Search results for "Streambank Repair"
Browse All
Sort by:
By Margaret Buranen The tide of appreciation for wetlands is rising. It has come along with an understanding of how effectively they function in controlling erosion, flooding, and pollution from stormwater. Sadly, many acres of valuable US wetlands, especially coastal, have been lost in recent years. EPA defines saltwater and freshwater wetlands as “coastal” when they are within US Geological Survey (USGS) eight-digit hydrologic unit watersheds that drain in the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic or Pacific...... continue reading
From: Erosion Control Topics: Stormwater, Streambank Repair, Watershed projects
John McCullah started working with dirt as a landscape contractor after having earned degrees in botany, geology, and forest and range hydrology from Santa Cruz Cabrillo College and Humboldt State University in California. Today, he calls himself a fluvial geomorphologist…and much more. McCullah owns Salix Applied Earthcare in Redding, CA, a company that designs, develops, reviews, and implements erosion control plans. He offers best management practices workshops. He develops guidance manuals. He devel...... continue reading
From: Erosion Control Topics: Management, Streambank Repair, Vegetation Management
By Janis Keating Anyone who’s worked with a containerized plant has seen evidence of how strong plant roots can be. Adhering tightly to the soil, roots form a living net of fibers that often require a sharp knife, or ax, to rend. Of course, with any erosion control project, plant materials (especially those with fibrous roots, rather than taproots) are always a key component; however, many in the industry argue that plants can do much more of the work expected—and that a copious amount of hardscaping is...... continue reading
From: Erosion Control Topics: Maintenance, Streambank Repair, Vegetation Management
By Carol Brzozowski Norman Chamberlain, vice president of Taylor Engineering Associates in Auburn, ME, remembers the days when he’d have to do pond routing by hand. “That’s very complicated and time consuming,” he says. “I progressed into computer programs that did routing and storage indication, and that’s a big time-saver.” Since the early 1990s, Chamberlain has used HydroCAD for that purpose. Like many of his peers throughout the country, Chamberlain uses software to offer important data and save lab...... continue reading
From: Erosion Control Topics: Channel armoring, Software, Streambank Repair
By Janice Kaspersen In March, EPA released results of its National Rivers and Stream Assessment. In some ways it makes for depressing reading—it shows that more than half the streams in the US are in bad shape. But there are some encouraging bits hidden in the report, too, or at least indications that we’re moving in the right direction to remedy the problems. The data are from a survey conducted in 2008 and 2009, the most recent nationwide information available; more than 2,000 sites across the country...... continue reading
From: Erosion Control Topics: Stormwater Management, Streambank Repair, Watershed projects
Written by Carol Brzozowski Construction projects around water have inherent challenges in ensuring that sediment and debris from the disturbed ground don’t enter the water. To that end, turbidity curtains and cofferdams offer a measure of “insurance.” Turbidity curtains are barriers placed in the water—usually attached to floats at the top and anchored or weighted at the bottom—to provide containment for the work area. Constructed of permeable material, the curtains stop sediment particles while a...... continue reading
From: Erosion Control Topics: Jobsite Equipment, Sediment Control, Streambank Repair
Written by Steve Goldberg There was a time when Spring Creek, in Mobile, AL, was a rather unsightly, shallow stream suffering from erosion and frequent flooding. Its channel was clogged with an overgrowth of trees and shrubs, and any time a heavy rain appeared, neighbors shuddered. There had been, and continues to be, quite a bit of development in the area, with a great deal of paving. Waterways upstream from Spring Creek are subject to erosion, with significant sediment carried downstream. SJ&...... continue reading
From: Erosion Control Topics: Gabions, Retaining Walls, Streambank Repair
Written by Steve Goldberg “The city of New York has a world-class drinking water treatment system, and it keeps getting better,” says Bill Young of Young Environmental LLC. “What they’ve done is recognize how nature is the best for water purification, so New York City has gone upstate in New York and bought thousands of acres of reservoirs and buffer land, realizing that if they can keep the farms off and keep the roads off, and buffer them with forests and meadows, they’ll have clean water. And I ...... continue reading
From: Erosion Control Topics: Stormwater Management, Streambank Repair, Watershed projects
Written by Carol Brzozowski Be it for flood control, aesthetics, or habitat restoration, streambanks throughout the globe have been getting a facelift, and, in many cases, projects installed years ago are demonstrating continued success. Each time an engineering firm is presented with the challenge of repairing streambanks, the primary consideration is what type of liner or approach will best suit the long-term site needs. Water volume from a five- or 10-year storm is one consideration, as we...... continue reading
From: Erosion Control Topics: Management, Slope Stabilization, Streambank Repair
EPA's Clean Water Act Section 319 Program provides funding for restoration of nonpoint source-impaired water bodies. This week's success spotlight shines on Pierceville Run, Pennsylvania. Originating just north of the Maryland/Pennsylvania border, Pierceville Run flows through an agricultural watershed and is designated for cold-water fishery support. Sediment in runoff impaired Pennsylvania's Pierceville Run and its tributaries, prompting the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to add a...... continue reading
From: Erosion Control Topics: Human-Resources, Streambank Repair
|
|