The Hume City Council contracted Balpara to provide soil contamination testing and geotechnical services in Somerton. 

Project Overview

Hume City Council engaged Balpara to undertake soil contamination testing and geotechnical investigations to determine pavement composition design for industrial strength roads in Somerton. 

The Hume City Council is one of Australia's fastest growing and culturally diverse communities, home to almost 260,000 residents. By 2041, it is forecast that approximately 389,000 people will live in Hume. The City is located in Melbourne's northern fringe, 15 kilometres from the centre of Melbourne and spans a total area of 504 square kilometres. 

As a part of the Council's due diligence, our instruction was to assess the site, collect various samples and establish waste disposal categories to measure contamination levels on site. 

Secondly, Balpara was tasked with the assessment of geotechnical conditions of the site to recommend a pavement composition for the industrial estate in accordance with AUSTROADS (2017). The essential part of the design material is to ensure that each layer within the pavement is compatible - in terms of characteristics and strength - with those of the adjacent layers, to ensure it achieves the overall pavement performance criteria. 

Balpara provided comprehensive reports to Hume City Council to ensure successful site planning. 

Project Scope

Balpara, in delivering services to Hume City Council, conducted the following: 

• Undertake soil sampling to measure contamination levels on site.
• Site preparation, including Dial Before You Dig, to determine asset locations before excavation, and traffic control requirements.
• Investigate regional geological and groundwater conditions.
• Conduct soil profile testing for various roads. 
• Conduct CBR testing within test pits along the proposed roads.
• Reinstate the test holes to the satisfaction of the Council.
• Provision of a written report of findings, highlighting any matters of interest for the proposed construction, risks and recommendations based on Balpara’s experience.
• Provision of pavement designs suitable for industrial heavy traffic based on the nature of the subgrade. 

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