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It's important that we all do our part today and every day to honor our precious planet, promote climate action, and support sustainability. We've put together a quick list of fun ideas and helpful tips to celebrate Earth Day 2024: Build a Rain Garden in Your Yard Rain gardens are a cost effective, attractive, and sustainable way to minimize stormwater runoff and filter out pollutants. This aesthetic, low-maintenance addition to any outdoor landscape creates a functioning habitat that attracts pollinators, beneficial insects, and birds. It can also help reduce erosion, promote groundwater recharge, and minimize flooding. Princeton Hydro President Geoff Goll, P.E. and his family recently installed a rain garden at their home. They documented the process with photos and step-by-step instructions. Go here for 10 steps to building your own rain garden. Install a Rain Barrel You can help conserve water usage by incorporating water-wise practices into your daily life. Installing a rain barrel is a great place to start! Using a rain barrel to collect fresh, free rainwater helps save money, conserve water AND protects the environment. Collecting water in rain barrels is a fun, affordable and effective way to reduce the amount of run-off flowing into storm drains and waterways. We’ve put together four simple steps to help you install a rain barrel in your yard. Get 4 steps for installing a rain barrel. Get Your Garden Spring-Ready Tulips are starting to emerge, buds are blossoming on trees and, unfortunately, invasive plant species are also beginning their annual growing cycle. Invasive species create major impacts on ecosystems near and far, but we can all do our part to reduce the spread. Princeton Hydro Landscape Architects and Expert Green Thumbs Jamie Feinstein, RLA and Cory Speroff, PLA, ASLA, CBLP led a live “Ask Me Anything” Spring Gardening conversation via Facebook. They provided gardening tips and tricks, including:
Happy Earth Day! It's important that we all do our part today and every day to honor our precious planet, promote climate action, and support sustainability. We've put together a quick list of fun ideas and helpful tips to celebrate Earth Day 2024:
Rain gardens are a cost effective, attractive, and sustainable way to minimize stormwater runoff and filter out pollutants. This aesthetic, low-maintenance addition to any outdoor landscape creates a functioning habitat that attracts pollinators, beneficial insects, and birds. It can also help reduce erosion, promote groundwater recharge, and minimize flooding.
Princeton Hydro President Geoff Goll, P.E. and his family recently installed a rain garden at their home. They documented the process with photos and step-by-step instructions.
You can help conserve water usage by incorporating water-wise practices into your daily life. Installing a rain barrel is a great place to start! Using a rain barrel to collect fresh, free rainwater helps save money, conserve water AND protects the environment. Collecting water in rain barrels is a fun, affordable and effective way to reduce the amount of run-off flowing into storm drains and waterways. We’ve put together four simple steps to help you install a rain barrel in your yard.
Tulips are starting to emerge, buds are blossoming on trees and, unfortunately, invasive plant species are also beginning their annual growing cycle. Invasive species create major impacts on ecosystems near and far, but we can all do our part to reduce the spread.
Princeton Hydro Landscape Architects and Expert Green Thumbs Jamie Feinstein, RLA and Cory Speroff, PLA, ASLA, CBLP led a live “Ask Me Anything” Spring Gardening conversation via Facebook. They provided gardening tips and tricks, including:
You can play a major role in maintaining the health and safety of your community. By committing to a regular litter pick-up schedule, you can help keep your neighborhood cleaner and decrease the amount of debris and pollution entering your community waterways. Consider choosing a nearby park, lake, pond or stream for your trash clean-up activities. Whatever spot you choose, pick the place that's best for you, invite friends or family to join you, determine a regular clean-up schedule, and stick to it!
As biologists, ecologists, environmentalists, and outdoor enthusiasts, all of us at Princeton Hydro take our responsibility to care for and respect our natural surroundings very seriously. We play hard and work hard to protect our natural resources for generations to come. Happy Earth Day!
We are proud to be participating in and sponsoring a variety events focused on conserving, restoring, and protecting our precious water resources. In this edition of our Events Spotlight, we provide a snapshot of upcoming events this Spring and information on how to get involved:
PALMS is hosting its 32nd annual conference at the Wyndham Garden State College in Boalsburg, PA. This year’s conference, titled “A New Era of Lake Appreciation and Management,” includes a collection of professional presentations, workshops and panel discussions. Princeton Hydro, a proud sponsor, is exhibiting and leading two of the workshops:
The U.S. Green Building Council's Mid Atlantic New England Region is hosting a Water Innovation and Conservation Thought Leadership Panel, featuring our President Geoffrey. M. Goll. Join this panel of experts addressing water conservation topics including policies, treatment innovations, storm-water management, low impact development, water supply, and water reuse solutions.
Mark your calendars for the NJ Department of Environmental Protection's 3rd Annual HAB Summit! This all-day, virtual seminar will be packed with important information about understanding, preventing and managing HABs. Participants will enjoy educational sessions on a wide-variety of topics, including "Watershed-based Non-point Source Pollution for HAB Prevention," "NJ’s plan to develop Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for lakes," and "Leveraging data to combat HABs with NASA."
This year’s conference, which is themed, “Maximizing Your Lake Data,” will be held in-person at the Fort William Henry Hotel and Conference Center in Lake George. Participants will enjoy a variety of panel discussions, poster sessions, and workshops, some of which will be held in a hybrid format. Princeton Hydro is proud to be sponsoring and particpating in the event. Stay tuned for more details!
Stay tuned to our blog for more events!
In honor of Earth Day, Princeton Hydro held its annual Photo Contest with the theme "Biodiversity, Near and Far" for its employees. We’d like to thank everyone who submitted photos this year. Overall, we received 31 gorgeous submissions from our staff.
Danielle is a Staff Scientist II at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. Her career is dedicated to watershed monitoring research and her responsibilities include both field and laboratory work. She has specialized in studying biological indicators as a parameter to track stream health via macroinvertebrate taxonomy; in particular identifying members of the non-biting midge family Chironomidae. Once an experiential outdoor educator, she taught nature photography to middle school students as a pathway to understanding different perspectives and the impact of humans on the environment, a la Ansel Adams.
Some of Darren’s fondest childhood memories are of fishing with his father and brothers. He’s always loved trout fishing, but it wasn’t until his first year in college that he caught the fly fishing bug…BAD. Darren spent many painstaking hours deciding whether to go to his morning engineering classes at NJIT or the ‘entomology classes’ on one of the many trout rivers in Northern NJ. (The latter usually won out). In 2003 he found himself wanting more than just a career in automation engineering. That was when he decided to buy his first drift boat and began guiding part-time on the fabled rivers of the Catskills and Upper Delaware. Becoming a fly fishing guide has enabled Darren to blend his love of the outdoors, travel, photography, birding, teaching and of course, fly fishing. In addition to guiding, Darren provides fly casting and tying instruction, and is a past president of the North Jersey Chapter of Trout Unlimited. His photography has been published in fly fishing books and periodicals. To learn more about guided fly-fishing trips with Darren, you can reach him at dprist@earthlink.net.
Amanda is a nature enthusiast who loves taking long walks in the woods with her camera and notepad. With her degree in Environmental Studies and English and her background in the arts, she loves to use both words and graphics to communicate environmental issues in ways to help inspire solutions. She currently resides in Burlington, Vermont and is the Communications Coordinator for the Town of Colchester. She also works as a freelance photographer, editor, and web designer, and manages several clients' marketing plans. You can check out more of her work on her Facebook page.
Happy Earth Day! It's important that we all do our part to honor this important occasion and promote climate action. We've put together a list of fun ideas and helpful tips to celebrate Earth Day 2021 safely and responsibly:
Getting outdoors is a great way to celebrate Earth Day, and it can boost your mental and physical health. While remaining mindful about maintaining safe social distancing practices, we can still get outside to take advantage of the spring weather and enjoy the outdoor adventures in our own backyards.
To help limit the spread of COVID-19, many states have closed parks and trails. Before heading outdoors, visit your state’s parks and recreation website to get updated information about closures and guidelines. Go here for complete information on New Jersey open space restrictions.
Cornell Outdoor Education developed this place-based adventure guide to help you take a break from indoor spaces and get outside to enjoy the outdoor world safely and respectfully.
Keep your kids busy and get them outside with a scavenger hunt. Eco Promotional Products put together a fun family-friendly Earth Month scavenger hunt that can be done during a walk in your neighborhood.
Although large volunteer clean-up events are postponed due to social distancing guidelines, we can still do our part to pick-up trash and protect our local waterways. Here are a few ideas:
When you go outside for an afternoon walk, bring gloves and a garbage bag so you can pick up any trash you see along the way.
Check the storm drains in your neighborhood and remove and discard any debris that you find. Get started by reading these DIY tips!
Here are some simple DIY crafting ideas to help you pass the time and improve your backyard birdwatching.
Orange Feeder: Oranges are a tasty, energizing snack loved by several bird species, especially the Baltimore Oriole. Follow a few simple steps for building an orange feeder, and then sit back and enjoy your backyard bird watching experience!
Hummingbird Nectar: Bring more hummingbirds to your backyard this season in a few easy steps! By filling your feeder with this DIY delight, you can watch these beautiful little birds feed and flitter all day.
Heart-Shaped Feeder: Show your local songbirds some love with this DIY heart-shaped bird feeder. It makes a charming decoration for your backyard trees.
Reduce Invasives, Plant Natives: Tulips will soon be emerging from the ground, buds blossoming on trees and, unfortunately, invasive plant species will too begin their annual growing cycle. Invasive species create major impacts on ecosystems near and far, but we can all do our part to reduce the spread. To learn more about aquatic invasive species and how to address them, check out our blog.
Prepare your Pond for Spring: If you have a pond on your property, check out these six steps for taking your pond out of hibernation mode, sprucing it up for Spring, and ensuring it remains healthy all year long.
Now that we’re all spending more time at home, this is a great opportunity to incorporate better water-conservation practices into our daily lives.
Reduce water waste by checking for leaks that have been caused by winter freeze. Check garden hose spigots and sprinklers, and replace valves, washers and other components as necessary.
Install a rain barrel and use the captured rainfall to irrigate flower beds. This is another fun and inexpensive way to reduce runoff and save water. You can order a rain barrel online or search online for DIY rain barrel ideas. Remember to cover your barrels to keep mosquitoes at bay.
Go here for more water conservation tips.
According to the USEPA, toilets account for more water use than any other water-consuming product in your home. Toilets are estimated to be responsible for upwards of 30% of household water consumption. Additionally, flushing anything besides toilet paper has major negative impacts on the environment.
Eliminate toilet leaks: 79% of water lost in the home is through toilet leaks. Often silent, these leaks can waste up to 300 gallons of water per day. Check for leaks using food coloring. Replace the refill valve or flush valve when necessary.
Flush Responsibly: NY State Department of Environmental Conservation recently issued an email requesting more responsible flushing habits. As a reminder, disinfectant wipes, diapers, baby wipes, personal hygiene products, and any paper products other than toilet paper should never be flushed! These materials create significant damage to sewer systems, water treatment plants, and septic systems. Learn more.
Earth Day 2020, which also happens to be the 50th anniversary, will now be the first-ever Digital Earth Day. Here are a few ways to celebrate from the safety of your home:
Participate in a global Citizen Science effort! Download the Earth Challenge 2021 smart phone app to submit observations of the environment around your home. The data you submit will be validated, and the resulting database—of over one billion data points—will be displayed on a public map for researchers to use.
Sign-up to be a part of the largest environment mobilization in history: EarthDay.org’s EARTHRISE initiative, which includes social media campaigns, online teach-ins, performances, and more. Find a digital Earth Day Event!
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Princeton Hydro is participating in lots of interesting events this Spring; here's a snapshot of what's to come:
Celebrate Earth Day a few days early with a fun Jersey Shore volunteer event! The American Littoral Society, in partnership with Princeton Hydro, Borough of Point Pleasant, and the local Rotary Club, is organizing dozens of volunteers to restore the shoreline and prevent further erosion at the Slade Dale Sanctuary using recycled Christmas trees, a technique that is groundbreaking for New Jersey. Help us transport donated/recycled Christmas trees to the marsh to breakwater sections, stuffed them between the pilings, and securely tie them down. The volunteer is from 10 AM to 4 PM and water and light refreshments will be served. Dress to get wet and mess and don't forget to bring sunscreen, lunch, and waders (if you have them!). Street parking is available along Sea Point Drive.
We're celebrating Arbor Day with Friends of Exton Park! Join us on Thursday, April 25 for a bird walk and native tree and shrub planting. During the bird walk, which runs from 8:30 - 10:30 am, we hope to spot spring migrants. Planting will take place between 10:30 am and 12:30 pm, and then lunch will be provided.
We hope you'll join us for a fun and productive day in Exton Park. Birders and nature enthusiasts of all skill levels are welcome!
Princeton Hydro is proud to be attending, sponsoring, and our Communications Strategist Dana Patterson is emceeing this year's Society for American Military Engineers (SAME) NJ Post 2019 Small Business Council Breakfast, which is being held at the Forsgate Country Club in Monroe. The program consists of networking opportunities, a variety of speakers, and breakfast (of course!). SAME gives leaders from the A/E/C, environmental, and facility management industries the opportunity to come together with federal agencies in order to showcase best practices and highlight future opportunities for small businesses to work in the federal market.
New York State Federation of Lake Associations (NYSFOLA) will host its 36th Annual Conference May 3-4 at the Fort William Henry Conference Center in Lake George. This year’s conference, which is titled, “Empowering Lake Associations in Challenging Times,” will feature a diverse exhibitor hall, networking opportunities, a silent auction and a variety of educational sessions. Princeton Hydro is exhibiting and giving presentations on the following topics:
Hosted by the nonprofit Sustainable South Jersey, the Sustainable South Jersey Earth Festival is the largest eco-event in the region, drawing 5000 visitors annually. This year’s festival is themed "Reduce Plastic – Fantastic!" and will feature a family-fun bike ride, musical entertainment, perennial native plant swap, exhibits from a variety of earth-friendly, eco-conscious vendors, outdoor arts & crafts, and more. Admission is free and everyone is welcome to attend. Advanced registration is required for the family-fun bike ride. Our Communications Strategist Dana Patterson recently joined the board of Sustainable South Jersey, and will be hopping around the event. We hope to see you there!
Support American Rivers by following our social media channels and spreading the word. You can find us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
Welcome to the latest edition of our “A Day in the Life” blog series. Today, we explore the vibrant and creative world of landscape design through the eyes of Angelica Diaz, one of Princeton Hydro's talented Landscape Designers.
Landscape design is the discipline of organizing and modifying the features of a landscape to achieve a functional, biodiverse and visually appealing outdoor space. This process considers various factors such as climate, soil, topography, existing vegetation, and the intended use of the area. By integrating artistic and scientific principles, landscape designers develop plans that create harmonious and practical environments. These plans serve as a blueprint for projects, guiding the installation and maintenance of outdoor spaces while aiding in material selection and cost estimation.
Join us as we accompany Angelica on a day dedicated to the Trenton South Ward Community Garden project. This journey highlights her dedication to transforming natural spaces and her integral role in bringing our clients' visions to life. From client meetings and visioning sessions to detailed site analysis and creative design, Angelica's expertise showcases the diverse services and innovative solutions that Princeton Hydro offers in landscape architecture.
Let’s dive into the roots of her day!
This morning, Angelica begins her day at the Trenton Headquarters Office, preparing for a kickoff meeting with the Trenton South Ward Neighborhood Association (TSWNA) board, a voluntary organization of residents who work together to improve and maintain the quality of life of the south ward district of Trenton, New Jersey. This initial meeting is crucial for understanding the client’s goals and visions. Angelica is particularly excited about this community-driven project because she enjoys the inclusivity and creativity it fosters.
“Community projects are fantastic because they help people realize their creative vision and foster a sense of ownership,” says Angelica. “It’s important to have a visioning meeting to gather a wide range of thoughts and ensure everyone feels included.”
During the kickoff meeting, Angelica and the Princeton Hydro project team listen attentively to board members, taking notes and asking questions to clarify the client's vision. Together with the client, the project team brainstorms ideas, establishes clear deliverables, and discusses expectations for the project ahead. The team shared ideas for two sites in the neighborhood; one existing community garden and one undeveloped site across the street. At the Community Garden site, TSWNA has several vegetable garden beds and hosts community workshops that ecourage residents to get outside and learn the ins and outs of urban gardening. To make the space even more inviting and useful for the community, they discussed options like planting flowers, replacing the fence, and adding a storage shed.
Securing grant money can be the key to bringing your innovative project to life, but navigating the complex world of funding can be daunting. Princeton Hydro's Director of Marketing and Communications Dana Patterson Grear stumbled upon an ideal grant opportunity to kick-off the first phase of the TSWNA's vision for the exisiting Community Garden site. Facing a tight deadline, Angelica collaborated with Tyrell Smith, TSWNA Co-Founder/Board Chair, to submit an application to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation's Mid-Atlantic Monarch And Pollinator Habitat Kit Program. This program distributes habitat kits containing native milkweed and various nectar plants to project partners ready to dedicate time, labor, and land for developing pollinator habitats in the Mid-Atlantic and New York City areas.
This year, the kits were tailored specifically for urban farms, community gardens, and other communal and educational spaces in urban settings, with a focus on benefiting historically underserved communities—a perfect match for TSWNA, which was selected to receive over 500 native plants to enhance their space and create a habitat for monarch butterflies.
With a clear, collective vision in mind, Angelica heads to a project site in Trenton’s South Ward Neighborhood to conduct a comprehensive analysis in preparation for the Community Garden.
Angelica arrives at 475 Lamberton Rd, ready to assess the critical physical and environmental factors necessary for the landscape design project. She meticulously observes sun exposure and soil characteristics to understand how these conditions could affect plant growth. She evaluates water availability, considering both natural sources and potential irrigation needs to ensure the sustainability of her design. The topography of the site is mapped out, identifying slopes, elevations, and natural drainage patterns that will influence the placement of features and the overall layout. All of these components help curate the overall aesthetic experience of the space throughout the day. Angelica takes photos, makes detailed notes of these observations, gathering essential information that will inform her design process and help create a harmonious and functional outdoor space.
“Site analysis is more than just understanding the immediate environment,” Angelica explains. “It’s about considering the broader context, including the surrounding neighborhood and city. This helps identify the project's needs and how it can best integrate with the local community. By working together, we can create a beautiful and sustainable space that benefits the Trenton community.”
Now it’s time for Angelica to draft initial concepts. Using a combination of AutoCAD, SketchUp, and Adobe Creative Suite, she begins to translate her site analysis and the client's feedback into visual designs. For the Trenton South Ward project, Angelica starts with a basemap created from field measurements and Google Earth imagery, evolving it into three distinct concepts.
“I aim to keep the concepts relatively loose at this stage,” she explains. “This helps get a reaction from the client and see which design they gravitate towards.”
Balancing aesthetics and sustainability, Angelica always prioritizes using a native plant palette, recognizing the seasonal characteristics and ecological benefits of native plants. She aims to create landscapes that are both beautiful and sustainable, supporting local wildlife and promoting biodiversity.
For this project, the plant selection came from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. The Xerces Society supplied carefully chosen native and regionally appropriate plants from Pinelands Nursery in Columbus, NJ, one of the largest native plant nurseries in the US, supplying millions of plants for environmental restorations throughout the Mid-Atlantic states. Some of the native species selected for the community garden include Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), and Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea). These perennial, drought-resistant plants not only enhance the aesthetic appeal of the area but also offer crucial habitats for pollinators and birds, fostering a healthier and more balanced ecosystem.
“The final design is a refinement of the concept with more detailed planting plans and site measurements,” Angelica notes. “I often visit the site again to confirm measurements and document conditions to ensure accuracy.”
Of the three concepts Angelica and the Princeton Hydro team developed, TSWNA chose design concept three, which is pictured below:
The planning and design work culminated in a vibrant Community Garden, volunteer-powered planting event, which kicked off this initial phase of the revitalization of this space. Members of TSWNA, Princeton Hydro, and local volunteers came together to bring the collective landscape design vision to life, creating a thriving green oasis for the community to enjoy. Together, the group planted 550 native flowers and shrubs generously provided by the Xerces Society. Despite the heat, they worked collaboratively to turn the area into a beautiful, sustainable garden that benefits the entire Trenton community.
During the planting day, Angelica demonstrated proper techniques for preparing the ground for planting, installing plant plugs, and maintaining the space once all of the planting is complete. In the video below, Angelica demonstrates how to plant a plug in the ground:
Angelica always dedicates time to staying updated on the latest trends in landscape architecture, attending industry conferences, and connecting with colleagues to share insights and ideas. This continuous learning helps her bring innovative solutions to her projects.
“I’m excited about the growing trend of sustainability in landscape design,” she says. “Incorporating green infrastructure and eco-friendly practices is essential for a sustainable future.”
Reflecting on her day, Angelica acknowledges the unique challenges (and opportunities) of landscape design, from site constraints to fulfilling client expectations. She finds great satisfaction in overcoming these obstacles and seeing designs come to life.
“There’s no such thing as the perfect site,” she admits. “Each project comes with its own challenges, but it’s incredibly rewarding to see a space transformed and to know that it will thrive and bring joy to the community for years to come.”
Angelica's journey in landscape design began at Temple University, where she pursued her graduate studies. Her professional path includes valuable experience at a small residential landscape architecture firm that also owned a native plant nursery, providing her with extensive knowledge about plant names, identification, and growth habits. Prior to this, she worked at a landscape restoration company focusing on invasive species removal and management, enriching her understanding of both native and invasive plants.
With a lifelong artistic inclination and a profound appreciation for ecology and biology, Angelica found her perfect career blend in landscape design and architecture. Although she wasn't initially exposed to landscape architecture as a career option, her graduate program welcomed individuals from diverse backgrounds, helping her realize her passion for this field.
Angelica is particularly excited about the growing trend of resilience and sustainability in landscape architecture, especially in response to climate change. She looks forward to continuing her work on projects related to green infrastructure and stormwater management, and the multidisciplinary approach to restoring ecological function.
Princeton Hydro is an expert in engineering, ecological restoration, and landscape architecture, and we’ve been incorporating green stormwater infrastructure and nature-based solutions into our designs for decades. Recently, Princeton Hydro partnered with Congregation Kol Emet to design and implement a sustainable 10-acre campus transformation, providing green infrastructure engineering, landscape architecture, and construction services to enhance the synagogue's usability and welcoming atmosphere, reduce flooding, improve water quality, and augment biodiversity. Read more.
At Princeton Hydro, our Geosciences Team consists of Geotechnical Engineers and Geologists who are proficient in the behavior of earth materials and the application of soil and rock mechanics. Together, they assess the physical, mechanical, and chemical properties of soil and rock to design solutions, assess risks, and solve problems for a diverse array of projects, including infrastructure, stormwater management, and coastal restoration.
Supporting Princeton Hydro’s Geosciences team is our full service, in-house materials testing laboratory that provides soils, rock, and construction materials testing. Soils intended to support structures, roadways, or other infrastructure must be evaluated by geotechnical engineers to predict their behavior under applied forces and variable moisture conditions.
Our Soils Testing Laboratory, located in Sicklerville New Jersey, is accredited by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and validated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Materials Testing Center (MTC) to complete a full complement of tests. The AASHTO Accreditation Program is the largest accrediting body in the construction materials industry and most widely-accepted. The USACE MTC is the only agency authorized to validate commercial laboratories to work for the USACE. All of our laboratory testing is performed in accordance with applicable American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards.
For this edition of our "A Day in the Life" blog series, we opened the door to our geotechnical laboratory to walk you through “a day in the life” of our Soils Testing Lab expert Marissa Ciocco, P.E.
Let’s roll up our sleeves and dig in the dirt!
Each day looks a little different for Marissa depending on what types of samples require testing and what tests need to be performed. Our testing capabilities include grain size analysis, soil classification, moisture content, liquid and plastic limits, permeability, organic content, moisture-density relationships (Proctor), soil strength tests (UC, UU, CU, CD), and many others.
For Marissa, first on the to-do list is the task of determining the liquid limit and plastic limit of a soil sample. Collectively, alongside the shrinkage limit, these tests are referred to as the Atterberg limits. This classification test determines the water content at which fine-grained soils transition between four states: solid, semi-solid, plastic, and liquid.
Soil exhibits significant differences in strength, consistency, and behavior depending on which state the soil is in. The Atterberg limits test determines when the physical changes occur, and provides valuable insights into soil strength, permeability, settlement values, and expansion potential, all of which are incredibly important in all aspects of planning, engineering design, and implementation.
First, Marissa prepares the soil sample. The Atterberg limits test is only performed on soil material that can pass through a 0.425mm sieve (an ASTM requirement).
Watch Marissa perform elements of the D4318 test is titled "Liquid Limit, Plastic Limit, and Plasticity Index of Soils."
In the video, Marissa demonstrates the Liquid Limit test. She adds moisture to the test specimen by adding water and mixing with a spatula. She then spreads the sample into the brass bowl of the liquid limit device, uses a grooving tool and manual-crank, and (off camera) she proceeds to measure when the groove closes, which defines the soil’s liquid limit.
She also demonstrates the Plastic Limit test, which she does by rolling a small portion of the wet soil sample onto a glass plate, creating a thread of soil. In doing so, she determines the water content at which the soil thread crumbles before being completely rolled out. The plastic limit is defined at the water content where the soil thread breaks apart and cannot be re-rolled to a diameter of 3.2 mm. A soil is considered non-plastic if a thread cannot be rolled down to 3.2 mm at any level of moisture.
Next on Marissa’s to-do list is a soil compaction test referred to as a Modified Proctor test, which determines the relationship between a soil’s dry unit weight and water content. This test yields the optimal water content at which the soil sample will become most dense and achieve its maximum dry density.
Marissa first prepares the soil for testing by passing it through the appropriate sieve and mixing it with the appropriate amount of water as required by the testing parameters. The soil will be compacted into a specialized cylindrical mold, but first she weighs the empty mold to create a baseline.
The next step is to compact the moist soil into the mold. Soil is added in equal layers, and each layer is compacted by dropping a rammer of specific weight and length. The compacted soil specimen is then leveled, and the mass of the mold with compacted moist soil is measured. The compacted soil specimen is then extruded from the mold and the water content is measured. This process is repeated for multiple water contents and the results are charted to determine the optimum water content and maximum dry density.
Essentially, the test determines how much of the soil material can be compacted into the same volume at the various amounts of moisture. If soil is too dry, it cannot compress tightly due to particle friction. If the soil is too wet, it cannot compress tightly due to water absorbing the compactive effort. The compaction and Modified Proctor test help to indicate the stability of the soil and the load-bearing capacity of the soil, which is incredibly important for various types of engineering and construction projects.
A big thanks to Marissa for walking us through a portion of her day!
Marissa Ciocco, P.E., is a graduate of Rowan University holding a B.S. in Civil Engineering with a Bantivoglio Honors Concentration. She worked in the Construction Materials Laboratory as part of the CREATE's Fellowship program at Rowan University, and participated in clinic projects such as a green roof feasibility study, testing the effects of water quality on masonry mortar, and the sustainability of converting organic waste feedstock into liquid biocrude. Marissa is passionate about working towards creating a more sustainable environment.
Our team has provided sampling, testing, and qualification for a diverse array of projects and clients throughout the Northeast, including commercial, residential, and industrial applications. Our laboratory training, calibration, and quality control procedures ensure that testing is performed by competent, experienced personnel, like Marissa, utilizing properly calibrated equipment. And, our process ensures that the results are subjected to an exceptional quality control program.
Our Geosciences team, along with our in-house Soils Testing Laboratory, allows us to complete 100% of geotechnical site investigation, laboratory testing, analysis, engineering design, and reporting in-house. We can perform analyses for a multitude of geotechnical sub/specialized disciplines.
To read about a geotechnical investigation and soil borings analysis project we completed for the USACE New York District, click here. If you enjoyed this blog, check out another one from our “A Day in the Life” series, and stay tuned for more!
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