Project Specifics

Clifton Pier is an industrial area on the western side of New Providence Island which had been impacted by years of oil spills and leakage into the ocean. The area has coastal caves created by wave activity which are natural storage of groundwater, infiltrating ocean water along with the contaminant. The spills were impacting local beaches and businesses, including a popular destination for tourist divers and water sports enthusiasts.

Geosyntec Scope of Services

Geosyntec supported the Ministry of Public Works on the design and installation of a bulkhead oil barrier wall and oil recovery system along a 1,600-foot long section of the ocean by Bahamas Power & Light’s (BPL) Clifton Pier Power Station. Geosyntec also designed oil retention and oil/water separation equipment on three cooling tower discharges, each discharging up to 14,000 gallons per minute. The 1,600-foot sheet-pile barrier wall and oil recovery sump system include many innovative features, such as multiple barriers to prevent oil migration to the ocean, unique oil recovery trench and sump systems, and the ability to deploy a variety of pneumatic and electrical pumps for oil and groundwater recovery. Geosyntec also provided construction oversight for the Ministry of Public Works on this project and provided cost-saving ideas while also ensuring the design was followed.

Geosyntec designed the oil and groundwater recovery system for the site to recover diesel oil and bunker-C oil in the subsurface from karst geology, where oil has accumulated in large voids and fractures. The oil remediation process was meant to eliminate the coastal oil impacts in the region, in combination with our work on the Ministry of Public Works barrier wall. Geosyntec also evaluated oil re-use options as we planned for high volumes of oil recovery and storage. Geosyntec has also supported important environmental survey and geotechnical investigation work at the site to allow for power plant infrastructure expansion, including proposed liquified natural gas facilities and pipelines.

Notable Accomplishments

The national issue to stop the oil migration to the ocean was mitigated and solved and the project is considered a major success by the multiple stakeholders. Geosyntec played an integral role coordinating between consultants, BPL leaders, the Ministry of Public Works, and the Ministry of the Environment, among others. The resilient design and construction has stood the impact of extreme weather events, including Hurricane Dorian.

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