials may help slow or prevent the spread of potential environmental contaminants on the property being evaluated in Carol’s study.

Offering geotechnical engineering, environmental consulting and our many other services in house creates amazing opportunities for collaboration and learning. At Triad, we’re grateful for our diverse, complementary service offerings and our talented staff.

WV Restoration Planting Tool:

Would you like to restore native plants to your property?

The West Virginia Restoration Planting Tool matches your property with known native plant communities in West Virginia and predicts plant species that will thrive and provide great habitat for native fauna, including birds & butterflies.

The tool can be used for wetland and upland habitats.  It requires Microsoft Office Access software and an Internet connection and is available to the public at https://dep.wv.gov/WWE/getinvolved/Pages/Restoration-Planting-Tool.aspx

This tool is wonderful for private landowners wishing to enhance their property.

For larger and more complex projects, Triad is able to complete a site restoration or planting plan and can incorporate a creative planting plan into your project or construction stormwater permit. Triad can create planting plans for citizens, community groups, and private industry to address issues including: slope stabilization, construction site reclamation, improving forage production on hillside pastures, address problems associated with concentrated livestock, reclamation of mined lands, streambank stabilization, agro-forestry, wildlife habitat improvement, and others.

To contact a Triad office closest to your location, visit the contact us page.

What’s your State Soil?

Every state has a flag. You can probably recognize your state seal and maybe sing the state song. You may know your state’s motto, official flower, or state animal. But do you know your state soil? Yes, all states have a state soil and as of 1997, Monongahela Silt Loam is the official state soil of West Virginia.

This soil type may be the state soil of WV, but Monongahela silt loam was first identified in Greene County, PA in 1921. Named after the Monongahela River, these deep, moderately well drained soils are found on alluvial stream terraces and river valleys not just in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, but throughout Virginia, Tennessee, Ohio, Maryland, Kentucky, and Alabama. This soil derives largely from sandstone and shale which were formed over a millennia ago. It is great crop and pastures soil and considered prime farmland. Monongahela soils can also be used for engineering roads, and buildings. Engineering limitations include structures with basements. These limitations are mainly due to higher clay content in the lower layers, which have the ability to shrink and swell depending on the moisture content of the soil.

Triad’s geotechnical engineering group has a wealth of knowledge and technology to assist in identifying soils at your project site and overcoming soil limitations with engineering practices. Our in-house drilling fleet and on-site soil testing lab support our geotechnical engineers in providing economical solutions to our clients. No matter if your project includes Monongahela soils, Hazleton (the state soil of PA), Sassafras (the state soil of Maryland), or any soil in between, Triad is here to assist. Our geotechnical group is ready to help plan your project, give us a call!

Head over to our Contact Us page to reach out to an office closest to your project location.

Wetlands are areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas. To be a wetland, an area only needs to be saturated for a portion of the growing season, so wetlands do not always have standing water or even saturated soil present. Wetlands are the transitional land between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water is near the surface. They are not only beautiful and provide recreation, they are important for maintaining wildlife diversity, filtering nutrients, and for flood control. Although they comprise a small percentage of the nation’s total land area, they have a disproportionately higher number of unique plants and animals.

West Virginia isn’t wildly known for our wetlands, but the Mountain State is home to over 102,000 acres of wetlands! Canaan Valley, Dolly Sods Wilderness Area, Pleasant Creek Wildlife Management Area, and Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area are just a few places to view wetlands in WV. Cranberry Glades Botanical area is home to a high-altitude cluster of boreal-type peat bogs found rarely outside of Canada. You can also spot two native carnivorous plants – the purple pitcher and sundew. Practice social distancing by taking a hike and seeing if you can spot a WV Wetland near you! The WVDEP has published a wonderful guide to wetland plant identification in the Mountain State that can be downloaded at:

https://dep.wv.gov/WWE/watershed/wetland/Documents/Wetland%20Plant%20field%20guides/DEP_WetlandPlantsFieldGuide_DIGITAL.pdf

Triad understands that good project planning includes identifying existing resources early in project planning. Our biologists know that a good delineation report not only maps the location and extent of streams and wetlands in your project area, but also determines which features are regulated by the state and federal government. We areexperienced in planning to avoid impacts and permitting unavoidable impacts to aquatic habitats. Our environmental team is able to complete site specific wetland restoration and mitigation plans. For questions or assistance on Stream & Wetland Delineations or Clean Water Section 404/401 permitting and mitigation, please contact our Senior Scientist Carol Phillips at cphillips@triadeng.com.

For more information about Triad Engineering and the services we offer, visit the what we do section of our website.

By: Carol Phillips
Senior Environmental Scientist, Triad Engineering, Inc.

The PADEP new Management of Fill Policy took effect on January 1, 2020 and applies to fill placed outside of a project area. The policy does not apply to fill used within the same project area or right-of-way. The policy has impacts on most earth-moving projects. The new policy provides procedures for determining whether fill is “clean fill” or “regulated fill” as well as guidance on how fill can be utilized. To determine if fill is “clean fill”, environmental due diligence must be completed. The due diligence can be fulfilled by completing a Phase I ESA or testing of the fill material. If testing is completed, a Sampling Plan must be completed, and samples must be analyzed and compared to standards tied to the Act 2 criteria. Triad can complete the environmental due diligence necessary under the new Management of Fill Policy and can assist in navigating reporting and permitting with the PADEP. A link to the new policy is below.

http://www.depgreenport.state.pa.us/elibrary/GetFolder?FolderID=4647

PADEP has proposed changes to Chapter 105 regarding permits and permit waivers. Triad can complete stream & wetland delineations for your project and navigate the Chapter 105 permitting process for your project. Links to the proposed rulemaking and the PADEP presentation below.

http://files.dep.state.pa.us/PublicParticipation/Advisory%20Committees/AdvCommPortalFiles/WRAC/2020/013020/Ch105_reg_proposed_WRAC.pdf

http://files.dep.state.pa.us/PublicParticipation/Advisory%20Committees/AdvCommPortalFiles/WRAC/2020/013020/CHAPTER%20105_rev_proposed_WRAC_01-30-20.pdf