The Portadam system has minimal impact on the environment, whether its used as a cofferdam solution, as a flood fighting structure or as a water storage system . In all applications the component parts are fully removed with ease upon project completion. Noise and vibration issues typically created with other water diversion methods are non-existent. The Portadam cofferdam system does not use earthen materials to create the structure —eliminating the risk of cross contamination.
In cofferdam applications the system does not penetrate the subsurface and results in no long term issues unlike sheet piling where the bottom pile sections often break and are left behind in the waterway creating permanent faults in the river or streambed. In contrast to a sheet piling cofferdam, which creates significant turbidity during the installation process as it must penetrate the subsurface, the Portadam system creates no turbidity as it is placed on the subsurface. Furthermore, sheet piling requires the use of heavy equipment and hydraulic fluids during the installation process. Any rupture of the hydraulic fluid lines would introduce the fluids directly into the waterway – no such risk is incurred during the installation of the Portadam system. Earthen dams, sandbag dams and home-made contractor methods, which also may be used as cofferdam solutions, create significant turbidity and introduce foreign materials and chemicals into the waterway which are not easily removed upon project completion.
As a flood fighting solution the system can easily be deployed without the need to bring in huge quantities of sand or other non-native material. Disturbance to surrounding areas is minimal. Removal of the system is complete with no residual material to be cleaned up and hauled out.
When used as an temporary water storage solution, the Portadam system has several environmental advantages —the system does not require blasting, eliminating noise and vibration concerns— and also the size of the disturbed area is minimized. Additionally, it dramatically reduces erosion concerns and enables a definite decrease in truck traffic and associated infrastructure wear and tear.