Scott Candler Electrical Building Forensic Investigation and Repair

During construction of the single story, reinforced masonry Electrical Building No. 2 (EB2) of the Scott Candler Water Treatment Plant (WTP), owned and operated by DeKalb County, Georgia, a design change was made which impacted its structural integrity. Several pile supports were removed due to conflicts with underground utilities and were replaced by a steel angle supporting the slab edge off an adjacent sub-surface concrete basin wall. Soon after construction in 2002, signs of foundation settlement were initially observed. This grew progressively worse over time until there was a dramatic structural failure as one corner of the concrete base slab displaced downward up to 2 in. In 2018, Arcadis assembled a multi-disciplinary team comprised of structural, geotechnical, electrical, and process mechanical engineers to assess the long-term stability and viability of EB2 and determine a permanent solution. The investigation and resulting repair consisted of the following steps: Step One: Document Review; Step Two: Identifying the Problem; Step Three: Diagnosing the Cause of the Problem; Step Four: Locating the Source of the Problem; Step Five: Emergency Repairs; Step Six: Long Term Repair.