Reader have serious issues with Valley Engineers testimony
I have many years experience in the construction business and sat through the meeting the other night. What I would like to have asked Mr. Gouda is if he has ever heard of human error? Such as errors in explosive loading (too much!)? Terrential rains that cause wall collapses? etc?
Does Mr. Gouda realize that assuming nearby homes, particularly their foundations,were built to current NJ Uniform Construction Codes is probably wrong? Many of the homes in the neighborhood are well over 100 year old and their foundations may not be concrete, etc. with the strength is assuming.
Mr. Gouda may have thought it funny to say the Village would make a nice profit if they pumped groundwater into the sanitary sewer system but I was left thinking . . . “Since Valley is non-profit, do the actually pay if this were to happen?”
And what happens in high flow periods, when the sewage treatment facility is already on overflow?
One of my favorite statements of the night . . . “Rock will be removed by an appropriate method. That will be up to the contractore”. Really? How can I make an informed decision about this project without knowing any specifics. I should just take Valley’s word for it?
Another issue – does anyone know if the original proposal which would have resulted in 22,000 truck trips (for Phase 1) used 10 cubic yard trucks or 15 cubic yard trucks? Did they reduce the truck trips by increasing the size of the trucks? 15 cubic yard trucks are enormous.
If the sand/gravel to be removed has 10 – 12% fines (silts), then it has some significant % moisture which means it has some real weight to it. Can our roads take a 15 cy dump truck loaded with wettish silty sand? What will be the cost to our infrastructure? Will roads need to be resurfaced? Will gas lines be shifted? etc.
Mr. Gouda laughed off the notion of harmonic frequency and liquifaction . . . how but just addressing these potentially significant issue instead????
And although the amount of rock to be removed is small, it will involve blasting. The notion that overlaying soils/sediment will “dampen the impact” is to a certain degree flawed. A blast creates a certain amount of energy that energy has to go somewhere. It disperses into the surrounding soild provided those soils are completely homogeneous. Otherwise, it goes along the path of least resistance. If any of the near-site soils are stratified, there will not be equal dissipation of energy.
And I think there needs to be ALOT more information on the underground injection wells that would be proposed. One resident expressed concern about habitual flooding down near Sollas Court and ground water infiltration. Will shallow underground injection of the construction wastewater exacerbate this problem. Certainly it seems that groundwater intrusion will be increased in lower lying homes and basements.
This is only one area being glossed over and railroaded through by Valley. BP assured residents of the Gulf Coast that “all precautions had been taken” before their well blew up and fouled the entire area.
If you had problems with this guy’s testimony, and most people did, wait until you hear what the guy in charge of the site has to say on the 29th. That meeting should be filmed !
yawn
It is so helpful to have people with construction and engineering backgrounds present at these metings. If you just listened to valleys lawyer and professionals you would think they were asking to build a 6 ft. She’d on the property not a 94 ft high monstrosity.