Our crew is hard at work on the shoreline of Whitmore Lake in Washtenaw County, Michigan. We will be installing a shiny new 87’ x 18” steel seawall that will extend across the property’s shoreline. Along with the new wall, the construction project includes two 3’ returns and two 12’ returns. Both of the 12’ returns are scheduled for a new beach area. Our excavating professionals will prepare the lot for the new beach by clearing out any undesirable dirt. This will make them ready to be filled in with sand 12” to 15” deep.
For this project we opted to use fine sand, also known as 2NS grade. Using the 2NS grade-type will provide longevity to the newly constructed beach. This particular grade of sand is produced by washing and screening natural sand. It has a light golden brown color which comes from the natural abrasion and disintegration of rocks by glacial or riverbed action. Typically 2NS sand particles possess a wide distribution of sizes. We chose this grade because even though the texture of the aggregate is finer than the typical masonry sand it proves to be heavier which means it will hold its ground better and extend the beauty of the beach.
Did you know…?
… A grain of sand, as termed by geologists, can range in diameter from 0.0625 mm to 2 mm per particle. The most common component of sand in inland settings is silica (silicon dioxide/SIO2), ordinarily in the form of quartz. There are five sub-categories of sand in the United States and are established by their size: very fine sand (1/16 mm – 1/8 mm diameter), fine sand (1/8 mm – 1/4 mm), medium sand (1/4 mm – 1/2 mm), course sand (1/2 mm – 1 mm), and very coarse sane (1 mm – 2 mm). Geologists consider the smaller particles whose size ranges from 0.004 mm to 0.0625 mm as silt. Whereas a handful of sand feels gritty, silt’s texture is so fine it can be compared to that of flour. Larger particles of sand that have a diameter ranging from 2 mm up to 64 mm would be considered as gravel.