Low groundwater levels endangering structures built on wood pilings in Boston, Massachusetts
9/3/2022 7:18:09 PM
CATEGORIES:
Society & Public Health
Water Supply & Quality
AFFECTED AREAS:
Suffolk County, MA
Boston, MA
Start Date: 9/3/2022
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Many of Boston's homes and landmarks were built on wood pilings driven deep into the ground, a European method of construction. The pilings can fail to support buildings when they dry out and decay as is occurring amid this drought. The pilings remain strong as long as they are submerged, but many of the city’s 813 monitoring wells indicated drops in water levels, with 31 at their lowest level on record. A short period of decay should not cause immediate damage to a building, according to experts. But significant problems can begin to occur in as little as three years when rotted pilings allow a building to settle and crack.
The Boston Globe (Mass.), Sept. 3, 2022
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