Eastern States Wrecking Co. (ESWC) recently completed the blasting of two water towers in New Hope, Pennsylvania. The towers were located in the heart of historic residential and retail districts and were demolished to make way for an executive campus and meeting area.

ESWC contracted the blasting operation to Demtech, Inc. of Dubois, Wyoming as part of the overall site preparation for new construction. ESWC also performed various interior and conventional building demolition at the site. The company has specialized in demolition since it's founding over a decade ago, focusing their efforts on the dismantlement and demolition of chemical and industrial plant structures, roads and bridges.

The towers stood 128 foot high and 78 feet high respectively, and were built in the early 1920's. With historic homes built in the 1600's and 1700's located less than 50 feet away, ESWC left nothing to chance. NADC-member Protec Documentation Services were brought in to inspect and photograph each of the surrounding structures in detail and later installed seismographs around the site to document ground vibrations and air overpressure.

Using less than three pounds of linear shaped explosives, blaster Scott Gustafson of Demtech felled the towers exactly as planned.

Project representatives reported that not a single adjacent window was broken as a result of the event and all vibration levels fell well within state and federal guidelines.