VANT'S DRIFT
Gabion baskets were put together with hoc-nose clips before installing and rapped with diddum, then laid by hand preventing any damage that may have been caused by lifting equipment. Each chamber was blocked of separately and dewatered. Sand bags were used to keep the walls from slumping.
Only by using a long reach excavator could we keep the appropriate depth required for dewatering and installation of the gabion baskets
Because this project was done in winter, waders were used to work in the ice cold temperatures of the Buffalo river, gabion baskets were placed by hand into the cut back rock bank, to keep it from moving in the flood season.
A long reach cat excavator was used to build sand banks between each chamber, without the long reach this would have been impossible as sand would slump underneath the excavator when working to close to the water level.
Once the chamber were dewatered, jackhammers were used to break away the rock bank so that we could drill 300mm cores allowing water to enter freely.
Once the baskets were in place and leveled they were filled with hand stone before closing up.
KSP pump powered by a 6 cylinder John Deere engine used for dewatering vast amounts of water.
Excavator preparing coarse river sand to be placed around the baskets and on top of the Reno mattresses to act as a filter preventing mud and dirt entering the system.
Smaller pumps were used to keep cyphering water from filling up the chambers