Kenner, Louisiana is situated amongst one of the most high-risk locations for sinkhole formation and other problems that can arise from poor ground quality.

Louisiana’s limestone bedrock is quite soft. It lacks the stability and strength of granite or other stronger types of bedrock stone. The limestone dissolve when it’s exposed to even mild acids. These acids are found in groundwater and even in the rainwater that percolates down into the ground during heavy rains. The acids dissolve the bedrock, causing an underground void to form. This void can enlarge and grow over time, ultimately collapsing under the weight of the overlaying soil, stone and structures, swallowing homes, cars, people and even entire city blocks.

Therefore, it’s important to perform lots of investigation when building a large structure in Louisiana and this is where you can benefit from geotechnical drilling. Kenner natives can also identify the location of underground voids that can be a potential sinkhole site. So sinkhole site detection is another important role for geotechnical drilling.

Kenner builders and property owners can gain lots of vital info about the site through drilling, including the location, depth and even the size of underground cavities. The core samples that are extracted also offer useful insight about ground composition, density, moisture content and overall integrity. Core samples are large vertical columns of earth that are contained within a tube that preserves all of the layers, keeping them all intact so they can be sent out to a laboratory for a comprehensive analysis.

What Should I Expect When Hiring a Contractor to Perform Geotechnical Drilling?

Kenner natives can expect the drilling contractor to bring portable drilling rigs to the location which will be set up at strategic locations. Drilling can take anywhere from just a couple days to several weeks or longer in cases where you need to drill to a deep depth or a case where a large number of drill sites are required.

Just as the timeframe varies significantly, the cost is also quite variant, as the expense is dependent upon the amount of equipment required and the timeframe for the project. Overall, geotechnical drilling is a minimally invasive and quite cost effective.

*Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Amdrill Inc*