The legend of Birmingham’s Underground River started on April 21, 1884, when the Birmingham Iron-Age reported that crews were working to open inlets to an “underground river” at 5th Avenue between 22nd and 23rd Street North, as well as at East Park. Following these and other reports, a notorious conman from Kentucky, Joe Mulhatton, sensationalized … Read More

Forensic Engineering is the application of engineering principles and science in the investigation of failures. Vital to the field of forensic engineering is the process of investigating and collecting data related to design, materials, structures or components that failed. This involves inspections, collecting evidence, measurements, developing failure models. Often, detailed testing and measurements are conducted … Read More

When reinforced concrete is exposed to fire, both the concrete and reinforcement may be altered, which can result in structural and material damage. The repair strategy for fire-damaged structures depends on the severity of damage. While both can be characterized by laboratory testing of extracted samples (concrete cores and steel reinforcing), the scale of material sampling … Read More

GEOTECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR CONTRACTORS Think Safety. Slow Down, Use Common Sense and Think it Through. Remember, no set of safety guidelines can cover all possible scenarios. When in doubt about ground support conditions, call BHATE for further consultation. Ground conditions: The ground must be stable, well-drained, and properly graded. Look for impediments, depressions, voids, trenches, … Read More

FISCAL YEAR 2025 FALL DAM SAFETY FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES Grants through the Rehabilitation of High Hazard Potential Dams program are available to non-federal governments and nonprofits for the technical expertise, planning, design, and construction needed to rehabilitate eligible, non-federal, high hazard dams. Dam safety is the art and science of ensuring the integrity and viability of … Read More

Twenty years ago, when Hurrican Katrina flooded New Orleans, the city’s big public hospital, Charity Hospital, was destroyed. After the storm, officials from the state and from Louisiana State University, which ran the hospital, evaluated the building and deemed it too damaged by water and mold to reopen. The new $1.2 Billion facility was finished … Read More

The Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) forecast for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season is for an average season with 15 named storms, 7 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes. ⁠ BHATE Geosciences Corporation can assist with conducting an inventory of pre-disaster ‘Infrastructure Assets’ and potential replacement costs in the event of damage or destruction of those assets. … Read More