Army Corps Employs Placing Boom in Unusual Application 2002

June 15, 2002 Placing boom technology has recently been applied in an unusual application by the Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps purchased a Schwing 32-meter 4-section placing boom to mount on a barge. The "wash boom" discharges water instead of concrete.

According to the Army’s communication office "Considerable cost savings have been achieved at Olmsted Lock and Dam 53 on the Ohio River in Ballard County, Kentucky and Pulaski County, Illinois by limiting the heights of projects such as lock walls. These features, however, increase some maintenance requirements which are addressed through the development of time and labor saving devices like our wash barge/boom."

The Schwing boom with remote control is fed by a diesel-driven pump drawing river water. When high water levels recede from the lock walls, the river leaves debris and sediment build-up. Instead of intensive and dangerous use of manpower and hand tools to clean this debris, the Corps employs the wash boom to clean the lock walls quickly and easily. The boom rotates on a pedestal to provide flexibility. A monitor at the end of the boom rotates to provide the optimum angle of attack to remove dried and caked sediment.

Schwing and Corps cooperated on the placement and mounting of the boom on the barge. A full color display located in the barge control room monitors the boom position graphically.

For more information on the entire line of Schwing products, contact: Schwing America, Inc. 5900 Centerville Rd. St. Paul, MN 55127 651-429-0999 or for product information only call 1-888-SCHWING.