Reclaimed Land in Kawasaki City, Japan

An interpreted case study involving large and widespread settlement caused by a combination of pumping from a deep aquifer and of placing a thick layer of fill is presented. The site considered is industrial land in Kawasaki City, Japan, made by reclaiming land in Tokyo Bay. The use of construction records and field measurements, aided by laboratory tests and soil mechanics analyses, to delineate the nature of reclaimed land for foundations is illustrated. Settlements as large as 2 m have occurred on as-yet undeveloped land. Settlement rates as high as 20 cm per yr are occurring 6 yr after fill placement. Pore pressure measurements show high excess pressures and indicate large site settlements are yet to come.