NEW TECHNOLOGY

Workers from Wakefield Construction and Elmer's Concrete construct a seawall at a home on Houghton Lake's East Bay last week, using a new coffer dam. Dave Wakefield said the dam, which is made of reinforced mesh tubing, is filled with water to create impermeable walls, allowing water to be pumped out and excavation to take place without spoils escaping into the lake. He said the synthetic coffer dam has replaced coffers made of soil from the lake bottom, and is the only type of dam permitted by the Department of Environmental Quality.

(Photo by Thomas Reznich)