DFI 2022 Outstanding Project: The Mosul Dam Rehabilitation Project, Trevi

The Mosul Dam Rehabilitation Project, in Iraq, submitted by Trevi, S.p.A., service foundation division of Trevi Group has been awarded the 2022 Outstanding Project Award by the Deep Foundations Institute.

DFI 2022 Outstanding Project
The Mosul Dam Rehabilitation Project, Iraq. By Trevi, S.p.A., service foundation division of Trevi Group. 2022 Deep Foundations Institute's Outstanding Project of the Year
Trevi, S.p.A., service foundation division of Trevi Group
Dfi Logo Color

The winner of the Deep Foundations Institute's (DFI) 2022 Outstanding Project Award is the Mosul Dam Rehabilitation Project, in Iraq, submitted by Trevi, S.p.A., service foundation division of Trevi Group. The award is being presented at DFI’s 47th Annual Conference on Deep Foundations, October 4-7 in National Harbor, Maryland.

With more than 4,000 members worldwide, the DFI is an international association of contractors, engineers, manufacturers, suppliers, academics and owners in the deep foundations industry. Their multidisciplinary membership creates a consensus voice and a common vision for continual improvement in the planning, design and construction of deep foundations and excavations. 

The Mosul Dam

Established in 1997 to recognize the work done by members of the DFI, an Outstanding Project is chosen each year through a submission process. Eligible deep foundation or deep excavation projects need to be completed within three years of the deadline and nominated by a DFI member. An anonymous judging committee is appointed by the DFI President (the current president is Michael Wysockey, Ph.D. and president of Thatcher Foundations Inc.). Projects are selected based on:

  • Size, scope, and challenges
  • Degree of innovation and ingenuity exercised, and
  • Uniqueness of the solution to the difficulties of the job

The 2021 OPA winner was the team of Stantec, Ames Construction, Case-Bencor JV, Missouri River Energy Services, Rembco Geotechnical Contractors, and Schnabel Geostructural Design & Construction for the Red Rock Hydroelectric Facility. 

The Mosul Dam on the Tigris River dates to the 1980s and is the largest in Iraq at 113 m (371 ft) tall and 3.65 km (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 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 l.ft.) of grouted boreholes, injecting about 41,000 m3 (53,626 cu.yd.) of grout — equivalent to 26,700 tons of solids — 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, 13 km (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 hours worked without accidents.

Special recognition awards are also being presented to three other projects: City Ridge Roadside Development in Washington, D.C., by Berkel & Company; Eglinton Crosstown LRT – Cedarvale Station in Toronto, by Isherwood Geostructural Engineers; and Harold Structures B/C Approach in Queens, New York, by Underpinning & Foundations Skanska.

Latest