Experience

Experience matters when groundwater, subsurface conditions, and project requirements all have to be understood at the same time. The ability to evaluate what is happening underground, explain it clearly, and support the next decision comes from work performed under real conditions—not theory alone.

Tunnell Subsurface Consulting is built on experience from complex projects performed under State of Michigan and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requirements, where groundwater control, intrusive work, field execution, and documentation were held to a higher level of scrutiny. That background includes dewatering system design and installation, contaminated-soil excavation support, NPDES-related treatment and reporting, and project work where field conditions had to be managed and documented under demanding public standards.

Where This Experience Applies

Representative Project Experience

Olmsted Lock and Dam — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
 The Olmsted Lock and Dam project involved a highly demanding dewatering and unwatering operation on the Ohio River to support construction inside a cofferdam for the left boat abutment. This was not routine groundwater control. The work required lowering and managing water levels inside a constrained, high-pressure river environment while also controlling groundwater beneath the structure to protect the integrity of the tremie concrete floor.

What made this project especially challenging was the constant need to maintain pressure balance. Water could not simply be removed without understanding how that change would affect the stability of the structure below. If pressure inside the cofferdam was reduced too aggressively without accounting for groundwater conditions beneath it, the floor itself could be placed at risk. Success depended on careful planning, close monitoring, and continuous adjustment in the field.

The work also involved difficult installation conditions. Deep wells were installed from barges using vibratory methods and jetting, and the system had to perform reliably in a heavy civil construction setting where timing, coordination, and field execution mattered at every step. It was the kind of project that required technical judgment, operational discipline, and around-the-clock oversight.


Whiskey Beach Remediation — State of Michigan
 The Whiskey Beach project was a State-led remediation and restoration effort in Beaverton, Michigan, involving contaminated soil removal, excavation support, groundwater control, treatment, discharge, and final site restoration. It was a complex environmental construction project where excavation, compliance, groundwater behavior, and restoration all had to work together under active regulatory oversight.

This was a difficult job because the project combined multiple moving parts that all affected one another. Contaminated soils had to be excavated safely, site support systems had to remain stable, groundwater had to be controlled and treated properly, and the work had to stay in compliance with State and environmental requirements throughout the project. This was not simply a matter of digging and hauling material away. Conditions in the field could change quickly, and the approach had to remain flexible without losing control of schedule, safety, or compliance.

Groundwater management was a major part of the challenge. Water had to be collected, treated, monitored, and discharged under strict requirements, with regular inspection, reporting, and sampling built into the work. Projects like this demand more than field execution. They require coordination between crews, regulators, treatment systems, and documentation, all while the site remains active. It is exactly the kind of work that shows how subsurface conditions can drive the success or failure of an entire project.


Las Vegas Wash Channelization — Clark County, Nevada
 The Las Vegas Wash Channelization project was a large-scale flood control and excavation effort designed to address drainage and flooding issues in the Las Vegas area. The work supported the construction of a long concrete-lined channel and required large-footprint groundwater control to keep excavation moving and maintain stable working conditions across the site.

What made this project tough was its size and the level of coordination required to keep the work moving. This was not a localized dewatering setup serving a small work zone. It was a long linear project where groundwater control had to be performed across a broad area while excavation and construction progressed. When groundwater management falls behind on a project like this, schedules slip, conditions worsen, and the entire operation becomes more difficult to control.

Projects of this scale require more than technical knowledge of wells and pumps. They demand field coordination, sequencing, judgment, and a clear understanding of how dewatering performance affects productivity, safety, and construction progress. Large excavation work is always demanding, but when it stretches across a major drainage corridor, the difficulty increases significantly. That kind of field-based experience continues to shape how TSC approaches complex site conditions today.


Field + Documentation Perspective

The value of this experience is not just that the work was difficult. It is that the work had to be understood, executed, documented, and defended under real project demands.

Groundwater and subsurface issues rarely stay confined to the hole in the ground. They affect bids, schedules, change orders, compliance, reporting, and the decisions that follow when conditions do not match expectations. Tunnell Subsurface Consulting is built around that full picture—field conditions, project documents, reporting requirements, and the need for clear conclusions that hold up when reviewed. The uploaded resumes and project documents reflect experience in design, bid support, submittals, permitting, field supervision, NPDES-related reporting, work plan preparation, and project closeout.

Why This Matters

Clients do not just need general knowledge. They need someone who can recognize complexity early, understand how groundwater and subsurface conditions affect the work in front of them, and provide clear direction based on actual conditions.

That is where this experience matters: