The Mosul Dam Rehabilitation Project in Iraq has been named the winner of the Deep Foundation Institute’s (DFI) 2022 Outstanding Project Award.
The Mosul Dam on the Tigris River dates to the 1980s and is the largest in Iraq at 113m (371ft) tall and 3.65km (2.3 mi) long. Even during the construction phase, engineers were aware of the foundation’s weak rock, and contractors encountered cavities during excavation. Due to political and schedule pressures, the work continued. Despite extensive grouting efforts, water seepages started immediately after commissioning the dam.
In March 2016 Trevi, S.p.A – who submitted the project for the award – took over the contract to perform maintenance grouting, along with training the owner’s personnel and rehabilitating the bottom outlet tunnels through electromechanical work and diving operations. From 2016 to 2019, Trevi completed about 403,000 linear m (1,322,178 lft) of grouted boreholes, injecting about 41,000 m3 (53,626 cu yd) of grout into the ground. Trevi also created courses on modern equipment and techniques as part of its remit to engage and train the owner’s personnel.
Trevi carried out work at the dam despite being only 13km (8 mi) away from the armed conflict against ISIS. Fortunately, the presence of the Coalition Forces, together with the Italian Army, guaranteed the required security of the project area. Notwithstanding the strict security procedures, the works proceeded expeditiously with no delays. The workforce numbered more than 700 and the project logged 8 million man-hours worked without accidents.
Established in 1997, the Outstanding Project Award recognizes the superior work of DFI members. A committee selects the projects based on size, scope and challenges of the project; degree of innovation and ingenuity exercised; and uniqueness of the solution to the difficulties of the job.
The award is being presented at DFI’s 47th Annual Conference on Deep Foundations, October 4-7 in National Harbor, Maryland.
