ABSTRACT
Water inflows during tunneling can put safety at risk and cause irreversible damages to the natural water resources. Both the construction phases and the long-term operation of a tunnel can be disrupted, resulting in losses of time and reliability, delay and cost overruns. Assessing the hydrogeological situation at a very early stage in the project cycle is crucial. The use of a methodology called Hydrogeological Excavation Code (HEC) has demonstrated to help transport infrastructure authorities manage the EU environmental safeguards and value for money, EU legislation compliance and hydrogeological risks in major underground projects. HEC is compatible with FIDIC works contracts. Recently, HEC has been used in several tunnel projects in Europe addressing challenges created by estimated water inflows ranging from few liters/second to real underground streams. The feedback from tunneling projects confirms that HEC can be an effective tool to control costs, environmental impact, disruptions and, in general, the viability of the project.
DISCLAIMER: The comments and opinions expressed in this report reflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily state or reflect the views of JASPERS and its partners (European Commission and EIB). In particular, the views expressed herein cannot be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union.
