Erosion Control November/December 2015

FIRE RESTORATION | CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS | BLANKETS & MATS OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL EROSION CONTROL ASSOCIATION

EROSIONCONTROL.COM NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015

g n i n i a t e R r o f s l l a W Spaces h g u o T

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THE SURFACE WATER CONFERENCE &

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ER QUALITY & EXPO

s i l o p a n a i d In

August 22-25, 2016

Every year StormCon gets bigger and better. The number of participating municipalities continues to grow, which means the number of professionals who are exposed to the value of StormCon grows.

At StormCon one of our main goals is to educate. The value and necessities of stormwater, erosion, and land management education for public works professionals will be better served as we co-locate with WasteCon in Indianapolis for 2016.

Explore a variety of new topics and expand your knowledge of what’s happening in stormwater management, recyclables, and waste management practices.

www.stormcon.com

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CONTENTS

November/December 2015 Vol. 22, No. 7

FEATURES

16

The Deep Roots of Post-Wildfire Restoration Knowing how and where to revegetate is half the battle.

By David C. Richardson

24

Constructed Wetlands Treating stormwater and increasing habitat

By Janet Aird

32

Keeping Soil in Place Blankets, mats, and bonded fiber matrix

By Margaret Buranen

37

24

Retaining Walls for Tough Spaces Finding options for steep terrain and tight working conditions

By Roberta Baxter

DEPARTMENTS 6 8 46 50 54 55 56 58

Editor’s Comments IECA News Project Profile ShowCase Products & Services Directory Spotlight Marketplace/Advertiser’s Index Reader Profile

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Cover photo: Redi-Rock Editor Production Editor

Janice Kaspersen jkaspersen@forester.net

Sales & Marketing Coordinator Director of Advertising Sales

Kelsey Gripenstraw

Managing Production Editor

Brianna Duncan

Graphic Designer

IT/Online Support

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Senior Designer

Web Editor Webmaster Assistant Editor Director of Online Media & IT Group Editor Brand Managers

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David Rachford Nadia English nenglish@forester.net

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Arturo Santiago John Richardson John Trotti jtrotti@forester.net Shane Stevens, Glenys Archer, Suzy Shidlovsky, Laine Wilkinson Campbell Baker Mark Gersten, Geoff Solo, Eileen Duarte

Carmody Cutter

Conference Sales & Marketing

Adam Schaffer aschaffer@forester.net Tyler Adair Deja Hsu

Conference Director Accountant / Chair, Love and Happiness Committee AR / AP

Doug Mlyn Judith Geiger

Finance & HR Manager

Steven Wayner swayner@forester.net

Office Administrator Publisher

Marketing Coordinator, Phil Johnson Education & Training pjohnson@forester.net Product Marketing Manager, Education & Training Director of Education & Training

Brigette Burich Scott Nania snania@forester.net Courtney Keele Keith Rodgers John Pasini jpasini@forester.net Kathy Martin Daniel Waldman dw@forester.net

Hayley Hogan hhogan@forester.net Beth Tompkins btompkins@forester.net

25th

FORESTER ANNIVERSARY

EROSION CONTROL (ISSN 1073-7227) is published seven times a year by Forester Media Inc., 2946 De la Vina Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93105, 805-682-1300, fax 805-682-0200, e-mail address: publisher@forester.net, website: www.foresternetwork.com. Periodical postage paid at Santa Barbara, CA, and additional mailing offices. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Entire contents ©2015 by Forester Media Inc. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Erosion Control, 440 Quadrangle Drive Ste E, Bolingbrook, IL 60440. Change of address notices also may be completed online at www.cdsreportnow.com/renew/now?ecm or mailed to 440 Quadrangle Drive Ste E, Bolingbrook, IL 60440; provide old mailing label as well as new address, include zip code or postal code. Allow two months for change. Editorial contributions are welcome. All material must be accompanied by stamped return envelopes and will be handled with reasonable care.

However, publishers assume no responsibility for safety of art work, photographs, or manuscripts. Every precaution is taken to ensure accuracy, but the publishers cannot accept responsibility for the correctness or accuracy of information supplied herein or for any opinion expressed. Subscription Rates: seven issues of Erosion Control are $76 per year in US ($95 in Canada, $160 elsewhere). Send the completed subscription card with a check to Erosion Control, 440 Quadrangle Drive Ste E, Bolingbrook, IL 60440, or fax with credit card info to 616-891-5669. Reprints: All editorial material in Erosion Control is available for reprints. Call 805-679-7604 or e-mail reprints@forester.net for additional information. List Rentals: 1-800-529-9020 ext. 5003, dfoster@inforefinery.com. Articles appearing in this journal are indexed in Environmental Periodicals Bibliography. Back issues may be ordered (depending on available inventory) for $15 per copy in US ($20 in Canada, $35 elsewhere). Send written requests for back issues along with check or money order in US funds payable to Erosion Control, PO Box 3100, Santa Barbara, CA 93130, USA. Provide address for where the copies should be shipped. Allow six weeks for delivery.

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Editor’s Comments Janice Kaspersen

Share Your Knowledge: StormCon 2016 IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR again, with a twist. The StormCon call for papers is open; the deadline for submitting abstracts is Wednesday, December 9.

StormCon is the only North American event dedicated exclusively to stormwater and surface-water professionals. It will be held in Indianapolis, IN, August 22–25, 2016, and for the first time will be co-located with another large show that also attracts attendees from the municipal arena: WASTECON, the premier solid waste industry-focused conference, put on by the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA). Many of the same high-level public works officials have responsibilities in both the stormwater and solid waste arenas. Holding the conferences in the same place allows attendees to get the best of both worlds in the joint exhibit hall and in the educational sessions, and gives exhibitors and speakers at both shows access to a much wider and more diverse audience.

This year StormCon is seeking abstracts in seven conference tracks: BMP Case Studies. This track presents examples of how structural and nonstructural best management practices (BMPs) are being used, with case studies and performance data.

Topics include filtration systems, retention and detention systems, post-construction stormwater management, urban retrofitting, and inspection, maintenance, and repair of BMPs. Green Infrastructure. This track includes lowimpact development techniques as well as smart growth and other green infrastructure practices that strive to maintain or mimic the predevelopment hydrology of a site by infiltrating, storing, filtering, and evaporating stormwater runoff rather than moving it offsite. Areas of focus for this track include infiltration and bioretention practices such as rain gardens, green roofs, and porous pavement; community-wide and watershed-scale approaches to water quality; rainwater harvesting; and green infrastructure for infill development and redevelopment areas.

Stormwater Program Management. This track covers many aspects of managing a successful municipal or industrial stormwa-

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EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD BOB ADAIR Managing Partner Construction EcoServices LLC Houston, TX

ter program. Focus areas include strategies for meeting permit requirements, building public education and outreach programs, hiring and working with consultants, illicit discharge detection and elimination programs, and integrating the stormwater program with total maximum daily load development.

Advanced Research Topics. This technical track includes academic research; methods for testing the effectiveness of best management practices and comparing different BMPs; and topics and trends in stormwater research, such as standardizing testing protocols and standards for measuring the effectiveness of BMPs. Water-Quality Monitoring. This track focuses on watershed assessments, determining pollutant loadings, effective water-quality modeling, sampling tools and techniques, and bacterial detection and identification.

Industrial Stormwater Management. This track covers industrial stormwater management and permitting, focusing on publicly and privately owned facilities covered by industrial stormwater permits or EPA’s stormwater multisector general permit. Such facilities range from small businesses located in urban areas, such as restaurants and automotive repair shops, to large sites such as manufacturing plants, transportation facilities, and mining operations.

Stormwater Management for Solid Waste Facilities. An offshoot of the Industrial Stormwater Management track added because of this year’s co-location with WASTECON, this track deals with stormwater management for all phases of solid waste operations. Topics include managing stormwater at municipal waste receiving, processing, and transfer facilities; good housekeeping practices for collection vehicle fleet maintenance facilities; managing stormwater on operating landfill sites; and— particularly of relevance to many erosion and sediment control professionals—selection, installation, and maintenance of stormwater management systems on closed landfill sites.

For more information about StormCon, including the complete call for papers and an online form for submitting your abstract, visit www.StormCon.com. EC

JOSEPH A. CREA, CPESC, CPSWQ, CISEC Environmental Compliance Specialist Kleinfelder Exton, PA JERALD S. FIFIELD, PH.D., CPESC, CISEC President HydroDynamics Inc. Parker, CO DONALD GRAY, PH.D. Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI MICHAEL HARDING, CPESC Geosyntec Consultants Inc. San Diego, CA RICK LIPCSEI Project Engineer, Environmental and Land Services Georgia Transmission Corp.

Tucker, GA JETT MCFALLS Hydraulic, Sedimentation and Erosion Control Laboratory Manager Texas Transportation Institute College Station, TX MICHAEL B. MCINTYRE, CPESC Construction Inspector City of Virginia Beach, VA CURT M. MILLWARD Environmental & Safety Compliance Officer Centex Homes DFW Metro Dallas, TX EDWARD B. PERRY, PH.D. Research Civil Engineer Vicksburg, MS J. ERIC SCHERER, CPESC, CPSWQ, CESSWI Southern Rhode Island Conservation District Kingston, RI ROBBIN SOTIR President Robbin B. Sotir & Associates Marietta, GA GILBERTO E. URROZ, PH.D., P.E. Assoc. Professor, Civil/ Environmental Engineering Utah State University Utah Water Research Laboratory Logan, UT WILLIAM YOUNG Wildlife Ecologist Young Environmental LLC Jackson, NJ

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NEWS International Erosion Control Association REGION ONE

®

ENVIRONMENTAL CONNECTION 2016 | 8 PHOTO CONTEST | 14 PAPER OF THE YEAR | 15

Why Should YOU Attend Environmental Connection?

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s always, Environmental Connection promises an entertaining and educational experience. This year, the 44th annual IECA conference will be held in San Antonio, Texas, on February 16–19, 2016. The event will host the usual roundup of educational sessions, exhibit hall, networking opportunities, and a cast of characters from the erosion, sediment, and stormwater community.

We will be celebrating the Expo Hall opening at our Opening

Reception. The exhibit hall will be host to over 140 exhibits you should be sure to check out. The hall will be centered around the IECA Town Hall, which will house our photo contest gallery, job boards (post jobs or résumés), prize drawings, learning lab, and much more! Additionally, we will be providing social events to interact with your peers, and if you are new to Environmental Connection, this is a great time to find a mentor.

Education Offerings: A Step Above the Rest

Performance Comparisons of Construction Inlet Protection Practices Using Large-Scale Testing Presenter: Wesley Zech, Ph.D.

As usual, you can earn professional development hours (PDHs) by attending the technical sessions and keep up-todate on the latest technologies in products and services.

Erosion and Sediment Control Achieving Successful, Cost Effective Erosion Control Through Proper Management of Vegetation and Soil Technical Level: Advanced Instructors: Julie Etra, MS, CPESC, and Adrian Juncosa, Ph.D., CPESC 99% Sediment Yield Reduction in Two Easy Steps: A Case Study Presenter: Barry Fagan, P.E.,PLS, CPESC, CMS4S, CESSWI Roundtable: Hydraulic Fracturing Moderator: Richard McLaughlin, Ph.D. Panelists: R. Jo Reser; Michael H. Young, Ph.D.; and Virginia Brown, M.S. Emergency Watershed Protection Program Post Disaster Erosion Control Projects in Colorado Presenter: John Andrews, P.E., CPESC

Developing Best Management Practice Guidance Matrix Decision Trees Presenter: Dwayne Stenlund, CPESC Roundtable Discussion of Potential Changes to EPA’s Construction General Permit Presenter: Erika Farris (invited guest) Testing and Specifying Erosion Control Products Presenters: C. Joel Sprague, P.E. and Jay Sprague, CPESC Fore! Going Off-Course with Sediment and Erosion Control at a Golf Course Redevelopment Project Presenter: Daniel Nitzsche, CPESC, CESSWI Five Fundamentals for Successful Restoration of Disturbed Lands Presenters: Marc Theisen and Matthew Welch, CESSWI

Paper of the Year: Large-Scale Performance Enhancement Study of Sediment Basin Technology Presenter: Michael Perez

Stormwater Management How Dirty Is Your Watershed? Sediment/Turbidity TMDL Development and Compliance Technical Level: Intermediate Instructor: Craig Benson

Ditch Stabilization to Reduce Soil Loss: Lining Option and Cost/Benefits Presenter: Jacob Wiseman

319 Grant: Urban Stormwater Retrofit of a Public Works Facility Presenter: Erin Keys, P.E., CPESC

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IECA News

ENVIRONMENTAL CONNECTION 2016

Green Infrastructure—Make Maintenance a Priority Presenter: Anthony Kendrick The Nitty-Gritty of Green Roof Substrates Presenter: Jenny Hill, CChem, Ept. Green Infrastructure, Green Building, and Compost-Based BMPs—A Match Made in Heaven Presenter: Britt Faucette Developing SWPPPs Across Multiple Jurisdictions Presenters: Sarah Gilstrap, CPESC, and Daniel Schertz Integrating Stormwater Quantity and Quality Requirements Using the Runoff Reduction Method Presenter: Eric Larson, P.E., AICP, CPSWQ, CFM Surface Water Restoration Ultra-Urban Ecosystem Restoration—Northerly Island Ecosystem Restoration in Chicago Presenter: Jonathan Koepke, CPESC, LEED-AP In Stream Work Plan: Means and Methods Presenters: Luis Montgomery and Carlos Bulnes Restoration of the Urban Section Of Rimac River (Peru)

by Bioengineering Methods Presenter: Joel Fernandez Espinoza MS4 Management I Have to Conduct Stormwater Monitoring— Anyone Else Want to Join in the Fun? Presenter: J. P. Johns, P.E. Permanent Stormwater Quality Features for MS4 Stormwater Management Presenter: Brad Flack, CPESC, CESSWI Industrial MS4 Program Presenter: Martin Miller Recent Impact on the Construction Industry due to Increased Local Regulatory Activity Presenter: Philip Handley Assessing Your MS4 Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping Program Presenters: Lori Gates, CPESC, CPSWQ, CMS4S, and Heather Buck, CMS4S, CPSWQ NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015

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The Challenge of Dual Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Jurisdiction Presenter: Nathan Reynolds

Pre-Conference Training Courses Each year IECA offers pre-conference courses. These full-day courses will earn you 0.7 CEUs or 7 PDH credits. This year the seven courses will be on Tuesday, February 16.

New This Year IACET Certified Courses: IACET-Approved Full-Day Courses are worth 0.7 IACET CEUs (continuing education units), which is equivalent to 7 PDHs. Phase II MS4 Program Compliance and Effectiveness Technical Level: All Course #: EC4-0216-7 Credit: 0.7 IACET CEU (7 PDHs) Instructors: JB Dixion, CISEC, CPESC, and Carrie Powers, CPESC, CMS4S This course will guide stormwater practitioners through the fundamentals of managing and maintaining an effective, successful MS4 program for communities and delegated agencies.

While regulatory requirements emphasize program “compliance,” this course will provide you with the tools to not only achieve compliance, but also provide performance measures and metrics for evaluating MS4 program effectiveness.

RUSLE2 Training for Construction Site Applications Technical Level: Intermediate Course #: EC1-0216-7B Credit: 0.7 IACET CEU (7 PDHs) Instructor: David Lightle, CPESC Federal and state regulations are increasingly requiring the use of erosion prediction models and tools to evaluate the offsite erosion and sediment deposition impacts of construction activities. New versions of the RUSLE2 model contain specific functionality that addresses issues such as the sum of daily erosivity for the construction period to determine if an EPA permit is required, and also utilize a segmented profile description to compare the effect of adding slope treatment practices in lieu of retaining all or part of existing vegetation buffer strips at the lower extent of construction. Learn how to apply the latest version of RUSLE2 and customized construction site databases to your erosion and sediment control design work.

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IECA News

ENVIRONMENTAL CONNECTION 2016

Bioingenieria de Suelos en Zonas Tropicales Technical Level: Intermedio Curso #: EC1-0216-7A Crédito: 7 PDHs Instructor: Luiz Lucena, CPESC Este curso presenta los principios y mejores y más nuevas prácticas de La Bioingeniería de Suelos a través del estudio del desarrollo de la tecnología y casos prácticos, con énfasis en las condiciones tropicales y áreas con procesos erosivos severos.

Instructor: Ted Sherrod, P.E., CPESC, CPSWQ, CMS4S In less than one day, learn a simple, step-wise process for selecting and designing erosion and sedimentation control devices! Review innovative designs for erosion, sediment, and turbidity control for linear and vertical construction applications. Pick up new technologies as a plan designer that you can incorporate into your next SWPPP that target turbidity control.

More Conference Highlights Cost Effective Stormwater Pollution Prevention Solutions Technical Level: All Course #: EC3-0216-7 Credit: 0.7 IACET CEU (7 PDHs) Instructor: Gerald Montgomery, CPESC, CPSWQ, ToR This will be a course on managing stormwater pollution prevention on both construction sites and industrial sites. The focus of the course will be on practical techniques to protect water quality in a cost effective and compliant manner.

Scour Analysis for Streambank Stabilization Technical Level: Intermediate Course #: EC2-0216-7 Credit: 0.7 IACET CEU (7 PDHs) Instructor: Dennis Richards, P.E., D.WRE, F.ASCE, F.EWRI This will be a course on determining the potential scour depth for use in streambank stabilization projects. It will examine the different types of scour and the equations available for estimating scour. Participants will learn the limitations of various procedures and have the opportunity to select procedures and estimate scour for a case study.

Bio-Technical Remediation of Urban Channels Technical Level: All Course #: EC1-0216-7C Credit: 0.7 IACET CEU (7 PDHs) Instructors: Jerry Sanders, CPESC, and Hector Sotelo, P.E. This course is to provide the participant with the tools and understanding of how bio-technical stream channel remediation can be installed in urban channels to provide channel stability and water-quality enhancement. Participants will learn how to evaluate channels and implement the appropriate bio-technical procedures.

Innovative Designs for Erosion, Sediment, and Turbidity Control for Construction Projects Technical Level: Advanced Course #: EC1-0216-7D Credit: 0.7 IACET CEU (7 PDHs) 10 EROSION CONTROL

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Learn About What’s Out There Product Practicums are back! These hour-long sessions allow attendees to see the latest and greatest products and services by our vendors. This year the following companies will be demonstrating their best: Profile Products, Modular Gabion Systems, American Excelsior Company, Tensar North American Green, BioPolymer Industries Inc., and East Coast Erosion.

An Expo Hall to Boast About The Environmental Connection Expo Hall will have over 140 exhibits of the latest products and services. You won’t want to miss this!

Expo Hall Hours: Thursday from 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

• Lunch 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.

• Reception 3–5 p.m. (Sponsored by Brentwood Industries and L&M Supply) Friday from 9 a.m.–2 p.m.

• Lunch 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. (Sponsored by Mat Inc.) Expo Hall Opening Reception Thursday, 3–5 p.m.

Join us for our opening celebration as we serve appetizers and drinks in the Expo Hall on Thursday evening to celebrate the opening of the Environmental Connection 2016 Expo Hall. Thank you to our Expo Hall Opening Reception sponsors, Brentwood Industries and L&M Supply.

Learning Lab IECA will host a Learning Lab in the Expo Hall. This gives attendees the opportunity for an interactive and engaging educational experience.

Thursday Presentations: 12:15–12:45 p.m. Rolanka 1–1:30 p.m. Erosion Control Technology Council 1:45–2:15 p.m. Erosion Control Blanket 3:15–3:45 p.m. Profile Products 4–4:30 p.m. Heavyweight Sediment Control Solutions WWW.EROSIONCONTROL.COM

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A Texas Home Compañero Wednesday from 7–10 p.m.

Join us for an evening of music and entertainment featuring The Sons of the Hydroseeders and the Daughters of the Purple Sage! This evening reception will have a live auction with amazing articles of antiquity and appeal. Dress up in cowboy-chic and get your two-step on! All proceeds benefit projects and programs of the SOIL Fund. Food and beverages will be included in your admission, which is $35 per person.

IECA will host a Learning Lab during Environmental Connection 2016, with presentations happening all Thursday afternoon in the Expo Hall.

General Session Breakfast: Triple Bottom Line Thinking at the San Antonio River Authority Wednesday from 7:30–8:50 a.m.

Kick off the Environmental Connection conference with a presentation from Steve Graham (pictured below) with the San Antonio River Authority. Competition for public resources at the local, state, and federal government levels is fierce.

Communities are demanding maximum return and value on their tax dollars. This is particularly true of watershed protection and planning.

The San Antonio River Authority along with its local counties and city governments is developing watershed master plans, data, models, and capital projects that have multiple benefits and optimum return on investment using a Triple Bottom Line methodology.

IECA Awards Lunch Wednesday from 12:30–1:30 p.m.

After a busy morning of attending top-notch technical sessions, enjoy a tasty lunch held in our main ballroom.

At this time, IECA will honor recipients of these awards: 2015 Environmental Excellence, Sustained Contributor, Outstanding Professional, 2016 Technical Paper of the Year, and 2015 Presenter of the Year. Things will be a little different this year as we have a video and media sponsor, Informed Infrastructure. They’ve put together a short video presentation of our winners. We will also recognize our Outstanding Chapters in 2015.

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A Showcase of Recent Work IECA Poster Presentations are given by both industry professionals and our University Partners. They are based on scientific methods and merit, which will be described within the display/presentation. Presentations will be held Thursday from 1:30–3:30 p.m. The awards for the top three posters will be given out on Friday at 12:30 p.m.

River Walk Closing Bash Friday from 3:30–5:30 p.m.

Back by popular demand, the Closing Bash will be held at the LDR, which is located at the river level of the Convention Center. Once again you can expect IECA to throw an electrifying closing bash. The bash will be complete with gourmet food, drinks, entertainment—and did we mention cash prizes?

IECA will be giving out $2,000 in cash! This is a free event for conference attendees. Plan to stick around and celebrate with IECA for the 2016 Closing Bash extravaganza sponsored by Profile Products.

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IECA News

ENVIRONMENTAL CONNECTION 2016

LEADERSHIP

Thank You to Our Partners and Sponsors IECA would like to thank its Environmental Connection 2016 Sponsors and year-round Corporate Partners. There are many sponsorship opportunities available for Environmental Connection 2016 San Antonio, Texas from February 16–19.

To find out how to receive the best value for your promotional investment, contact Nikki Strong at 800-455-4322 or nikki@ieca.org.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONNECTION 2015 SPONSORS

2015–2016 CORPORATE PARTNERS Summit

Mountain

Foothills

Beach

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IECA Goes Big in San Antonio!

Things to Do in San Antonio Whether this is your first trip to San Antonio or you’ve been several times, there is always something new to discover. San Antonio has world-famous attractions such as the Alamo, the Riverwalk, and countless museums and cultural centers. Be sure to visit www.visitsanantonio.com/meeting to make the most of your visit to the Alamo City!

Show Us Your Badge The San Antonio CVB is dedicated to helping you build meeting attendance and ensuring attendees have the best San Antonio experience possible. They established the Show Us Your Badge program to help attendees explore the city on a budget.

Through the Show Us Your Badge program, convention attendees can receive discounts and special offers at over 50 restaurants and nightlife establishments in downtown San Antonio simply by showing their conference badge. This complimentary program is their way of extending a warm San Antonio welcome.

Conference Location Environmental Connection will be located at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in downtown San Antonio.

200 East Market St. San Antonio, TX 78205 Booking Your Hotel IECA wants to help you plan your trip to Environmental Connection 2016. We pride ourselves in helping you make your travel and lodging as easy and affordable as possible.

Conference Direct is the ONLY official housing provider for the Environmental Connection 2016. You have various hotel options with a range of discounted group rates. To book your room, visit www.ieca.org/travel.

Getting Around A cab from the airport to the convention center area will cost approximately $20–$25. Shuttle service is available from the airport to downtown for $19 (one way) or $34 (round trip).

Air Travel The major airport serving San Antonio is San Antonio International Airport (SAT). For a full list of airlines that fly into SAT, visit www.sanantonio.gov/SAT.aspx.

Six Reasons Why YOU Should Attend Environmental Connection:

1. Meet new people: There’s an expected attendance of over 1,500 of the industry's brightest minds.

Connecting with new faces will help you in your career.

2. Get top-notch education: You can learn from over 130 presentations of the latest case studies and topicfocused technical sessions.

3. Build business relationships: We have numerous networking and social opportunities so you can make connections with future clients or even connect with potential employers/employees.

4. Stay credible: Earn professional development hours (PDHs) by attending technical sessions.

5. Stay ahead of the curve: Keep up-to-date in today's newest technologies in erosion and sediment control products and services at our two-day expo.

6. Support a cause: Attending conference helps to show your support for IECA, which is a non-profit organization that provides education, resource information, and business opportunities for professionals in the erosion and sediment control industry.

Find out more at www.ieca.org/conference.

Convention Center Parking There is a number of parking options surrounding the convention center.

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IECA News IECA News

PHOTO CONTEST

Photo Contest—Cash Prize for First Place

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ECA’s Annual Photo Contest is an opportunity to gain visibility and share your accomplishments with the erosion and sediment control community. Entries will be displayed on our website and enlarged to be showcased at Environmental Connection, IECA’s annual conference and expo. The contest is FREE—so send in your photos!

Preliminary voting will take place on IECA’s Facebook page by liking or commenting on your favorite images. The top six in each category will be enlarged and on display at Environmental Connection 2016.

Final voting of the top six will take place at Environmental Connection 2016 in San Antonio. Ribbons will be awarded to the first, second, and third place winners of each categories.

The photo with the most votes in each category (first place) will receive $50 in cash. Second place will receive $35 in cash.

Third place will receive $15 in cash. The winner must be present to obtain their prize. If the first place winner is not present at the time of the award (announced in the Environmental Connection conference program), the prize will be given to the second place winner, if present. If the second place winner is not present, the third place winner may obtain the prize, if present. If they are not present, the cash will be donated to IECA’s foundation, the SOIL Fund.

focused with proper lighting. Photos that are out of focus, too dark, too light, grainy, or otherwise unclear will not be competitive.

The 2015 Photo Contest is sponsored by

Categories and Judging Criteria Before and After (Submit two photos for each entry in this category, one “before” and one “after”) • Photo alignment—are the photos taken from exactly the same place?

• Amount of change shown—how dramatic is the “after” photo compared to the “before” photo?

Impacts of Erosion and Sediment • Degree of environmental impact—what is the effect on water or air quality?

• Degree of social impact—what is the effect on property, human life, infrastructure, etc.?

Technology in Action • Identification of technology—is it obvious what technology is being used?

• Degree of action—does the photo show a process or merely a completed installation?

Recognition All accepted submitted photos will be recognized at Environmental Connection—IECA’s Annual Conference and Expo.

These photos will be posted on the IECA website and may be featured in Environmental Connection magazine, Land & Water magazine, and on association promotional material.

Rules and Guidelines 1. Entries are due on or before December 31, 2015.

2. Photo resolution must be 300 dpi or higher.

The higher the resolution, the better your image will appear.

3. Photos will be accepted only in .jpg, .tif, .gif or bitmap formats.

4. You must include a brief description for each submittal. See the entry form for details.

5. Entries will be screened for eligibility. IECA has the right of refusal for any or no cause.

6. Photos may only be submitted for entry to the Annual Photo Content once. Re-entries will be discarded.

7. Individual image filed may not exceed 10 MB in size.

8. Photos must be submitted electronically to: www.ieca.org/photosubmit.

Last year’s winner, Jenny Hill, won $50 for this photo, which shows earth washed from behind a We are looking for high-quality photos. This recently reconstructed retaining wall, destroying an urban trail (see temporary fences on right) means your photo(s) should be sharp, well and compromising bridge footings (center).

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IECA News

PAPER OF THE YEAR

2016 Most Distinguished Technical Paper Award

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IECA University Partners Program for their continued support ECA is proud to announce that Large-Scale Performance in providing me the opportunity to participate in the EnviEnhancement Study of Sediment Basin Technology, which ronmental Connection conferences. The technical was submitted by Michael Perez, has been presentation will discuss innovative sediment basin named the winner of the Most Distinguished research we are conducting at the Auburn University Technical Paper Award for Environmental ConErosion and Sediment Control Facility. I look fornection 2016. This award honors the presenters ward to sharing exciting results from our large-scale who have demonstrated excellence within the contesting that show how the design of sediment basins tent of their Environmental Connection technical can be modified to provide for enhanced perforpresentation.

Michael Perez is a graduate student at Auburn mance,” concludes Perez.

The presentation of Large-Scale Performance University pursuing a Ph.D. in civil engineering.

Enhancement Study of Sediment Basin Technology “I’m truly honored to be recognized by IECA for may be seen at Environmental Connection 2016, our research work,” says Perez. “I would like to which will be held from February 16–19, 2016, in express my sincere appreciation to the co-authors: Michael Perez San Antonio, Texas. IECA has already released the Dr. Wesley Zech, Dr. Xing Fang, and Dr. Jose call for nominations for its 2015 Awards of Environmental Vasconcelos, to our research sponsor ALDOT, and to the team Excellence, to be recognized at Environmental Connection of students and technicians that have dedicated significant 2016. For more information, visit www.ieca.org/awards. effort and time to this project. I would also like to thank the See the winning presentation at Environmental Connection 2016!

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The Deep Roots of Post-Wildfire Restoration

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n the wild expanses of North America, specialists recognize that fire plays an important role in the forest ecosystem. Sometimes a forest cannot live without it, and often fire can’t be avoided. In fact, certain fire-adapted species of plants require the heat of a wildfire to spur germination. In some cases, fire cannot be controlled, and in some instances the best thing to do about it, experts say, is to watch the spectacle from a respectable distance with an eye toward safe evacuation routes.

When a forest and human habitation come into close proximity, the struggle over fire takes on the character of a double-edged sword. Nonetheless, experts agree that the hazards fire represents do not end when the flames are extinguished. Chief among these hazards in the western United States, where wildfires are among the dominant

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natural land-shaping events, is the danger of erosion.

Although wild-land fires have the potential to burn anywhere, they don’t have the same impact everywhere, says Sam Lindblom, director of land management for The Nature Conservancy, Virginia. Lindblom says he “spends a lot of time thinking about fire.” The history of fire, he says, mirrors the history of the North American continent: Not only did fires erupt regularly throughout the continent before human intervention, but once humans arrived in North America fire became a valuable tool. The original inhabitants of the continent used wildfires intentionally, “for many purposes,” notes Lindblom. “They used it to clear routes for travel, and to aid in hunting by treating the ground to create attractive areas for the bison and other animals to graze. They used it to clear land for agriculture.

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BY DAVID C. RICHARDSON

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They used it in warfare and for defensive purposes.” Subsequent waves of settlers moving westward from the crowded eastern cities of the 19th century United States also used wild-land fire extensively, as a tool to quickly clear land for settlement and agriculture. Lindblom says, however, that in the late 1800s, “campaigns were started to reduce the use of fire.” In the early 1900s, after a series of dry years and a spate of severe wildfires, “a whole series of policies were adopted restricting the use of fire and focusing on rapidly extinguishing every wildfire, whether it was caused by nature or man.”

These policies included what came to be known as the “10 a.m. policy,” a rule holding that all fires must be extinguished before 10 a.m. the following day. “That has led up to the situation we have now, where we have the buildup of dangerous fuels,” says Lindblom. It has since been recognized that fire is a natural part of healthy wild-land ecosystems, and recently the pendulum has begun to swing back toward allowing many natural fires to burn. Yet the debate continues. “Fire policy in the United States has been evolving since the beginning; just when we think we know something, we learn something new.”

Although erosion is one of the dramatic problems associated with the aftermath of wildfire, severe erosion is in fact a rarity that depends upon conditions being just right, he notes. “It’s a problem in the most severely drought-stricken areas, only after the hottest and most severe fires,” says Lindblom, and even then is dependent on the slope, soil,

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and, most importantly, on precipitation.

To illustrate the diverse nature of fire’s aftermath, he says, “I’ve never heard of severe erosion caused by a fire happening in the East. The plant systems there hold more moisture, the plants are more productive, and vegetated areas tend to grow back more quickly.”

However, there are a lot of places in the West where fire-induced erosion and landslide risks do loom. During one week in early July 2015, there were 39 major wildfires burning simultaneously in the United States, each affecting 100 acres or more. Most of them were in the Western states.

Meanwhile, a years-long drought has taken hold in those same Western states, which, coupled with decades of fire prevention efforts, have burdened many formerly healthy forest tracts with dense, dry underbrush, creating the ideal conditions for powerful infernos hot enough to turn the soil into a sterile hydrophobic crust. Combined with harsh episodic rainfall events that are predicted to intensify with climate change, these conditions set the stage for major post-fire erosion. Even with this horror show of worst-case scenarios, experts usually recommend erosion control measures and treatments for only the small fraction of burned areas that adjoin urban areas, residences, or infrastructure—which nonetheless accounts for vast acreage.

Just as all of these fires affect different landscapes, burn with varying intensities, and threaten different assets, there are differing approaches to handling the aftermath of each newly fire-scarred landscape. Fortunately, there are a variety

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of viable solutions to meet the many peculiar situations that may arise in the wake of severe fire.

What science knows is that different ecosystems recover at varying rates, that the recovery process takes time, and that during that time the ground must hold until the first generation of plants establishes itself in order for the cycle to renew. Erosion control measures can play a vital role in providing that window of time when nature might need little help.

How Hot Was It? It Was So Hot That . . .

When Vince Morris, president of Ertec, walked out into what used to be the beautiful community of formerly stately homes and forested lots in Running Springs, CA, shortly after the San Bernardino fires in 2007, the scene was almost surreal. “It was like a moonscape,” he says. Some of the trees, charred though they were, were still there, “but everything else was gone.

On one block all of the houses were

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gone except for one—it was untouched and the homeowner was out there watering his lawn, trimming his roses; his entire property was intact. Pretty much everything else was down to the foundations. Vegetation was completely gone—lots of potential for loss of soil.

It was a pretty vast area.”

Mike Alberson, currently stormwater program manager for southwest divisions for Apex Companies, was hired by San Bernardino County to develop stormwater pollution prevention plans for Running Springs after the fire. He marvels at the energy released during the fire. “It’s hard to believe how hot it can be. It would take a copper pipe and melt it down into a puddle,” he says.

According to the San Diego Wildfires Education Project, before the 2007 fires in southern California were brought under control, 7,344 separate fires had burned 370,998 acres. While some fires were caused by nature, others were man-made. According to Alberson, the San Bernardino fire was both: a lightning strike to malfunctioning power infrastructure set the spark.

After such a wave of destruction, says Morris, on average, first-year post-fire watershed sediment yield is 35 times greater than that from comparable unburned areas.

Clearing and Cleaning Before replanting the site could even be considered the first priority was cleanup. “When you first get into it, you’re dealing with so much hazmat material. We were there to make sure to control the stormwater aspect,” says Alberson. Hazardous materials come from the homes, vehicles, and the residue of household chemicals and combusted building materials, all of which needed to be contained and removed along with the surface layer of any impacted or contaminated soils. After testing the soil for hazards such as arsenic and asbestos, and hauling away the most offensive material to hazardous waste disposal sites, restoration workers could operate safe from contamination.

Alberson says the first order of business was installation of perimeter controls.

“The original specs called for silt fences. We were thinking of something maybe of a little higher grade; they WWW.EROSIONCONTROL.COM

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What science knows is that different ecosystems recover at varying rates, that the recovery process takes time, and that during that time the ground must hold until the first generation of plants establishes itself in order for the cycle to renew. didn’t want to do that, so we had the erosion control company put in regular silt fence. It was in about a week, and, lo and behold, we got about a 3-foot snow. There had been close to 5,000 linear feet [of fence] that had been installed, and every bit of it went on the ground,” says Alberson. “So they said, ‘Well, that didn’t work. What do you think we can do?’”

On the steep slopes, says Alberson, the silt fence could just as easily have been blown out by rainwater build up behind the fences during a heavy rainstorm, allowing water loaded with sediment and ash to pollute nearby streams.

He had heard of Ertec’s product, the S-Fence, but had not yet used it on a project. “Fish and Game had been telling us this BMP is going to have to be here long-term—up to five years to help reestablish the situation,” he recalls. He says durability is one of the attributes of the S-Fence that Ertec highlights, so he “decided to start with a small quantity to see how it would work out.”

Not being familiar with the product, he brought in about 10,000 linear feet and experimented with a few different installation techniques, from hog ties to staples. “The best way was to attach a stake with a drywall screw with a 2-inch overlap at each end and a stake in the middle,” he says. “So you took fewer stakes than a wattle, and it was

For related articles: www.erosioncontrol.com

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easier to install than a silt fence.”

San Bernardino County eventually purchased about 50,000 linear feet of Ertec’s 10-inch S-Fence for the project.

It was trenched in to a depth of 3 inches in areas where concentrated flow was expected. As homeowners stabilized their lots, the S-Fence was removed and relocated. “We would install the product; they would go in and clean up the area and as they finished it we stabilized it by using a native seed approved by Fish and Game. We would spray it all with [Profile Products’] Flexterra, and pack it, and once the plants started growing we would remove the temporary BMPs and move on to the next site. We took that 50,000 linear feet and used it enough times to cover 250,000—we used it four times or five times.” Alberson says the project spanned about a year and eight months, and when it was completed, there was product left over for possible reuse yet again. “Some of the S-Fence is still on the mountain—in those areas where Fish and Game said we had to leave it—and some of the product is back in the warehouse with San Bernardino County.”

Along with the S-Fence for perimeter control, says Alberson, “We used a lot of Flexterra, we used a lot of mulch as well—they had lost so many trees on the mountain that they were grinding up the burnt trees and spreading that and using it for mulch.”

But because of the sheer number of trees that were being ground up, the mulch “got so thick in some areas, as much as four to six feet deep, that it caught fire from the self-generated heat in the pile.” Although these fires EROSION CONTROL 19

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A Restoration That Sticks An infamous coal seam fire that had been smoldering for 100 years burst out violently in 2002 to devour the arid Colorado landscape. An inferno dating back, perhaps, to a mine explosion in 1896 that killed 49 miners, the fire that erupted to the surface and tore toward Glenwood Springs claimed 12,000 acres and 29 homes before it was doused just short of reaching the urban zone.

Fortunately, it was brought under control without any loss of life.

Just after the fire, however, things did not look good for the hillside on the edge of the historic town known for its hot springs and a brief stint as mining hub. A new peril of potentially devastating erosion loomed over the city.

“Right after the fire, everything was torched,” says Tom Bowman, president of Bowman Construction, describing the view from that hill over looking the town. He says everything was stripped bare and poised for a major erosive event.

It was the kind of scene the US Geological Survey warns of in documents relating to post-fire landslide risk on its website: “Post-fire landslide hazards include fast-moving, highly destructive debris flows that can occur in the year immediately after wildfires in response to high intensity rainfall events, and those flows that are generated over longer time periods accompanied by root decay and loss of soil strength. Post-fire debris flows are particularly hazardous because they can occur with little warning, can exert great impulsive loads on objects in their paths, can strip vegetation, block drainage ways, damage structures, and endanger human life.”

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The site of a coal seam fire near Glenwood Springs, CO

BOWMAN CONSTRUCTION SUPPLY

were relatively small, says Alberson, once they were extinguished, “we decided that rather than using the mulch they were making from burnt trees, we would just spray it. They’d had enough of fires at that point.”

At the base of the hill stood a popular community shopping center that, spared the destruction of the flames, stood in the possible path of the debris. “The concern was if that hillside failed it could result in a landslide that would take out the shopping center and send debris and sediment straight into the Colorado River,” about a mile away, says Bowman.

The immediate objective of the emergency response team was to reduce the risk of the soil giving way and to stabilize the hill as quickly as possible. As authorities recognized that a major rainstorm could strike at any moment, says Bowman, the team decided to skip straight to remediation, bypassing the customary steps of soil testing and analysis. It was a decision Bowman found reasonable. “We like to see the soil test WWW.EROSIONCONTROL.COM

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BOWMAN CONSTRUCTION SUPPLY

results, but sometimes it’s too The Glenwood Springs area in September 2010, eight years after the much of an emergency.” original treatment. Areas where native grasses are dormant appear darker; brighter green areas show brush that has grown back.

Bowman has written previously of the effect of fire severity on soil structure. “High-intensity fires typically have a more severe and longer-lasting impact on soil life than low-intensity fires.

While various nutrients can be available during and after a fire, others may be volatilized and lost. Volatilization is temperature dependent and usually affects nitrogen and, to a lesser extent, sulfur, phosphorus, and carbon.

At 140 degrees Fahrenheit soil proteins are eliminated; at 257 degrees Fahrenheit soil is sterilized; and at 392 degrees Fahrenheit nitrogen is lost. Research shows that fire destroys between 33% and 100% of soil humus and microorganisms, depending upon the intensity and severity of the fire. High temperatures can also cause the soil to unique to burned sites,” he wrote in a white paper describing become hydrophobic and impermeable by water, impeding Biosol, a soil amendment his company markets. the water penetration necessary to support plant and soil Bringing the hillside back to life with new vegetation as life. This leads to erosion control and revegetation problems quickly as possible would reduce or eliminate the risk of land-

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BOWMAN CONSTRUCTION SUPPLY

Aircraft dropped 50 pounds of slide. The plan to do so would include seed and 60 pounds of Supertack seeding and soil amendments, but most tackifier per acre to lock it all in importantly it would hinge on somehow place. Ted Stallings’ firm, Aero Tech, holding everything together on the completed the 500-acre installation in steep desiccated slope long enough for just seven days. the new growth to get a good start.

“The wood-fiber mulch was there The Bureau of Land Management to protect the seed and soil from any (BLM) was concerned that dropping rains and snow melt; the tackifier is material from aircraft might add a facthe glue to keep everything in place tor of disturbance on top of what had and keep anything from moving,” says already occurred because of the fire, Bowman. “The Biosol has a couple of recalls Bowman. However, because of the different qualities. It is a slow-release steep terrain, there really was “no alternitrogen source for revegetation, and native to applying the treatment by air.” it also helps break up the hydrophobic Crews mixed Colorado River water layer that the fire causes.” Biosol also with the mulch and ferried it in mulGlenwood Springs, CO, coal contains chitin, a biological material tiple flights over the treatment zone. seam fire site derived from the shells of crustaceans, To treat the imperiled 500 acres of the that helps counter the hydrophobic hillside, the aerial team distributed layer by “retaining moisture that can be retrieved for use of 1,100 pounds of wood mulch per acre, which Bowman says beneficial microbes and for plant life.” was about half the rate usually applied in fire-restoration scenarios, along with Biosol at a rate of 400 pounds per acre.

Bowman says the area had numerous rain events after

The Science For Hydromulch Grows

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he Jesusita Fire in Santa Barbara, CA, burned approximately 8,733 acres and destroyed 80 residences. Matt Ingamells, a biologist for Padre Associates, notes, “A third to half of the shrubs were killed even though most of the species were fire adapted, so it was a pretty intense fire.”

In what Ingamells says was an unusual study for his firm, Padre Associates conducted research to evaluate for the county and the Bureau of Land Management whether aerial application of hydromulch would have detrimental effects on the regeneration of the post-fire vegetation and wildlife habitat recovery.

Approximately 1,250 acres of the burned area was treated with aerially applied hydromulch, composed of paper, wood fiber, water, and natural tackifiers. The study selected 11 sample sites at five locations to compare side-by-side control and treatment plots. The control plots were covered with elevated plastic tarps to prevent deposition of aerially applied hydromulch. The mulch mix was a combination of 60% wood fiber and 40% paper fiber held together with water and guar, an organic tackifier. On a per-acre basis, the total weight of material came to 2,000 pounds of paper and wood fiber, with 80 pounds of guar mixed together with 3,500 gallons of water.

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About two to three days after the application of the hydromulch, researchers returned to the sites to remove the tarps to allow all the test sites to receive full sun and rain. The control and treatment plots were later sampled using four transects oriented perpendicular to the slope gradient. Overall, 16 0.25-square-meter quadrants were sampled within each 40-square-meter plot.

The results of the study indicated that the application of hydromulch did not affect total plant cover in the sample sites over the study period. In addition, the application of hydromulch did not affect non-native plant cover or cause or facilitate weed infestation.

A parallel study reported in 2010 by Santa Barbara County collecting data on sediments at the site showed up to a 100% reduction in erosion from plots treated with hydromulch. When he visited the site, says Ingamells, the thickness of the hydromulch was minimal, “maybe 1/8 inch,” yet it performed as an effective control for erosion. “We’re seeing seedlings of shrubs that are coming in, which should be there. We didn’t look at long-term recovery. But short term, the plants that were there pre-fire were recovering just from [natural] seeding and from crown sprouting.”

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“We are in a current state of learning about how we can coexist with fire.

We’ve figured out that fire is going to be here whether we like it or not.” the treatments, but the application of Biosol “was able to help that water penetrate into the subsoil, so you didn’t just have rain and soil sheeting off and running down the slope.

Each of the products had different properties, but they all worked together.”

The BLM kept a close eye on the results. After one year of monitoring, 77% of seed dropped over the Glenwood Springs hillside had germinated. After two years, a BLM official states, “The plots were very difficult to find, despite the fact that they were marked with 18-inch stakes.”

“At one point it looked like someone had Photoshopped green on the mountain; it was amazing,” says Bowman.

He contrasts his results using tackifiers, mulch, and Biosol in combination with seeding to the restoration efforts after another major fire in the Colorado area that took place around the same time. In that instance, he says, an aerial drop of seed and straw mulch alone was used, without tackifiers to hold the soils in place. According to Bowman, germination, which topped out at 35%, proved unsatisfactory, and the aerial seeding process had to be repeated up to six times.

He notes that one of the keys to the Glenwood Springs project’s success was the addition of the Rantec Corp.’s Supertack tackifier to the mix. “Natural seed can bring a place back, but when these things happen we need sediment control for the period before the roots take hold.”

Lindblom remarks, “We are in a current state of learning about how we can coexist with fire. We’ve figured out that fire is going to be here whether we like it or not. We also know that excluding fire from our wild lands is not a great idea. But we don’t really know how to reintroduce it because the landscapes are so altered.”

Just as human sensibilities gravitate towards landscapes contoured by water, so perhaps do they also gravitate towards landscapes carved out by fire. From the perspective of a professional naturalist, says Lindblom, “I find fascination with landscapes that are adapted to fire. I find healthy landscapes that include fire as part of the process attractive, not because of the fire per se, but because of the healthy nature of the diversity of the plants and animals that live in those forests and grasslands.” EC David C. Richardson is an award-winning writer on science, the environment, and public policy and is a frequent contributor to Forester publications.

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Constructed Wetlands Treating stormwater and increasing habitat

BY JANET AIRD

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any people think of wetlands as smelly, mosquito-ridden nuisances, but healthy wetlands provide habitat for birds, fish, amphibians, bats, and other insects that live on mosquitoes.

Wetlands are home to more than one-third of the United States’ threatened and endangered species, according to EPA. They buffer storm surges in coastal areas. They protect the edges of oceans, lakes, rivers, bays, and the smallest streams.

Their vegetation holds soil in place, absorbs the energy of waves, and breaks up the flow of stream or river currents.

They also trap snowmelt and stormwater runoff. Sediment in the water, and the nutrients and pollutants attached to the sediment, settle in the bottom, and cleaner water flows out.

In fact, wetlands are so valuable that states are restoring them and mitigating for their loss by constructing new ones.

“Constructed wetlands can be a lot of things and take a lot of different forms,” says David Whitney, a civil engineer and owner of EcoSolutions LLC in Westford, VT. “What they all

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have in common is that they all incorporate plants and they are all saturated with water for extended periods of time.”

Many constructed wetlands are used as stormwater BMPs. They also might mitigate for land reclamation or the loss of protected habitats to development.

While natural wetlands have a wide diversity of plants and animals that have evolved over long periods of time, wetlands constructed as stormwater BMPs have less diversity because it is simply not possible for designers to completely recreate natural wetlands with native plants, stone, and other materials. The plants are critical because they have adapted to the wetlands and filter stormwater well: “the workhorses of the plant world,” Whitney calls them.

“A constructed wetland made for stormwater treatment isn’t necessarily habitat restoration. It’s intended to be a repository for sediment, where in between storm events the contaminants associated with that sediment can be biologically broken down. We’re putting it right in line with a pollutant load. We want plants that will clarify the water.”

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When the sediment settles, so do the pollutants attached to it. They may include industrial and municipal waste, oil and grease, decaying plant and animal matter, and pesticides and fertilizer.

Organic matter attached to the sediment is broken down by bacteria that consume the oxygen in the water, which results in an unhealthy aquatic environment, he says.

However, well-chosen plants move oxygen from the air to the plants’ roots. The roots benefit from the oxygen, and bacteria, especially next to and in the roots, break down the pollutants into forms that are useful to the rest of the plant.

“If you can create this well-balanced environment, it’s very robust,” says Whitney. “Plants and animals adapt very well. They can survive under a very wide range of conditions.”

The first consideration in planning a well-functioning wetland is the site.

Some questions to ask, notes Whitney, include: How much space is there? Is the wetland a retrofit or large tract of land?

What is the watershed like? Does it have a high pollutant load or is runoff coming off a metal factory roof, which has hardly any pollution?

Another question: Is there much of a slope? Wetlands on slopes require berms on the downhill side to hold water back and grading of the slope out to meet the existing soil. This can result in large footprints, and the steeper the existing slope, the larger the footprint.

“However, wetlands typically have a smaller footprint that

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traditional stormwater ponds, and therefore they are preferable on steep-slope terrain such as ski resorts,” says Whitney.

The second consideration is the design. A well-designed wetland requires little maintenance.

Stormwater flows through a forebay before it reaches the larger pool of the wetland. The forebay usually is a small pool roughly 10% of the volume of the wetland, although in tight spaces it may consist of one or more inlet structures.

The water should be conveyed to the forebay in a way that minimizes the potential for erosion.

The forebay helps settle out coarse sediment particles, which reduces the frequency of dredging needed in the larger pool. Because much of the dredging takes place in the forebay, it should have access for maintenance.

The large pool usually has two depths, typically about 18 inches and 3 feet, to allow more diverse vegetation to grow.

A large amount of land may be needed to store the required volume of water. Where land is limited, there may be additional storage above or below ground. The constructed wetland should have a drain to draw down the water level during maintenance.

There are two general designs for the large pool. In a shallow, or free-water, constructed wetland, the pool is essentially a marsh.

In a gravel-based or subsurface flow wetland, runoff flows through a filter of gravel or sand and wetland plants.

The water level is just below the surface of the media. The flow can be directed horizontally across the surface, or

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Crews excavated an existing 40-foot by 800-foot section of a swale to approximately 18–24 inches deep.

The orchid sod was placed in the swale, raising the soil level up to that of the surrounding land.

PATRICK HICKEY

vertically from top to bottom or from bottom to top.

“You don’t see the wetland,” says Whitney of the subsurface flow variety.

“It’s within the stone media. These wetlands do a great job of trapping sediment.”

There may or may not be a small pool at the outlet of the wetland, but either way, it should be designed to prevent scour. Pipes should be larger than 3 inches in diameter and be either reverse-slope pipes or weir outlets with a trash rack to prevent clogging.

In areas with large storm events, an emergency spillway conveys excess stormwater directly downstream.

ment project to treat stormwater runoff that previously had flowed untreated into an adjacent stream.

Western Reclamation employees digging up a Ute ladies’ tresses orchid to transplant into the constructed wetland

Proper vegetation beautifies the wetland as well as removing pollutants.

Designers should use native wetland plants whenever possible, in the form of dormant rhizomes, live potted plants, and bare rootstock. Plant lists are available for specific regions through wetland nurseries, university extension services, and conservation districts.

The plantings may be supplemented with soil from a natural wetland (often referred to as “wetland mulch”), which contains seeds and other organisms from the wetland. The mulch can help enhance plant diversity, but it also may contain seeds from invasive plants.

Constructed wetlands need regular maintenance. According to the Maryland Department of the Environment’s stormwater design manual of 2000, maintenance includes: • Mowing slopes and inspecting them for damage 26 EROSION CONTROL

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• Inspecting the inlet and outlet structures for damage, repairing undercut or eroded areas, and removing sediment • Inspecting the main pool and removing sediment • Harvesting wetland plants that have been “choked” by sediment.

If vegetation covers less than 50% of the surface area of the wetland after the second growing season, it should be supplemented with additional plants.

• Inspecting the wetland for invasive vegetation and removing it where possible The following are two examples of constructed wetlands. The first, the US 36 Habitat Mitigation Project, was to mitigate for an especially sensitive habitat in Colorado. The second, the Farrell Park Wetland in South Burlington in Vermont, was a water-quality-improve-

US 36 Habitat Mitigation Project Several wetland drainages, including a protected and critical willow habitat in the riparian zone of South Boulder Creek, are home to two federally protected species: the tiny Preble’s meadow jumping mouse and the beautiful but elusive Ute ladies’ tresses orchid, says Patrick Hickey, project manager and wetland and wildlife specialist with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). This type of habitat is generally threatened by development throughout Boulder and the Front Range of Colorado.

In 2004, a project to widen US Highway 36, which connects Boulder and Denver, threatened one of these wetlands. CDOT began consultations with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to minimize impacts and mitigate for the unavoidable ones.

CDOT, the Federal Highway Administration (FHA), USFWS, and the city of Boulder collaborated on the project, which took place on a parcel known as the Granite Property, a degraded 24-acre parcel of land just about a mile downstream of the protected wetland.

The Granite Property had suffered from extensive grazing and dumping WWW.EROSIONCONTROL.COM

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and had an abundance of noxious weeds.

Weeds are designated as noxious when they are injurious to natural habitats, ecosystems, humans, livestock, or agricultural and horticultural crops.

“The project was a good marriage of interests,” says Hickey. “The city wanted to protect the site from being developed. We met our environmental obligations by purchasing and restoring the parcel for mitigation, which will be managed as a nature preserve by the city.”

The project took place in the spring of 2014. The new habitat includes a considerably larger area than was originally affected by the highway widening, because the USFWS requires a larger amount of land to mitigate for the land that is lost. The FHA provided most of the funding.

CDOT created, restored, or enhanced 15.9 acres of wetlands and restored 8.4 acres of upland buffer habitat, for a total of 24.3 acres.

The main goal of the project was to recreate a matrix of habitat types on the Granite Property to suit the two threatened species. This included willow habitat, a relatively dense combination of grasses, forbs (wildflowers), and shrubs. The secondary goal was to transplant some of the orchids, along with large segments of the wetland sod associated with them, says Hickey.

There was no requirement to relocate the Preble’s meadow jumping mouse, which uses several of the drainages across some 3 acres within the highway project limits, including one that was directly adjacent to the constructed wetland. The year before the

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PATRICK HICKEY

Near the center of the site about two months after project completion in 2014. Orchid sod swale, center right to middle of photo, and riparian shrub plantings and native grass establishment in the foreground.

project began, the threatened area was mowed so the mouse would hibernate elsewhere during the winter.

“We hoped if we created a better habitat on the Granite site, then the adjacent mouse population would be able to expand its local range. The assumption was, ‘If you build it, they will come,’” he says. “We intend to monitor the site to determine if that is true.”

Jacobs Engineering, based in Pasadena, CA, designed the wetland and CDOT provided support. Both Jacobs and CDOT provided construction oversight. Rocky Mountain Excavation of Castle Rock, CO, was the prime contractor and did all the major earthwork.

Generally, the water table in these wetland areas ranges from zero to 24 inches below the surface during the growing season. Part of the Granite Property was already wetland.

Rocky Mountain excavated another half of the land to create a larger one.

“The lower surface elevation was necessary to connect the wetland habitat to the supporting water table,” explains Hickey.

On the driest land, Rocky Mountain excavated some 6 inches, primarily to remove the weed-infested soil. Crews excavated other areas to a depth of 3 feet to allow more diverse wetland vegetation to grow. No groundwater was exposed.

Western States Reclamation, which has offices in Frederick and Loma, CO, and in Kayenta, AZ, handled all the veg28 EROSION CONTROL

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etative and erosion control components of the project except for the mowing. Crews used heavy equipment to drive pilot holes into the cobbly gravel soil for the coyote willow (Salix exigua) stakes and planted more than 9,700 stakes in specific areas of some 6.4 acres of the wetland.

They also planted 6,000 riparian shrubs, including chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), golden current (Ribes aureum), Wood’s rose (Rosa woodsii), and Western snowberry (Symporicarpos occidentalis) in more than 13.7 acres. They overseeded with native grasses such as blue grama (Chondosum gracilis), side oats (Bouteloua curitipendula), and sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus). In addition, they put in native pollinator attractors such as prairie coneflower (Ratibida columnifera), sidebells penstemon (Penstemon secundiflorus), and white sagebrush (Artemisia ludoviciana).

In the protected wetland, the orchids were growing in an area of about a tenth of an acre. Transplanting them posed an interesting challenge.

“The orchids don’t come up every year,” says Hickey. “We surveyed the site for several years to understand where they were occurring.”

Western States Reclamation dug up five orchid plants by hand and excavated large sections of the soil associated with them. This ensured that their root systems would be undamaged. It also ensured that seeds, mycorrhizae, bacteria, and other elements necessary to the orchids’ health and reproduction would be transferred to the constructed wetland.

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Within the constructed wetland, Rocky Mountain excavated an existing 40-foot by 800-foot section of a swale to approximately 18–24 inches deep. Western States Reclamation crews placed the orchid sod in the swale, which raised the soil level up to that of the surrounding land. “We overseeded the wetland areas to increase species diversity,� says Hickey. “The local native grasses and forbs weren’t really present anymore.�

The same upland wetland species were used throughout, including Canada wildrye (Elymus Canadensis), western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii), alkali sacaton (Sporobolus airoides), Dudley’s rush (Juncus dudleyi), purple verbena (Verbena hastate), large leaf avens (Guem macrophyllum), and golden banner (Thermopsis montana).

The city of Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks Program will maintain the site, he says. “The city is very active in open-space preservation. This parcel will be closed to the public and maintained as a nature preserve.�

Western States Reclamation is maintaining the wetland, mainly watering, weeding, performing noxious weed control, and other vegetative maintenance, with the assistance of LT Environmental in Arvada, CO, which is responsible for the weed monitoring and reporting. “We’ve been pleasantly surprised by the results of the project,� says Hickey. “We had a very wet year with some big flood cycles, which is helpful for the plant communities we’re trying to establish.�

Approximately four months after construction, the willow

habitat had expanded. Approximately 90% of the planted willows were doing well. The native herbaceous understory species also had expanded. Some 95% of the planted shrubs survived, and the native seed was germinating well. “I give a lot of credit to Western States Reclamation,� says Hickey. “I think their execution of the project was very good, which is reflected in the early seeding and planting success.

That’s a function of their maintenance effort and favorable climatic conditions. They really exceeded our expectations.�

Farrell Park Wetland The Farrell Park Gravel Wetland is a gem. At only 10 feet by 30 feet by 3.5 feet deep, and brimming with native plants, the wetland is sized to treat a 0.9-inch rain event, or 1,769 cubic feet, in 24 hours.

In 2008, the South Burlington, VT, stormwater utility constructed the wetland to treat stormwater runoff that previously had flowed untreated into the adjacent Potash Brook. “This was a general water-quality-improvement project,� says Tom DiPietro, project manager for the stormwater utility, which owns, operates, and maintains the wetland. “We have a number of stormwater-impaired streams that are unable to support aquatic biota—fish and macroinvertebrates.�

The project was accomplished with funds from the stormwater utility and the Winooski Natural Resource Conservation District, which provided funding from an EPA grant. “Because we have a stormwater utility, we’re always

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the tanks in between the parking lot and the stream. They remove a lot of sediment.”

Runoff flows through the first swale into an inlet that is flush with surface to the first tank, through the second swale to the second tank, and through the third swale to the last tank. From there it flows through a 3.5-inch pipe into the wetland.

The stormwater utility excavated the wetland, stabilized the sides with plywood, and lined the bottom and the sides with a 45-mil nonwoven EPDM pond liner.

Crews placed a thin layer of 2- to 4-inch gravel on the liner. Once the stone was in place, the plywood was removed.

In the gravel, they placed an adjustable standpipe system that maintains the water level at just below the surface of the pea stone; a series of manifolds, which determine the flow of the water; and the flushing system developed by Whitney.

The flushing system is used primarily in upflow gravel wetlands. Pipes and a submersible pump in the bottom of wetland circulate the water. It’s also possible to hook up an air compressor to circulate the air in the bottom.

“The idea is to stir up the sediment that’s collected on the bottom,” says DiPietro. “Then we can pump it out into a silt bag, capture the sediment, let the water out, and haul out only the sediment.”

Crews then layered approximately 2.5 feet of a gravel media with a 35% void space for water storage. They used a total of 12 inches of 2- to 4-inch gravel on the bottom, TOM DIPIETRO

looking for project partners,” he says. “We work with various watershed groups within the area, mostly the conservation district. It isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s also a requirement of our MS4 permit.”

The wetland is in a small sliver of land in the 23-acre recreational park between the parking lot and Potash Brook. Most of the approximately 1.5 acres of the drainage area is permeable. Half is the 3/4-acre gravel parking lot. A portion is part of an impermeable bike path. The soils are a mix of loamy sands, clayey loams, and fill associated with parking lots.

The runoff has a high pollutant load of predominantly sediment from the parking lot: small particulates, heavy metals, and organic compounds as well as cigarette butts and other debris.

Dave Whitney of EcoSolutions LLC designed the wetland as an Advanced Wetland Stormwater Filter (AWSF) system, a subsurface flow gravel wetland. Captured sediment can be flushed from the system through an innovative valve and pipe setup, also designed by Whitney.

Stormwater flows down a grassy hillside to the parking lot and portions of the bike path to a pretreatment system. This system consists of three swales covered with erosion control mats and planted with native vegetation, as well as three underground concrete settling tanks.

“The tanks simulate a pond forebay,” says DiPietro.

“We didn’t have room for a traditional pond. We squeezed

At only 10 feet by 30 feet by 3.5 feet deep, the tiny wetland is sized to treat a 0.9-inch rain event, or 1,769 cubic feet, in 24 hours.

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TOM DIPIETRO

horizontally until it reaches the surface at the outlet, where the clarified water drains out a 6-inch pipe to Potash Brook.

During large storm events, water fills up the gravel wetland and backs up into the third underground tank.

This tank contains an overflow pipe that discharges water to Potash Brook after it flows through the upstream tanks and swales. This prevents too much water from flowing into the wetland and damaging it.

Maintenance has been simple, says DiPietro. “We don’t have to go in with an excavator and clean the sediment out. We use our vacuum truck to remove sediment from the tanks every year or two, and the utility has flushed the sediment from the wetland twice.”

“The project fit the limited space we had very well and the funds made it very affordable,” he says. “We’re very happy with the whole project.” EC

Among the native plants in the wetland are irises and cardinal flowers.

24 inches of 0.75-inch gravel in the middle, and 6 inches of decorative pea stone on top. They planted native iris, cardinal flower, and other plants in the gravel.

Stormwater flows from the third settling tank into the bottom of the wetland. The manifolds spread it out

Janet Aird is a writer specializing in agricultural and landscaping topics.

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WESTERN BOTANICAL SERVICES

Rice straw wattles were used on the slopes near the Latter Day Saints temple in Reno, NV.

Keeping Soil in Place Blankets, mats, and bonded fiber matrix

BY MARGARET BURANEN

J

ulie Etra’s approach to the erosion control work her company does is simple to describe. It isn’t always easy to accomplish, though.

“You shouldn’t know we were ever there. [The work is] so good that it matches what was there before,” explains Etra.

Making a newly established section of ground match an existing part of a property or roadside takes skill and knowledge. Etra has both, and enthusiasm for her work. In the last couple of years she has branched into designing and evaluat32 EROSION CONTROL

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ing erosion control projects through her company, Western Botanical Services, in Reno, NV. One of Etra’s challenging projects was controlling erosion on the steep slopes of the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS) in Reno. The church needed to stabilize the slopes and control stormwater runoff. The project, which covered about an acre and a half, began in August 2014 and was finished in October.

“The site faces south and it’s very windy, up on a hill.

The Mormons usually put their temples in prominent WWW.EROSIONCONTROL.COM

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WESTERN BOTANICAL SERVICES

spaces [like this one],” says Etra. start [the plants] and let nature take its course,” says Etra.

“The soils are really crummy. They are diatomaceous Skipping irrigation and focusing on native plants means earth, so there are a limited number of plant species that will that “it will be three or four years, more like five, before the grow there,” she adds. site recovers completely,” she adds.

She characterizes the plants she selected for the project as Assessing the project almost a year later, says Etra, native to a salt desert scrub community, or Great Basin scrub “There’s been no erosion, and the plant community is comspecies. “I used only one non-native grass,” she says. ing back. The clients are happy because the city is happy.”

The plants included yarrow, Indian rice grass, milkweed for the butterflies, lupin, bottle brush grass, and squirrel tail Fritz Loven Park grass. The dominant shrubs were sage brush and rabbitbrush. Located in Cass County, the town of Lake Shore, MN, has “I used annual wild rye as a nurse crop,” says Etra. a year-round population of about 1,400. Lake Shore is a Profile Products’ ProMatrix was used on this project. The magnet, though, for visitors seeking summer recreation on bonded fiber matrix the water, because was applied in two the town is close to passes. “It goes several lakes. down at a heavy Lake Shore also rate, a total of 4,000 has Fritz Loven pounds per acre,” Park. The park’s says Etra. The first 80 acres of land pass needed to be were acquired by light because the Fritz Loven in the shrubs “need UV early 1930s. Loven light to germinate. was known as a We let the seed sit genial man who on the surface and lived simply—no the ProMatrix held running water, no it there,” explains electricity, no car— Etra. and welcomed The slopes were fishermen and prewet before the other visitors to his hydroseeding began. beautiful wooded The first pass also property. included fumic acid He wanted the (a soil amendment) city of Lake Shore and a mycorrhizal to acquire his propfungus. erty after his death “Ninety-five perso that residents cent of our plants and visitors could have a relationship continue to enjoy with this fungus. It it. After the city Slope work near the LDS temple in Reno, NV gets into the root of bought the propthe plant, resulting erty from Loven’s in a great uptake of nutrients and water,” says Etra. sister, it became part of the Minnesota Land Trust, making it Etra also installed biodegradable sediment logs, made safe from future development. of rice straw encased in burlap, before the hydroseeding.

Loven had planted about 400 trees by hand each year. The “They’re three times as expensive as nonbiodegradable ones,” balsam, fir, pine, spruce, and other evergreens he planted she notes. “Coconut-fiber logs are very dense, very heavy, have grown into a beautiful forest. very expensive. I didn’t need anything that heavy.”

Running through the property is Stony Brook. This Erosion control blankets were not used because the tributary of Gull Lake is a state-designated trout stream. ground was so dry. “We only use blankets where there is Over the years, Stony Brook’s banks had eroded. Bank some flow, such as a channel. We use wood chips or pine stabilization and shoreline restoration was needed. The needles,” she explains. collaborative effort involved members of the Lake Shore Sometimes she has to explain to clients that in their part Environmental Committee, the Minnesota Department of the country, a quick regrowth of thick green grass is unre- of Natural Resources (MNDNR), the US Army Corps of alistic. Taking the long-term approach with native plants is Engineers, the Conservation Corps of Minnesota and Iowa, best. “I tell them that if you’ve got a seedling of a native plant and the Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) of the growth is there, below the ground. We’re in a drought, Crow Wing and Cass counties. and it’s naturally arid here. To use drinking water [for irrigaAlthough Stony Brook is located within Cass County, tion] is a bad use of resources. We do our best job to jump this was considered a watershed-wide project involving both NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015

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RON FAUST, GULL CHAIN OF LAKES ASSOCIATION

small sign was replaced with a larger one, but by the third year it was necessary to add a fence.

“We took an ecosystem approach to prevent degradation of the stream and still allow people to use the paths to the water so they can fly fish,” says Hippert.

Erosion control products for the project were supplied by the Brock White Co., with locations in several Minnesota cities. Curlex I, an erosion control blanket from American Excelsior Co., was used, chosen for its specific cut of Great CROW WING COUNTY SWCD

counties. The two SWCDs have worked together on other projects and share resources.

“People picnic there, and there was no buffer to protect the trout stream. No structure was below the ground, just turfgrass that would have continued to erode,” says Beth Hippert, project manager for the Crow Wing County SWCD. The project, which took place within the floodplain, was intended to stabilize the banks and improve fish habitat and stream quality. The area of shoreline restored was about 150 linear feet or 3,000 square feet.

The work was done in June 2011.

Some areas of the shoreline were left open and accessible so people who wanted to fly fish could walk close to Stony Brook, stand on its banks, and cast their lines. Path rush was planted in these areas. “It’s a tough rush that will stand up to foot traffic,” says Hippert. “We put in shrubs to keep people away from the shoreline in places that were less disturbed.”

She notes that challenges of the project included “finding the diversity of plants that would be a good buffer and could also withstand foot traffic and deer browsing.”

Native plants in the project included prairie blazing star, blue flag iris, false indigo, sneezeweed, porcupine sedge,

Above: Stony Brook in Fritz Loven Park, Lake Shore, MN, one year after the project was completed Left: Shoreline restoration work at Fritz Loven Park

Virginia strawberry, sweet flag, marsh marigold, red osier dogwood, black willow, sandbar willow, woodland phlox, monkey flower, and wool grass. About 2,500 native plants of 30 species and 1,500 grasses, rushes, and sedges of 18 species were installed. The work was done by agency staff members and volunteers.

The plants help stabilize the soil and also provide improved habitat for dragonflies, mayflies, and other aquatic insects the trout could feed on. Lunkers (shady overhangs where trout congregate) that the MNDNR had installed were enhanced.

Keeping people out of certain areas so that the plants could become established was also challenging. The existing 34 EROSION CONTROL

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Lakes aspen curled wood excelsior. Eighty percent of Curlex I consists of aspen fibers that are 6 inches or longer, and the blanket is of a consistent thickness, with fibers evenly distributed throughout. The netting is photodegradable or biodegradable, and the blanket contains no weed seeds or chemical additives.

“I really like the Curlex. It holds the moisture in. The barbs of the aspen adhere to the soil. And it’s locally produced, so we don’t have environmental concerns [of using energy to transport a product made far away],” says Hippert.

Curlex NetFree, which is also made from Great Lakes aspen excelsior, was also used. “I never use any products with plastic photodegradable material, just cotton or jute,” WWW.EROSIONCONTROL.COM

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GREEN WAY EROSION CONTROL

explains Hippert. Then there’s no concern for the wildlife.

They can chew their way out of cotton or jute.”

She adds, “This is a relatively flat area. We didn’t need double net. There’s no force because it’s a floodplain.”

Brock White also supplied the CoirMat 700 used, which is produced by RoLanka of Stockbridge, GA. The company specializes in coir products.

“The mat is right next to the stream. We rebuilt the earth and created a berm; it’s wrapped around the soil. It has much

Applying Flexterra at the American Creosote facility cleanup project in Louisville, MS

longer wear and can withstand the velocity of the stream.

Three years later it’s still in place, but the Curlex has biodegraded [as it’s supposed to]. They’re helping hands to get the plants established,” says Hippert.

This restoration project will keep Stony Brook flowing clear and the trout plentiful. One person who worked on the project and came to love Fritz Loven Park was Caitlin Daudt, a dedicated young Crow Wing County SCWD intern. After Caity died in a traffic accident, her co-workers donated a bench in Fritz Loven Park in her memory.

Cleaning Up a Superfund Site Some years after the American Creosote plant in Louisville, MS, closed, residents grew concerned about the quality of their drinking water supply. Investigation revealed that erosion was allowing contaminants to seep through the soil.

EPA ordered a Superfund cleanup of the land.

Damian McKay’s company, Green Way Erosion Control, of Wiggins, MS, has been doing erosion control work on the project. The crew started in fall 2013 and is finishing up the work this year.

“We were stabilizing the top surface and we did some site work,” says McKay. “A Florida company, Core Engineering, did the subsurface work. They built a wall underground, a 70-foot-deep trench all around the site, and pumped it full of NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015

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cement so nothing could leak out.”

Like many major erosion control projects, this one was done in phases, including temporary and permanent seeding. Green Way planted 60 acres of temporary grass, using brown top millet, Bermuda grass, and Bahia grass. After the site was stabilized with permanent soils, the company applied hydromulch and Bahia grass and Bermuda grass seed on about 40 acres.

Part of the project involved stabilizing a 900-foot-long, 16-foot-wide ditch. McKay relied on the GreenArmor system, which combines Profile Products’ Flexterra flexible growth medium with Bonar’s Enkamat, a turf reinforcement mat (TRM).

“I put GreenArmor right up there with hard armor,” says McKay. “It’s one step below hard armor, but sometimes it does a better job than riprap and [other] hard armor.”

Green Way crew members also installed hard armor along a creek on the northwest side of the property where a creek bank had been washing out.

“We put hard armor, riprap, on the bank and pumped concrete in. Then we did basic seeding,” says McKay. Maintenance work that will be done on the project will involve “some mowing and fixing washouts. We’ll probably do some Flexterra application,” says McKay. He says the most challenging part of the American Creosote site project was getting the GreenArmor section exactly right. “You have to pay attention to your guide, put in enough staples, and get the mixture right,” he explains.

“Enkamat is about one-half-inch thick. If the mixture is too thick, it could stick on top. It has to have enough liquid so it shoots down inside of the mat. You don’t want any air gaps.”

McKay also used GreenArmor on a project on the target berms of the bombing range at Camp Shelby, MS. He notes that while Enkamat can be used without the Flexterra, “in my opinion, you’re much better off using them together.”

American Creosote was a special project for McKay’s company because it was the first project involving the use of a drone. McKay sees drones as the next advance in erosion control work.

“There may be sediment in a creek. When you’re standing on the site you don’t see it, but a drone can fly up above before we start and show the sediment. We can do project updates and show a customer that the sediment was here before we began,” he says.

He notes that using a drone “gives you another perspective. You can do a video or still photos. It’s another tool in the toolbox. You can give clients a jump drive with the file [of their project] on it. Drones add value to our work.”

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GREEN WAY EROSION CONTROL

Applying Flexterra at the American Creosote site

McKay sees a strong continuing need for erosion control work in the future. “I think with all the environmental concerns and regulations coming down from Washington that the erosion control business is here to stay.”

His only concern is with “engineers who spec material and don’t know what they’re spec’ing. It gives the whole industry a bad name when cheap materials and light spraying are done. That’s the old ‘spray and pray.’”

McKay says that when engineers tell him that hydroseeding doesn’t work, “I tell them that it does if you take soil tests, use the right mixture, the right application, and do it at the right time of year.”

Charlotte-Douglas International Airport A major construction project took place at the Charlotte-Douglas International 36 EROSION CONTROL

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Airport in Charlotte, NC, from 2009 to 2011. Completed in several phases, this project included the extension of West Boulevard and the installation of 19,000 feet of steel water supply pipes.

Airport Drive is one route into and out of Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. With the water pipes going in along Airport Drive, it was a good time to perform additional work that would make the road safer.

CDM Smith, a Charlotte engineering firm, designed this part of the projects. John Lapsley, P.E., project manager for the company, worked on the project.

Airport Drive had a severe dip at the point where it crossed water. During severe rainstorms water could collect in that section of the road, hiding its depth.

“There was a detention pond on one side of the road and a receiving stream

on the other side,” explains Lapsley.

“Overflow stormwater from the detention pond flows into the receiving stream. A culvert pipe connects them beneath the road now.”

Dirt was added to about a half mile of Airport Drive, elevating the road 15–20 feet. That process removed the dip, but the road now had very steep slopes on both sides, exceeding 2:1.

The desired mixture of bluegrass and fescue would not stay on these steep slopes long enough to germinate and produce the desired green result.

CDM Smith engineers knew that a permanent erosion control measure would be necessary. They chose ECC3, a triple-net TRM with a coir fiber matrix, manufactured by East Coast Erosion Blankets of Bernville, PA. The ECC-3 was installed after the slopes were graded and seeded.

ECC-3 is designed to provide permanent protection on 1:1 slopes and in high-flow channels. It can withstand shear stress of 3.7 pounds per square foot on unvegetated slopes and 12 psf on vegetated slopes. The coir-fiber matrix will slowly degrade in approximately 36 months as it is exposed to the weather and as the vegetation below penetrates through the netting.

The TRM was anchored at the top of the slopes along Airport Drive and allowed to unroll downward. Elevengauge steel staples that measured 6 inches were used to adhere the mat to the surface.

Now when travelers drive along Airport Drive, they move along smoothly on a level surface, with no slowing down for dips or standing water after heavy storms. Unless they were there a few years ago, they don’t realize that the road’s attractive green grass slopes control erosion and keep the road stable for safer driving. EC Margaret Buranen writes on the environment and business for several national publications.

For related articles: www.erosioncontrol.com

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ISTOCK/ APIXEL

Retaining Walls for Tough Spaces Finding options for steep terrain and tight working conditions

BY ROBERTA BAXTER

R

etaining walls have evolved over the past 20 years. The choice of different types of walls for a variety of situations has expanded.

Knowing the strengths and advantages of each type is a crucial part of any project incorporating walls. One type of wall might be the perfect solution for a challenging project, while in the next location, another type is the best choice.

The locations of retaining wall projects have also expanded. Many projects were once in large highway construction areas, such as bridges and grade separations. Now retaining walls are seen in all sorts of commercial locations, as well as in residential neighborhoods. Homeowners are needing walls to increase usable space in their yards, while many commercial projects are built on what land remains unused, even with the difficulties of hills or cliffs marking the location.

The aesthetics of retaining walls have developed as well.

At one time, most retaining walls consisted of a mostly blank wall face with little appeal except for different color choices.

Now blocks for retaining walls come in all textures and sizes and can be coordinated with other design features, such as seating or paving. Different colors can be incorporated into the walls to provide a set-in design.

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Anyone who deals with retaining walls projects must know about the possibilities to enhance a design and plan a cost-effective, yet appealing wall.

North Carolina Highway North Carolina Highway 194 winds and climbs through the Pisgah National Forest, linking the towns of Banner Elk in Avery County and Valle Crucis in Watauga County.

The two-lane road with narrow or no shoulders was in bad shape and needed an upgrade. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) planned to widen the road 3–4 feet, improve turning at curves, and add some shoulder space.

Mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls are the usual choice for NCDOT retaining walls. However, that type of wall would not work in this situation. The standard 0.7 aspect ratio (soil reinforcement length is about 0.7 times wall height) would require extensive excavation, raising the costs.

The choice instead was a shored mechanically stabilized earth (SMSE) wall. A SMSE wall combines a shoring wall (such as a soil nail wall) supporting the backslope and an MSE wall built against the backslope. The cross-sectional footprint of the MSE wall can be smaller than the usual design because the shoring wall supports the soil behind the MSE wall.

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The Reinforced Earth Co. (RECo) specializes in MSE retaining walls. Its SMSE walls have an aspect ratio of 0.4H–0.5H, making them a good choice for this highway. The necessary foundation can occupy a smaller space, requiring less excavation and undercutting of the current roadbed.

A flat foundation for the construction of the wall was cleared on the downhill side of the highway curves. The highway was still in use during construction, so the stability of the roadway was critical. The shoring provided the needed strength. The shoring is designed as a permanent, not temporary, structure.

Maymead Inc. of Mountain City, TN, was the general contractor for the project, with the design and installation work by Schnabel Foundation Co. Charles Blalock and Sons constructed the SMSE wall. By design, two walls were built by two contractors—a MSE wall and a soil nail wall.

RECo MSE walls are built from bottom up; however, soil nail walls are constructed in layers from the top down. For the soil nail wall, the excavated area was covered with wire mesh and the soil nails were installed and shotcreted.

Once the soil nail wall was in place, the RECo MSE proceeded smoothly. Backfill was compacted and reinforcing

Anyone who deals with retaining walls projects must know about the possibilities to enhance a design and plan a costeffective, yet appealing wall.

strips and tie strips were installed. The two types of walls— soil nail and MSE—were integrated by extending at least the upper two levels of the MSE wall over the shoring wall.

NCDOT was pleased with the result and says it will consider SMSE walls for other projects in mountainous terrain.

The fact that the road could stay open during the construction reduced the inconvenience for drivers.

KEYSTONE

FDA Road When the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was expanding its facilities in Silver Spring, MD, two new build-

Grade separation project in Torrington, WY

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VERSA-LOK

A series of terraced walls (right) was designed to provide a backyard space for this home in Apple Valley, MN.

ings were constructed and an access road was needed. The road would cross intermittent streams.

Challenges for this project include a tight 18-month schedule, an 18-foot soft soil layer that was inadequate for a MSE wall foundation, and environmental concerns for Paint Brush Creek. The first proposal called for removing the soft soil and replacing it with AASHTO 57 or CR-6 material. This plan would be both costly and time consuming.

The project was redesigned, calling for Geopier ground improvement, MSE wall abutments, and a BEBO Bridge Concrete Arch System.

The Geopier or GP3 system is a product of GeoStructures Inc. based in Purcellville, VA. It consists of holes drilled into the ground and filled with compacted aggregate, providing support for a building or other structure, such as a bridge.

This allows for less excavation and therefore lower costs and less time.

When a column load is added to the GP3 element, the lateral stresses from the soil onto the element provide more resistance to lateral movement.

Once the Geopier support system was in place, it supported approximately 23,285 square feet of EarthTec MSE wall constructed over 10–20 feet of soft fill soils. EarthTec, headquartered in Purcellville, VA, specializes in MSE walls.

GeoConstructors installed the Geopier

elements and built the MSE walls and BEBO arches.

The walls were supporting approach embankments for BEBO arches ranging from 3–70 feet long with 40-foot spans over intermittent streams along the FDA East Access Road.

GeoStructures provided design for the Geopier and MSE walls, while Contech Engineered Solutions provided design for the BEBO arches. GeoConstructors installed the Geopier elements and built the MSE walls and arches. The result was a design and installation that saved money and time and will provide stability to the FDA East Access Road.

Wyoming Town Congestion Torrington, WY, a town of 7,000, suffered congestion worse than that of many large cities. The town was both surrounded and divided by train tracks and by two highways.

Close coordination was required to save time. The retaining wall was built around pre-driven bridge pylons, so bridge construction could continue while the wall was being finished.

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BNSF Railways has five railroad crossings the town.

Drivers on US Highway 85 had to cross the railroad tracks, which had heavy train traffic, and navigate through heavy side-road congestion from a Holly Sugar Corp. location, the largest employer in the area. A BNSF study showed that the highway was closed about three hours a day due to train traffic, and that would increase to more than five hours by 2025. This congestion increased the possibility of traffic accidents, besides slowing traffic.

Realignment of US Highway 85 had been in the works for 30 years. Mayor Mike Varney says discussions of separating the railroad crossing from the highway had begun in 1975.

Finally, in 2012, the project began.

A 24,000-square-foot Keystone Compac II retaining wall was the linchpin of the construction. Every part of the project depended on this wall. Reiman Corp. was the general contractor, and Miller Walls was the wall subcontractor. Tom Miller, owner, says, “The bridge couldn’t be completed until the walls reached a certain height; road construction couldn’t take place until the wall was done.�

Close coordination was required to save time. The retaining wall was built around pre-driven bridge pylons, so bridge construction could continue while the wall was being finished. During some of the wall construction, workers had to get under the bridge. “With the wall being one-sided, and the dirt crew needing to bring a large volume of material onsite, space was limited,� notes Miller. The wall crew and the dirt crew cooperated so that their work proceeded in unison. The wall backfill was a well-graded crushed base trucked in from offsite. The trucks delivering this material also had to be coordinated carefully.

Another difficulty came from the weather. The winter was

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The finished walls at the Apple Valley home

VERSA-LOK

severe, with early frosts and freezing temperatures. The wall crew pushed hard to build the wall to the point that bridge structures could be poured so that work could continue through the winter.

Once the site was leveled, the base course of Keystone Compac II units was installed. Each level was anchored with fiberglass pins, and then the open block was filled with crushed rock. The crews installed Tensar geogrid about every three courses for added stability.

In some places, the wall reached 31 feet in height.

Design features in the wall added complications, but also greatly enhanced the finished look. A design of flying birds was incorporated through using different colored Keystone units. To accomplish the design, the blocks were stacked in the necessary order. One person on the ground coordinated with the person laying the blocks to control the installation with the right station and elevation for the different blocks, so that the design came out right.

Once the project is finished, drivers on US Highway 85 will travel over the railroad tracks and US Highway 26, eliminating congestion and safety concerns.

DC Shopping A new shopping center in Washington DC, known as The Shops at Dakota Crossing, includes a Lowe’s store. The

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site development plan called for a soldier-pile retaining wall, which would total about 6,100 square feet.

The wall contractor was Steele Foundation LLC. Morgan A. Eddy, P.E., engineering manager for the company, says it was a challenge to convince the project owner, general contractor, and engineer that a shotcrete-faced wall would be the best final product, as none had experience with shotcrete construction or design.

Boulderscape Inc. of San Juan Capistrano, CA, specializes in shotcrete, sculptured walls. The ability to sculpt the wall face leads to a more natural, appealing finish. Steve Jimenez, senior vice president with Boulderscape, says the project involved a custom, one-of-akind finish.

Once the stakeholders realized the value of a shotcrete design, the construction began. The bedded rock finish was created on the soldier pile wall and greatly enhances the natural look of the shopping center. It also cost less than other options. As Eddy notes, “The Boulderscape wall was ultimately chosen because the final product is aesthetically pleasing to the eye and costeffective compared to precast panels or cast-in-place options with brick liners.”

Wanted: A Backyard Retaining walls are not only useful in big highway and public construction projects; placement of a retaining wall can make a huge difference to an individual homeowner, creating a valuable addition to a property.

A homeowner in Apple Valley, MN, had a nice-sized backyard, but most of it was unusable. The topography was

even causing damage to her house. A large hill jutting up behind the house caused water to flow into her yard and toward the house, damaging her home’s foundation. She had already experienced water in her basement.

Other problems with the site included erosion down the slope, no flat area at the bottom of the hill, and lack of easy access to the top of the hill. She had been unable to grow grass because of the constant erosion.

Paul Devine, owner of Devine

Design Landscaping, took on the task.

“We needed to provide a design that would allow us to create positive flow away from her home’s foundation, provide steps up to the top of the back hill, create a flat usable area of backyard, and make sure the walls fit nicely into the landscape without looking like a big bland wall,” he says. He wanted to avoid a long, straight, boring line of steps up the wall—and the possibility of a long tumble down the stairs. To improve the look, he added direction

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“We needed to provide a design that would allow us to create positive flow away from her home’s foundation.”

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to perfectly match the walls, steps, seat walls, and paver landings to create a seamless transition between design elements,” he says.

The result is an attractive wall that meets all the challenges for the homeowner—no water in the basement, no erosion, added backyard, and access to the top of the wall.

RECON WALLS

changes for the steps to “create the feel of a winding stair.”

The hill was excavated for 14 feet to provide a new backyard space near the house and the location for the first tier of the retaining wall.

Another 6 feet was dug out for the second tier. The Versa-Lok structural pinned system chosen for the project provides a high ratio of weight per square foot needed for a wall this large, more than 4 feet tall. Once the ground was prepared, the lower wall was based out with clear rock instead of Class II to reduce heave. Drain tiles were added to mitigate the water problem in the basement.

According to Devine, one advantage to the Versa-Lok system was that

Near Lake Poinsett in eastern South Dakota

he could use the same block units to build the walls, steps, and seat walls.

“Their sister company, Willow Creek Paving Stones, manufactures a paver in the same color that the client chose for the retaining walls, so we were able

South Dakota Slide In 2013, a family bought a cabin on the shores of Lake Poinsett in eastern South Dakota. A few weeks later, the 33-foot slope from the cabin down to the lake gave way. A patio attached to the back of the cabin hung over the gap, and the vegetated slope and a small retaining wall were completely gone. Work

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needed to proceed quickly to avoid further damage to the cabin.

Three terraced walls were built down the slope to Lake Poinsett. Construction took place in late fall after the docks had been removed from the lake for the winter. Concrete Materials/ Hardscape Outlet of Yankton, SD, and Impact Landscaping of Sioux Falls, SD, were chosen as contractors. Wall design was done by Civil Design Professionals of Bloomington, MN. Blocks from ReCon Retaining Wall Systems of St. Louis Park, MN, were chosen for the project. The gravity wall uses large blocks that would eliminate the need for reinforcing geogrids and the further excavation that their use would require. The use of ReCon blocks also meant a smaller footprint for the base of each wall, meaning more usable space for the cabin owners.

ReCon Blocks come in different sizes. Space for the foundation of each wall was excavated and leveled, and aggregate and drain tiles were placed as needed. The largest blocks were placed for the bottom levels, followed by smaller blocks as the walls rose.

The blocks lock together for strength and stability.

Access to the work site was a challenge. To construct the bottom wall, equipment was placed in front of the

three usable spaces for the owner.

He put a storage shed on one level and built a twisting slide for his children to go from one level to the next. A horseshoe pit was added on one level, and there is space for a patio table and chairs. Best of all, the slope is stabilized and the cabin is secure and not in danger of sliding down into the lake. EC Roberta Baxter specializes in science and technology topics.

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Work needed to proceed quickly to avoid further damage to the cabin.

wall. The top two walls were constructed with equipment positioned above, with the blocks being moved into place with a hook and chain attached to an excavator.

Each wall was built and then backfilled with crushed stone. A layer of low-permeable soil was spread on the top of each tier. A swale for drainage was dug along the end of the walls.

The three walls had a total of 2,500 square feet, covering a drop of 33 feet. The three walls also created

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For related articles: www.erosioncontrol.com

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Project

Profile

Dredged material and armour stone are used to consturct the breakwaters.

Saving an Island— One Truckload at a Time

WITH HUNDREDS OF US NAVY and Coast Guard vessels, container ships, and barges entering and exiting the Port of Virginia every day, the 12 members of a construction crew working on a nearby island are hardly visible to travelers driving across the river on Interstate 664 between Newport News and Portsmouth, VA. The crew’s job is the type of behind-the-scenes activity

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that plays an important role in helping to keep the 50-foot-deep entrance channel operating as efficiently as possible.

“Our assignment, which began last fall, is to construct a mile-long barrier wall along the north side of Craney Island to curtail erosion,” says Gene Hand, project manager for Precon Marine Inc., the contractor handling the $11.6 million Craney Island

Northern Shoreline Revetment Phase 3 project. “The island’s main function is as a depository for material dredged up from the shipping channels,” he says. “This very valuable, 2,500-acre property is officially called the Craney Island Dredged Material Management Area and, if it were to erode away, the impact on the movement of cargo both by the Navy and private firms would

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After approval by Congress as part of the River and Harbor Act of 1946, construction of Craney Island was completed in 1957, at a cost of $6 million. It was designed as a low-cost alternative for the placement of dredged material.

By having a nearby place to dispose of material, the deep-water channel allowed the port to grow into one of the nation’s busiest.

The site is owned by the federal government and managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers. It has proven to be a valuable long-term disposal area. However, erosion has taken a toll, and it was time to replace the existing, randomly placed concrete rubble along the northern shoreline. The revetment project called for the construction of 4,100 linear feet of shoreline protection, eight breakwaters, and sand fill placed landward of the breakwaters.

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Island Environment “My first impression of the job was dealing with the environment,� says Hand, who has spent his entire career working in and around water. “The island is exposed to wind and storms on all sides. It is hot in summer, cold in winter. There is really no way to get out of the harsh weather. Along with abundant wildlife and birds, the place is overrun with bugs and insects. It is

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Dredging Disposal

To handle the work, the Corps of Engineers hired Precon Marine, a diversified contractor specializing in heavy marine construction, waterfront construction, and related services. The company has a successful track record in major bridge, pier, and bulkhead rehabilitation work and underwater utility installation. Precon Marine, which was established in 1993, has two locations in Hampton Roads, VA.

5Se N ss e ion w Se rie s!

be significant.�

The port, one of the nation’s busiest, and the adjacent island are located where the James River, the Elizabeth River, and other smaller rivers meet near Portsmouth. Among the world’s largest natural harbors, the area is called Hampton Roads and is known for its big military presence (Norfolk Naval Station) and huge containerized cargo complex.

The Navy Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk is the oldest and largest naval supply center in the world. This location accounts for a substantial amount of marine traffic in and out of the port.

The Port of Virginia operates several terminals in the Hampton Roads area. The volume of cargo is the third highest on the east coast (behind New York/New Jersey and Savannah, GA). Through the first third of 2015, the number of container units entering and exiting the port grew by 8.8%. It is the only East Coast port with congressional authorization for 55-foot-depth channels.

EROSION CONTROL 47

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Project Profile

3rd Edition

not the ideal location.”

Since September 2014, Precon Marine has been working around weatherrelated obstacles to build the breakwater structures.

The trucks make They consist of large dozens of trips armour stones and plastic each day haulbaskets—commonly ing sand to the breakwaters. known as mattresses— filled with medium-size core stones, along with sand hauled in to construct a peninsula out to each breakwater.

The armour stones, which are resistant to wear and erosion, trucks,” says Hand. “Doosan DA30 articulated dump trucks turned out are delivered by barge down the upper James River from a nearby quarry. They to be the perfect fit for this rough application. We put wear plates in the are offloaded by an excavator, placed bed of the trucks to absorb most of the into articulated dump trucks (ADTs), and delivered to the breakwater job site abuse. With a month or so to go on the project, we have moved approximately or stockpiled for later use.

60,000 tons of armour stone in the “Each stone weighs about 500 trucks. They have held up exceptionpounds, so one of our requirements ally well.” was to use top-of-the-line, heavy-duty

Designing and Reviewing Effective Sediment and Erosion Control Plans

The DA30, with a 23-cubic-yard body volume capacity, is capable of moving a significant amount of material every day, then dumping it from the truck box with a standard scissor-type tailgate. The high-production 365net horsepower ADT is known for delivering superior performance in the toughest applications.

When not moving the armour stone, the trucks are hauling sand (reclaimed from dredging material) from the other side of the island to where the breakwaters are being built, a distance of about 1.5 miles. The trucks can travel up to 34 miles per hour and transport material faster than other material-handling machines.

“If we have a lot of rainfall, the roads disappear,” says Hand. “Last winter,

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“The island’s main function is as a depository for material dredged up from the shipping channels.”

Island project. This is also Hand’s first experience with a Doosan wheel loader.

He says the multitask machine is very tough and responds well to continuous use. It is used with the pallet fork attachment for moving equipment around the job site and offloading trucks, and with a bucket for loading stone. “The wheel loader is very userfriendly,” says Hand.

To complement the Doosan ADTs

and wheel loader, the company rented a third Doosan ADT and a pair of Doosan crawler excavators, a DX350LC-3 and DX350LC-5, to assist with various parts of the project.

While a high volume of marine traffic continues to move through the Hampton Roads harbor every day, the Craney Island revetment project will ensure that the valuable island property will not be going anywhere. EC

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which was very rare for this area, we had a six-inch snowfall one day and another seven inches the following day. Then the temperature dropped to 11 degrees Fahrenheit. As a result, the road froze and we had to shut down.”

When the roads are open, the trucks make dozens of trips each day hauling sand. By the time the project is completed, they will have delivered more than 160,000 cubic yards of sand to the breakwaters.

“I had no previous experience with Doosan trucks, but what I have seen is impressive,” says Hand. “This is 100% heavy-duty work. The trucks are durable, reliable, and quiet. They are very strong workhorses. The operators really like them.” Precon Marine purchased the DA30 ADTs from the local Doosan heavy equipment dealership, H&E Equipment, in Chesapeake, VA. Along with using the trucks 10–12 hours a day, the operators need the skill to negotiate the trucks on the breakwaters to dump the base material. “The trucks are very easy to operate and to maneuver through some difficult situations,” says Hand.

A free-swinging rear tandem bogie helps to maintain ground contact for all six wheels for a smooth ride and good traction in soft and wet ground conditions.

In addition to the pair of DA30 ADTs, Precon is also using a Doosan DL420-5 wheel loader on the Craney

sDec. 16 Calculating Performance Goals and Plan Effectiveness

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SHOWCASE IS BASED ON INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY MANUFACTURERS. SOME MANUFACTURERS DID NOT RESPOND TO REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION. PUBLICATION OF MATERIALS RECEIVED IS SUBJECT TO EDITING AND SPACE AVAILABILITY.

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Ernst Conservation Seeds Ernst Conservation Seeds grows, processes, and sells over 400 species of native and naturalized seeds and live plant materials for restoration, beautification, reclamation, and conservation. The company identifies, collects, and propagates new species and ecotypes that meet its clients’ needs, from eastern Canada to the southeastern US. www.ernstseed.com

NETCO NETCO specializes in providing heavy-duty coir logs for coastal bank, inland river, and general marine applications. The NETCO coir log is wrapped in 1,000-gram coir mat netting, comes in 10-foot lengths, weighs 9 pounds per lineal foot, and is 100% biodegradable. The company supplies the NETCO coir log with green oak stakes for anchoring/tiedown and can ship the log anywhere in the US. www.netcomanage.com

J. W. Faircloth & Son Inc. Faircloth Skimmer surface drains float on the surface of the sediment basin as it fills and drains, releasing the cleanest water near the surface instead of draining muddy water from the bottom, as conventional outlets do. It drains the basin slowly over several days at a constant rate to maximize settling. The adjustable orifice regulates the filling and drawdown of the basin and improves efficiency. www.fairclothskimmer.com

Presto Geosystems Presto Geosystems, a leading manufacturer of soil stabilization and stormwater products, announces a new product offering, Geoterra GTO construction mats. Presto is well-known in the geosynthetics and erosion control industries for its geocells, porous pavement systems, and portable construction mats. The company has been manufacturing construction mats for over 10 years, primarily for site access and pads in oil drilling regions. Geoterra GTO meets the industry needs for a fast deployment construction mat and is ideal for temporary access roads, work platforms, tracking pads, and temporary and long-term storage. That lighter weight compared to traditional heavier timber or HDPE mats equates to ease of handling, deployment and installation, as well as safety. The mats can be installed and moved onsite by hand without special or heavy handling equipment. The connection of Geoterra GTO mats with large poly bolts makes them fast to mobilize and demobilize and configure to a site’s layout. www.prestogeo.com 50 EROSION CONTROL

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Express Blower Erosion control blankets and sediment control berms have never been easier to install or more effective. Express Blower equipment’s long-range capabilities make large and/or remote sites accessible and manageable. The blown-on application ensures that the blanket or berm conforms exactly to the soil surface for 100% contact. Using its exclusive Supplemental Injection System, customers can add grass or wildflower seed to the blanket or berm for permanent vegetative support.

For erosion control, greenroof material installation, landscapes, playgrounds, and Terraseeding, there’s only one piece of equipment: Express Blower. www.expressblower.com

Bonar EnkaSolutions, Bonar’s geosynthetics portfolio, includes Enkamat Turf Reinforcement Mats (TRMs) in its group of erosion control products. Enkamat is available in a variety of weights for application in a wide range of project needs. At the Landings Club Golf Course on Skidway Island in Savannah, GA, Enkamat R45 was chosen for its open filament design, which would allow healthy growth of marsh grasses, as well as its highstrength, long-term durability, which would help it withstand maintenance equipment. A littoral shelf, to be constructed just below average pool elevation, would be vegetated with wetland species. From a budgetary and aesthetic perspective, the reinforced vegetation is a welcome alternative to installing costly concrete or unsightly hard armor solutions, and provides an environmentally beneficial solution. www.bonar.com

Mat Inc. The Guard Line of erosion control products provides three premium choices when choosing a Fiber Reinforced Matrix, Bonded Fiber Matrix, or Stabilized Mulch Matrix. All three products ensure soil protection while providing rapid seed germination over all types of terrains. Long-term protection or functional longevity has reached 12–24 months from the flexible erosion control blanket that is created from each product. Each Guard product is derived from the original BFM: Soil Guard. The Guard Line guarantees performance on slopes ranging from 6:1 to 1:1, and product choice is based on slope gradient or project specification. www.matinc.biz

Plastic Solutions Inc. Plastic Solutions Inc. was founded in 1997 with the vision to supply structural plastic trash racks to the stormwater management industry. Since then, a significant amount of research and development has gone into product testing—including load testing, UV resistance, flammability, resin additives, and water flow restriction requirements—all with excellent results. Today, Plastic Solutions supplies high-quality, industry-leading trash racks, and also sells HDPE pipe, HDPE fittings, ChamberMaxx pipe, PVC pipe, plastic catch and drain basins, and plastic sheet goods.

The company has certified shop and field welders to ensure all requirements are met. www.plastic-solution.com

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015

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EC SHOWCASE Finn Corp.

With working tank capacities up to 3,600 gallons, Finn Corp.’s complete line of HydroSeeders is designed to meet the needs of extensive erosion control job sites and demanding seeding applications. Customization of HydroSeeders and Bark Blowers on tracks rather than tires for off-road applications is also available.

Delivering the utmost in performance and productivity, Finn equipment’s capabilities, versatility, and output are unmatched. As a world leader for over 70 years in the design and manufacture of innovative, quality equipment for the erosion control industry, Finn is committed to the customer’s complete satisfaction. www.finncorp.com

Pine Hall Brick Co. St. John’s Home in Rochester, NY, is a long-term community for the elderly. To avoid runoff, the home used StormPave permeable clay pavers in the newly constructed courtyard. Stormwater can remain under the pavers as it slowly dissipates back into the soil. Water can also be used to irrigate the rain gardens in and around the courtyard. www.pinehallbrick.com

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1. Publication Title: Erosion Control. 2. Publication No.: 1073-7227. 3. Filing Date: October 1, 2015. 4.

Issue Frequency: Bi-monthly with extra issue in June. 5. No. of Issues Published Annually: Seven. 6.

Annual Subscription Price: $76. 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: 2946 De la Vina Street, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County, CA 93105. Contact Person: Steven Wayner, 805-679-7643. 8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher: 2946 De la Vina Street, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County, CA 93105. 9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor: Publisher, Daniel Waldman, 2946 De la Vina Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93105; Editor, Janice Kaspersen, 2946 De la Vina Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93105; Managing Editor: John Trotti, 2946 De la Vina Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. 10. Owner: Forester Media Inc., 2946 De la Vina Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93105; Daniel Waldman, 2946 De la Vina Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1% or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None. 12. Tax Status: The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes has not changed during preceding 12 months. 13. Publication Title: Erosion Control. 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: Sept./Oct. 2015.

15. Extent and Nature of Circulation: Average Number of Number Copies of Copies Each Issue During Single Issue Published Preceding 12 Months Nearest to Filing Date a. Total No. Copies 20,390 19,439 b. Legitimate Paid/Requested Distribution (1) Individual Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541 13,794 13,681 (2) Copies Requested by Employers for Distribution to Employees by Name or Position Stated on PS Form 3541 0 0 (3) Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Non-USPS Paid/Requested Distribution 176 150 (4) Requested Copies Distributed by Other Mail Classes Through the USPS 0 0 c. Total Paid/Requested Circulation 13,970 13,831 d. Nonrequested Distribution: (1) Outside County Nonrequested Copies as Stated on PS Form 3541 5,606 4,876 (2) In-County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541 0 0 (3) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Through the USPS by Other Classes of Mail 0 0 (4) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail 318 350 e. Total Nonrequested Distribution 5,924 5,226 f. Total Distribution 19,894 19,057 g. Copies Not Distributed 496 382 h. Total 20,390 19,439 i. Percent Paid/Requested Circulation 70.22% 75.91% 16. Electronic Copy Circulation a. Requested and Paid Electronic Copies 3,792 2,641 b. Total Requested and Paid Print Copies + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies 17,762 16,472 c. Total Requested Copy Distribution + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies 23,686 21,698 d. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (Both Print and Electronic Copies) 75.0% 75.91% I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete.

– Daniel Waldman, Publisher, 9/18/2015

52 EROSION CONTROL

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Fiber Marketing International Rainier Fiber is a 100% virgin wood fiber from clean, fresh-cut Western softwood chips. Fiber separation is by thermo-mechanical defibration utilizing high-temperature steam combined with mechanical action. This combination of clean wood chips and heat produces the best sterile and toxic-free mulch available to germinate and grow seed, stolons, and sprigs. Rainier Fiber Plus Tacifier has a highgrade organic tacifier uniformly mixed with the wood fiber. This gives stronger bonding of the fibers to the soil and increased erosion protection on slopes. www.fmisales.com

IECS Environmental Inc. IECS is committed to providing its customers with the highest quality products possible. They strive to ensure that all customer requirements are met and will deliver the material in a timely manner, using a management process designed to ensure continuous improvement and the achievement of corporate goals and objectives. Cable Concrete is the first choice of engineers, planners, communities, municipalities, conservation authorities, and contractors. IECS is seen as the leader in providing successful, sustainable erosion solutions to protect the environment and by extension protect physical, human, livestock, and wildlife assets. www.iecs.com

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PAGE

A.H. Meyer Maschinenfabrik GmbH ...............................www.ahmeyer.com ..........................................................................................54 American Earth Anchors Inc. ...............................www.americanearthanchors.com ............................................................................54 Bonar.............................................................................................www.bonar.com .............................................................................................54 Bowie ................................................................................. www.bowieindustries.com ...................................................................................19 Bowman Construction/Biosol ....................... www.bowmanconstructionsupply.com .......................................................................23 Envirocert International Inc. .......................................... www.envirocertintl.org.......................................................................................55 Ernst Conservation Seeds..................................................www.ernstseed.com .........................................................................................55 Finn Corporation ................................................................... www.finncorp.com...........................................................................................18 Genesis Nursery Inc. ................................................... www.genesisnurseryinc.com .................................................................................23 Geobrugg .............................................................................www.us.geobrugg.com ......................................................................................29 Gripple Inc................................................................................. www.gripple.com ............................................................................................54 HydroStraw LLC................................................................... www.hydrostraw.com ........................................................................................54 IECA ..................................................................................................www.ieca.org ................................................................................................15 J.W. Faircloth & Son .......................................................www.fairclothskimmer.com ..................................................................................27 Keystone Retaining Wall Systems ...............................www.keystonewalls.com .....................................................................................39 Maclean Civil Products .................................................... www.earthanchor.com .......................................................................................25 Netco.....................................................................................www.netcomanage.com .....................................................................................55 Plastic Solutions Inc ....................................................... www.plastic-solution.com....................................................................................17 S & S Seeds ................................................................................www.ssseeds.com............................................................................................55 Silt-Saver ....................................................................................www.siltsaver.com ............................................................................................. 5 Tensar North American Green .......................................... www.nagreen.com .................................................................................Cover 4 The Reinforced Earth Company ................................www.reinforcedearth.com ...................................................................................41 US Composting Council ............................................ www.compostingcouncil.org.................................................................................31 Vitamin Institute ................................................................. www.superthrive.com........................................................................................27 Willacoochee Industrial Fabrics................... www.willacoocheeindustrialfabrics.com ......................................................................21 56 EROSION CONTROL

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Anyone who disturbs or restores the soil should read this book.

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Reader Profile

By Carol Brzozowski

THOMAS J. KEHOE

I

n the Chicago area, Thomas J. Kehoe is constantly dealing with issues related to impermeable soils.

“There’s a lot of clay and glacial till, so when we have construction projects and get rain events, there’s a lot of runoff,” he says. As a senior environmental resources specialist and manager of NPDES compliance for Christopher B. Burke Engineering (CBBEL) in Rosemont, IL, Kehoe’s must ensure stormwater pollution prevention plans (SWPPPs) are being followed and BMPs are functioning properly. “Lately, it seems every rain event—especially this summer—has been greater than a half inch, which in Illinois triggers the need to do an inspection of BMPs within 24 hours,” he says. “The water coming off of construction sites after a rain event when there’s ponding is dirty. The first thing they do is drop a pump and hose in it. Dewatering is always a big challenge here because the pumping picks up that sediment and they’re forcing it into the nearest creek to get it off their construction site so they can keep going. We’re constantly stopping people from dewatering and making them put out sediment bags and other products that will help filter out some of those clay particles and other particles before they discharge directly into the creeks.” Kehoe favors water detention through a sediment trap or pool. The problem with that, though, is that most construction sites in an urbanized area like Chicagoland are confined with every bit of space being used for the project being constructed, notes Kehoe. “They can’t devote any area to allow the water to sit long enough to have the sediment drop out.

That’s why we recommend using sediment bags, filters, and other measures to try to mechanically pull some of that sediment out.”

What He Does Day to Day Kehoe helps clients comply with federal, state, and local sediment and erosion control rules and regulations. He does paperwork for such tasks as applications for permit coverage—including drafting SWPPPs—in the office, and then hits the field to inspect construction projects, where he completes the SWPPP documentation. He photographs construction progress at the sites, discussing recognized deficiencies or perceived upcoming challenges with the appropriate site representatives.

58 EROSION CONTROL

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What Led Him Into This Line of Work Kehoe was interested in science from a young age. “I was always fascinated with biology and the environment,” he says. “I did a lot of outdoor activities as a kid such as camping, hiking, and playing in the woods. I developed a strong appreciation for natural areas. I was always sad as I saw development move into the areas in which I played as a kid—they were gradually paved over and the natural areas were lost.” Kehoe earned a B.A. in biology from North Central College in Napierville, IL, where he focused on environmental science. After college, he worked for the US Army Corps of Engineers’ regulatory branch, reviewing applications for projects typically involving filling in wetlands. “It was a great job and good experience, but I really missed being out in the field where I felt I could make a difference,” says Kehoe. “I went into consulting and never looked back.”

What He Likes Best About His Work “I like that I am able to help clients obtain the appropriate permits and maintain compliance with regulations and be able to accomplish what they wish to accomplish with construction projects,” says Kehoe. “The best part is the people and going out to job sites to see my recommendations and suggestions in action.”

His Greatest Challenge Kehoe’s most significant challenge is managing several large projects going on at the same time and being able to keep an eye on all of them to ensure they stay in compliance, especially as they require site visits after a half-inch and greater storm events. “With all of the projects at different stages of construction, you always have to know what is happening and what your level of exposure is when rain events occur,” he says. “Some sites will be fine, but others will be a disaster if it rains at particular times. It is a challenge to stay organized as well. I keep good documentation of everything I see and do.” EC Carol Brzozowski writes on erosion control and technology.

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By protecting the soil, you unearth the potential.

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