Management of site rubble: thoughtful optimization

The Société du Canal Seine-Nord-Europe (SCSNE) has the ambition to make a project emblematic of the ecological and energy transition and attentive to territorial issues. The management of cuttings and material flows is a major environmental and societal challenge, and the construction of the Seine-Nord Europe Canal will generate very large volumes of earthworks, of the order of several tens of millions of cubic meters, and will require supplies of external materials (lime, binders, aggregates, steel) and several million tons.

The SCSNE Supervisory Board approved on 1^er october 2020 a material supply and spoil management plan which defines the strategy to control the economic, societal and environmental impacts from the design study phase to the completion of the works.

The main objectives

Its main objectives revolve around the principles ofeco-performance, Partnerships andinnovation who lead the project:

Optimize the movement of earth and organize a management of rational, economical and respectful of the environment and territories by researching and securing all ways of reuse, development, deposit and recovery,
Develop and support synergies with the territories and project stakeholders in order to prepare the site upstream of the works and enhance the opportunities offered,
Encourage the use of waterways and rail to consolidate flows and reduce the impact of transport linked to the construction site,
Organize the operational follow-up of the works to measure the achievement of the objectives, evaluate and adapt if necessary the strategy during the realization of the project.

Document

Added September 1, 2022 - Updated September 1, 2022

SCSNE supply and cuttings management master plan

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The 5 key measures

Measure 1. Optimize the design of the project and promote reuse in order to reduce the volumes of excess spoil and limit the impact on agricultural land.

The reuse of natural earth extracted on the Seine-Nord Europe Canal site reduces landfilling, extraction of raw materials and transport. The SCSNE has launched a study to replace the quarry or manufactured products used to make the waterproofing layer and protect the bottom of the canal with silt and chalk treated with certain additives (bentonite, kaolinite, hydraulic binders, etc.).

In practice… In Cizancourt in the Somme, an experiment made it possible to test this full-scale process in a 400 m test basin². For 12 months, optical fibres, probes and electrical wires measured the resistance, permeability and behavior of peripheral dikes. Mechanical tests (erosion resistance) were also carried out. The first results are very positive:

The waterproofing layer composed of silts extracted on site meets the expected permeability objectives
The binder-added silts or chalks provide sufficient mechanical strength for use as a protective layer.

Measure 2. Promote the recovery of surplus land

By setting up areas for depots of materials for agriculture in consultation with the agricultural profession and by favoring their recultivation according to a strict protocol defined with the Chambers of Agriculture to restore land of good agronomic quality,
By developing synergies with the promoters of related projects (inland ports, works related to land development, filling in of disused canals, requalification of abandoned areas, wastelands or landfills, etc.),
By studying the formulation of eco-materials intended for recovery sectors in the form of matter.

In practice… The Seine-Nord Europe Canal Company and the Oise-Aisne Agreement have signed an agreement for the provision of 400 m³ of materials excavated on Sector 1 of the Canal (18,6 km from Compiègne to Passel in the Oise) for the needs of the Oise-Aisne Agreement, for its project to increase flood storage capacity near Longueil -Sainte Marie. The materials will preferably be transported by waterway. Find the news: The SCSNE and the Entente Oise-Aisne are committed to the environment within the framework of the development of territorial projects – Canal Seine Nord Europe (canal-seine-nord-europe.fr)

Measure 3. Limit the transport distances of cuttings and construction materials by favoring the proximity of resources and uses

In practice… Each of the locks of the Seine-Nord Europe Canal has been designed by the teams of the Société du Canal Seine-Nord Europe to respect ambitious environmental criteria: to limit the use of new materials, the walls of the locks, called bajoyers, will be composed concrete and local materials such as treated silt. This innovative solution is the subject of a full-scale test program near Marquion: a lock wall has been built there!

Measure 4. Promote the massification of transport in partnership with rail and river logistics players, suppliers and companies

By preparing the logistical infrastructures (a dozen docks, unloading platforms, storage areas),
By helping works companies to anticipate transport needs and encouraging them by inserting contractual clauses in the contracts;

In practice… The SCSNE and VNF have joined forces to enable all future players to better understand the waterway professions and their mode of use. They thus provide a synopsis which aims to provide everyone with a better knowledge of transport by waterway. You will find some feedback, transport hypotheses, carrying capacities and organization of the river sector, and the construction of construction chains.

Added June 20, 2022

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Measure 5. Innovate and report through an Observatory

By joining Rev3, the revolution in energy transition and digital technologies, in order to reuse materials in innovative sectors,
Reporting by creating an Observatory for the management of cuttings and material flows, based on data from the "connected site".

Management of site debris: thoughtful optimization