IECA Field Days in South Carolina
Southeast Chapter holds first annual South Carolina training and field days
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
By Joel Sprague
The International Erosion Control Association’s (IECA’s)
Southeast Chapter held its first annual South Carolina Training and Field Days
in Anderson, SC, in early October. Nearly 200 attendees took part in the two-day
event that offered up to nine professional development hours (PDHs) to its
participants through a combination of classroom and field-based education. Event
co-sponsors included Upstate Forever, Anderson County Environmental Services,
the City of Anderson, Greenville County, Spartanburg County, and Clemson
University’s Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department.
The first day of the event featured classroom training and
exhibits at the host hotel. Presentations from state and regional experts
focused on stormwater and erosion and sediment control topics. A “Technology
Showcase” profiled advances in erosion and sediment control products and
systems. Following the training sessions, the IECA-SE Chapter sponsored a social
and BBQ at the Denver Downs Corn Maize.
Day Two’s field day took attendees to TRI/Environmental’s Denver
Downs Research Facility (DDRF), a commercial testing facility located just a
mile from the host hotel. DDRF provides full-scale performance testing of
erosion and sediment control systems. For the field day, the facility was set up
with 10 large-scale demonstrations, exposing a wide range of erosion and
sediment control products and systems to simulate rainfall, sheet flow, and
concentrated channel flows.
The training sessions and demonstrations addressed check
structures in channels; erosion control blankets on slopes and turf
reinforcement mats (TRMs) in channels; hydraulically applied erosion control
products; seeding, germination, and erosion control longevity issues;
performance of sediment retention devices (SRDs) such as inlet protection,
wattles, silt fences, and flocculation technologies; silt fence installation and
maintenance; and scour protection alternatives.
“This event complemented statewide efforts to improve erosion and
sediment control practices in South Carolina,” says J.P. Johns, South Carolina
state representative to the IECA’s Southeast Chapter. “Based on the reviews and
comments from attendees and exhibitors, the meeting successfully advanced ideas
and understanding of performance-based specifications and the proper selection
of erosion and sediment control products and systems.” Johns adds, “We look
forward to hosting another successful event in 2009.”
More pictures from the field day can be viewed at www.erosiontest.com.
Author's Bio: Joel Sprague, P.E., is a principal with TRI/Environmental Inc. |
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