Oregon State University–Cascades, Pumice Mine and Landfill Reclamation

Fortis Construction brought together a team of local firm Taylor NW and PBS Engineering to deliver this Pumice Mine and Landfill Reclamation project in Bend, Oregon. The $11.3M effort covers 118 acres and provides needed space for future campus-building expansions. Prior to this reclamation, OSU Cascades had just 10 acres of buildable land where three buildings had already been erected. The much-needed reclamation consisted of a 46-acre pumice mine with excavation depths of up to 100 feet as well as 72 acres of land that were formerly a Deschutes County construction and demolition landfill. The 72-acres of landfill contained waste that had been dumped on site since the early 1950s, which generated a buildup of unknown materials and an assortment of potentially hazardous waste including lead and asbestos. PBS Engineering and Environmental supported the project team in addressing this challenge and facilitated safe and efficient excavation through the unpredictable terrain. Also, the team was responsible for the reuse of landfill material blended with other materials on-site to fill and regrade both the pumice mine and landfill in order to create a buildable site. Thanks to preconstruction efforts, Fortis was able to creatively sequence and stage the site, in turn allowing the team to move more material in fewer hours. Reflecting the team’s success with the reclamation efforts, more than $700,000 was saved and integrated back into the project as value-added scope, and a total of $190,000 was returned to OSU-Cascades.