Upland AquaTerratm Walls Prove System is Viable and Efficient - Cutting Material Costs By 48%!

With the help of The Collin Group, Tensar International Corporation, and J.A. Manning Construction, Northstar set out to prove that AquaTerra is a viable system for customers who want the benefit of a 100% synthetic retaining wall.  It is also an excellent option to typical sheet pile walls when economic or site-specific constraints such as hard soils exist.

AquaTerra can be built for about the same cost as segmental block, but considerably less than optional sheet pile systems. The reason is simple.  AquaTerra allows you to build with a very lightweight sheet pile, and one that is substantially shorter than a sheet pile used in a typical tied back design. How? Geogrid material, mechanically attached to the sheet pile wall, virtually eliminate all of the soil load acting against the structure.  This reduces the type of sheet pile needed and its embedment depth.

The Project.

Exposed height:	14 feet		The 16' sheets are placed in a 2' trench at a 3 degree batter. The trench is then filled with stone.               Download Installation Guide.
Sheet Length:	16 feet
Sheet Pile Series:	S4700
Fill Material:	Dense Clay
Wale Beam     Update on this wall.	None

Geogrids are placed at two foot intervals behind the wall and then compacted using a 23,000 lb compactor to within three feet of the wall. Lightweight handheld compactors compact against the wall.

The AquaTerra Wall, after a complete backfill, maintained the desired 1 degree batter and complete alignment. The poles seen in the photo are part of a temporary driving guide.	Looking down from the top of a 14' AquaTerra wall, reveals zero deflection in the sheet.

Interesting Comparisions.

Compared to Vinyl and Other Synthetic Sheet Pile Walls.

If this wall would have been built by a Northstar competitor, it would have been built with at least 24' long sections of their heaviest gauge vinyl and tied back with four wales. Given the difficult soil conditions on this site, it would have taken at least a day and a steel mandrel to drive the panels 10' into the hard ground. It took us less than one hour to install these panels.

Realize A Savings Of Up To 48% On Materials Alone When You Choose AquaTerra!

If you were to compare the material costs between an AquaTerra system and a standard tied back vinyl sheet pile wall, the materials to build this AquaTerra wall averaged $180 per linear foot of wall, whereas the competitive system mentioned above would cost approximately $344 per linear foot of wall for the same wall.  Savings increase as the height of the wall increases.

Unlike typical sheet piling, an AquaTerra Wall does not have to be driven - so tough soils don't matter anymore.

Maintenance and Service Life Costs are Non-Existent.

The competitive sheet pile wall is loaded with steel tie rods and fasteners and treated wood.  The AquaTerra has a nice, clean face and is 100% synthetic. Nothing in an AquaTerra wall can corrode!

Compared to Masonry Block Walls.

On average, a flatbed truck can hold up to 27 times more wall footage in vinyl than it can in masonry block!   

An AquaTerra wall installs about five times faster than masonry block.

US and Foreign Patents Pending.