Press coverage of the Iron Mountain cleanup project

Recently a few newspaper articles have come out on the Iron Mountain cleanup.  Here's a link to one of the shorter ones focused specifically on the dredging:
http://www.dredgingtoday.com/2010/08/25/epa-continues-cleanup-activities-at-iron-mountain-usa/

Of course, the engineers (CH2MHILL) and contractors (AIS (dredging), AHTNA Government Services (sediment conveyance system) and ERRG/Granite (the treatment facility)) would prefer that our names be plastered all over these articles.  However, we're happy the project is getting any publicity at all.  After you work on one of these things for the better part of a year, you really feel like it's your project.  In that sense, a big project like the Iron Mountain cleanup has a lot of people who feel like they own it.

Several projects in Hawaii coming up

AIS has done work in Hawaii over the past several years, and it looks like 2010 will continue that trend.  We are starting a rockfall mitigation project above Kalalau beach on the Napali coast of Hawaii.  Here's a link to a blog with more information:

http://www.napali.fr/english/kauai%E2%80%99s-napali-coast-trail-and-kalalau-valley-closing-for-two-months/

Steep slopes versus Really Steep Slopes

Spyder walking/climbing  excavators can work effectively on very steep slopes.  Frequently we do work in areas that are too steep to walk on.  This picture shows one of our spyders drilling holes in the left abutment at Big Tujunga Dam in southern California.  At this site the machine was put into place using a large crane. 

Spyder excavators are really handy.  Often we wonder why there aren't more of them around the United States.  It might have something to do with a shortage of qualified operators (the factory training programs are all in Europe).   Once you've had a spyder work on your project, you start wondering how you ever got along without one.