Erosion Control Issues

By Carol Brzozowski It’s home to 153 million people, or about 53% of the total US population. It generates tens of billions of dollars each year through industrial and business activities. It is the coast: the 95,331 miles of ocean and Great Lakes coastlines. And while the population continues to increase in coastal areas—3,600 people relocate to coastal areas each day, according to the Office of Coastal and Resource Management of the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—the land is...>... More >

ACF Environmental www.acfenvironmental.com Aer-Flo Inc. www.aerflo.com Belton Industries www.beltonindustries.com Bowie www.bowieindustries.com Central Fiber Corp. www.centralfiber.com Enviro-USA www.enviro-usa.com Ernst Conservation Seeds www.ernstseed.com Express Blower Inc. www.expressblower.com Fiber Marketing International www.fmisales.com Filtrexx International LLC www.filtrexx.com Finn Corp. www.finncorp.com Foresight Products Inc. www.earthanchor.com Genesis Nursery Inc. n/a Geoberm LLC www.geob...>... More >

By  Tara Beecham Used at construction sites for years, geographic information systems (GISs) and modeling and mapping software are taking a central role in erosion control planning and design today. With 3D graphics, animation, and projection detailing what a present site will look like years into the future, project engineers are making use of these technologies to save time and money as they work to control sediment and monitor water quality onsite before problems begin, keeping projects streamli...>... More >

By Janice Kaspersen Although it’s common, even fashionable, to use the word green to apply to almost anything that’s good for—or that isn’t actively harmful to—the environment, the term often has a more specific meaning. Green infrastructure is an approach to managing stormwater that relies on natural processes rather than engineered systems. It’s becoming more widely used in many cities, and, a new report claims, if used in the right way it can save lots of money as well. We see green infrastructu...>... More >

A wide range of erosion problems of varying scale and complexity lend themselves to a common solution: channel armoring, a practice that has evolved from simply lining degraded channels with piles of stone or blankets of concrete to include a broad assortment of materials and techniques. The city of Houston, TX, has a long history of devastating floods going back to the first few years after it was established during the early 1800s. The reason is simple, says Heather Saucier, a spokesperson for the Har...>... More >

In October 2010, ground was broken on a 57-acre site for Carlsbad High School, located just north of San Diego at the eastern edge of Carlsbad, CA. The $104 million project is being hailed as one of California’s most environmentally advanced and energy-efficient high school campuses. But situated as it is at the headwaters of one of the lagoons in the area, there were some important environmental issues that needed to be addressed, delaying the start of construction. “The site was classified as an Envir...>... More >

EPA’s new stormwater rule is scheduled to be released late this year; it’s an update to the national stormwater regulations now in place. If you’re not working directly for a municipal stormwater program, what will the changes mean for you? At the StormCon conference in Anaheim, CA, in August, Jeremy Bauer, an environmental scientist with EPA, gave us an overview of the rule’s highlights. Although the rule will have little direct effect on construction-site erosion and sediment control practices—its pri...>... More >

Modern landfills operate under many regulations. Under EPA Title V, landfills must prevent the escape of methane gas emissions through the installation of a gas collection and control system (GCCS). In addition, EPA Subtitle D requires landfill operators to perform temporary, or intermediate, closure once individual landfill cells are full, and then install a “final cap” once a landfill has reached its maximum permitted capacity and cannot be expanded. In December 2010, Progressive Waste Solutions (form...>... More >

In a perfect world, all your jobs would go smoothly. None of your crew would get sick, no equipment would break down, and all needed supplies would arrive on time, in good condition. Most importantly, the weather would cooperate; there wouldn’t be a drop of rain until all earthmoving was finished and your vegetation had been seeded. Then there’d be a gentle rain to give your seeds just enough moisture to germinate, grow, and hold onto the soil. But it’s an imperfect world, and nothing, especially the we...>... More >

This story begins on a high-bank lakefront property in Rubicon Bay, CA, with a dark tangled path meandering its way down the 60-foot-tall, unstable, and badly eroded shoreline bluff face. The site is said to have been originally owned by Scottish immigrant and journalist B.C. Forbes, the founder of Forbes magazine. It is now owned by a London family that splits its time between the US and the UK. Having found and bought its dream property, the family first had to deal with the issue of bluff erosion. Re...>... More >

As many of you know firsthand, using volunteers to help out—either with a specific project or with ongoing work—can be rewarding for both sides. Beyond providing labor that you might not otherwise be able to afford, it offers a chance to connect with the community and educate the public, something that’s particularly important for many NPDES Phase II programs. There are downsides to using volunteers, too, though. It takes a lot of time and effort to organize them and teach them what needs to be done. Vo...>... More >

I attended my first chapter event in 1996 at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was the Mid-Atlantic Chapter’s (MAC) 3rd Annual Conference. It happened to be the 25th Anniversary of IECA. I had never heard of IECA or the MAC until I received a conference announcement during the summer of 1996. A Whole New World A buddy of mine for many years, Mr. Bob Weiford, had started working for the newly formed West Virginia Division of Environmental Protection. This division previously was a part of the Division of Natu...>... More >

ACF Environmental www.acfenvironmental.com Belton Industries www.beltonindustries.com Bowie www.bowieindustries.com Bowman Construction/Biosol www.rockymtnbioproducts.com Central Fiber Corp. www.centralfiber.com East Coast Erosion Blankets www.eastcoasterosion.com Ernst Conservation Seeds www.ernstseed.com Filtrexx International LLC www.filtrexx.com Finn Corp. www.finncorp.com Foresight Products Inc. www.earthanchor.com Genesis Nursery Inc. n/a Gravel Roads Academy www.gravelroadsacademy.com Hamilton Ma...>... More >

When it comes to dust, the effects from the hand of nature may appear a bit more dramatic than those generated by the activities of humans. The catastrophic eruption of Mount Krakatoa in 1883 blasted an immeasurable quantity dust 4 miles into the atmosphere, where it persisted for up to four years, blocking sunlight and drifting to span the globe, lowering temperatures by a full degree. The great dust storm of November 12–13, 1933, started in the plains of the United States and caused discoloration of s...>... More >

Jeff Herndon, co-owner of Herndon Inc. in Lugoff, SC, knows that hilly terrain can mean that a relatively high volume of sediment collects in sedimentation barriers in a short time, necessitating short intervals between removals of sediment buildup. Maintaining intact barriers is one thing; having to clean up after a blown silt fence quite another.   Photo: FILTREXX INTERNATIONAL Herndon’s company routinely installs Silt-Saver Belted Silt Retention Fence (BSRF) in the medians on highways to pr...>... More >

On September 11, 2001, Flight 93 went down in rural Shanksville, PA, after its passengers fought back against the terrorist hijackers. Ten years later, on September 11, 2011, a memorial site was dedicated. Hilltop Seeds, of Shippenville, PA, was the subcontractor selected to acquire the seeds and to do the planting for the approximately 180 acres that required revegetation. “The 180 acres were divided into several meadows, varying by the specific ecology of the ground, whether wet or otherwise. The mead...>... More >

BOWIE INDUSTRIES INC. The Bowie ADCM is designed for the off-road, rugged demands of landfill operations. The extra-heavy-duty frame and tongue allow the unit to be towed by a dozer, and the higher ground clearance is accomplished by using frame-mounted spindles instead of axles. Heavy 22-ply flotation tires survive cuts from glass, metal, and other debris. The Bowie rotary gear pump will pump the heaviest of slurries. With the standard clear-water-flush system, customers can clean the tower, pump, and ...>... More >

So, what’s next for the Save Our International Land (SOIL) Fund? Exciting things! We’d like to summarize the most recent happenings, so you can understand what a positive impact the SOIL Fund already is making and how much greater and far-reaching that impact can be with continued support and funding. Chapter Challenge and Grants IECA is expanding its efforts to seek funding from all sources (contributions, donations, fundraisers, etc.) to assist in funding SOIL Fund projects around the world. In additi...>... More >

ACF Environmental  www.acfenvironmental.com Belton Industries  www.beltonindustries.com Bowie  www.bowieindustries.com Bowman Construction/Biosol  www.rockymtnbioproducts.com Brockton Equipment/Spilldam Inc.  www.spilldam.com Central Fiber Corp.  www.centralfiber.com Earth Chem Inc.  www.earthchem.com East Coast Erosion Blankets  www.eastcoasterosion.com Enviro-USA  www.enviro-usa.com Ernst Conservation Seeds  www.ernstseed.com Filtrexx International LLC...>... More >

Sometimes excavation unearths surprises: pockets of debris, different soils, giant boulders—or a pipeline one didn’t know was there, as workers in Carmel, IN, discovered in summer 2010 when constructing a roundabout project. “During excavation, we found an abandoned gas line that wasn’t in the plans,” explains Walsh Construction’s Charlie Gannon, project manager. “The original wall plans called for smaller bricks, which would have required more wall setback. That would’ve meant we would have had to dig ...>... More >

By Thomas A. Smith and Jason A. Hubbart By 2030, almost 70% of the world’s human population is predicted to live in rapidly urbanizing metropolitan areas. Human induced pressures on water quality and other natural resources throughout the United States and most of the rest of the world continues to increase in concert with urban development. To accommodate increasing human population developmental pressures and mitigate continued environmental impacts, innovative development techniques are being designe...>... More >

A. H. Meyer  www.ahmeyer.com ACF Environmental  www.acfenvironmental.com AER-FLO, Inc.  www.aerflo.com Bamert Seed  www.bamertseed.com Belton Industries  www.beltonindustries.com Bowie  www.bowieindustries.com Bowman Construction  www.rockymtnbioproducts.com Brockton Equipment.  www.spilldam.com Carolina Precision Fibers  www.carolinafibers.com Compass Minerals  www.compassminerals.com Dredging Supply Co  www.dscdredge.com Earth Chem Inc.  www....>... More >

In their enthusiastic embrace of two EnviroCert International Inc. programs—Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC) and Certified Erosion, Sediment and Storm Water Inspector (CESSWI)—Malaysia’s engineering and regulatory communities serve as a model for those in other areas of the world seeking to strengthen protection of soil and water resources from the impacts of wide-scale land development activities. “The strong interest in these certification programs has been prompted by th...>... More >

Although few people are browsing yacht catalogs in today’s tough economy, most erosion control firms remain busy at work, thanks to the critical nature of their projects. Soil must be retained at all costs; common sense, as well as state and federal regulations, demands it. Because of its efficiencies—powerful machines that require smaller crews and that can apply seed, mulch, and other ingredients in one fell swoop—hydroseeding may be uniquely poised to benefit in today’s economic climate. Post-Applica...>... More >

A. H. Meyer Maschinenfabrik GmbH www.ahmeyer.com ACF Environmental www.acfenvironmental.com AER-FLO Inc. www.aerflo.com Agru America Inc. www.agruamerica.com Belton Industries www.beltonindustries.com Bowie www.bowieindustries.com Central Fiber Corp. www.centralfiber.com Earth Chem Inc. www.earthchem.com East Coast Erosion Blankets www.eastcoasterosion.com Enviro-USA www.enviro-usa.com Ernst Conservation Seeds www.ernstseed.com Express Blower Inc. www.expressblower.com Fiber Marketing International www....>... More >

The King Coal Highway is an unusual stretch of roadway being built through the mountains of southern West Virginia, part of a new corridor highway system across the bottom of the state. “The King Coal is an unusual highway project in that it’s kind of a partnership between the coal mining industry and our highway department,” explains Jamie Bailey of the West Virginia office of ACF Environmental. “They’re using a mountaintop removal site and running this highway on a portion of coal mining property. Tha...>... More >

Residents of a popular housing development near Wichita, KS, recently discovered that serious erosion problems can strike pretty close to home. With the rising volume and velocity of runoff due to increases in impervious surface, stormwater ponds have become a necessity for many suburban areas. Although they keep home sites and communities safe from flooding, the ponds sometimes take up highly desirable real estate for a civil engineering function. However, some developers have found ways to make the be...>... More >

For many parts of the nation, 2011 was a rough year for seeding. In the spring, large sections of the Midwest broke rainfall records; soggy soil made it impossible for large equipment to enter areas to do its work, postponing projects for erosion control professionals as well as farmers. Once summer arrived, the soil dried—and dried and dried; nearly a third of the US was scorched with record high temperatures and drought. EC crews fortunate enough to get work had small windows of time to get hydroseedi...>... More >

Residents of Tulsa, OK, know something about severe rainstorms and the flash flooding that can accompany such events. Recently, the city and its residents came together with a plan to mitigate the costly effects of these floods and the erosion of landowners’ property and property values. A series of existing drainage channels were targeted for reinforcement. One such project was the Fry Ditch Channel located in the southern portion of the city at East 97th Street and South Sheridan Road. On one side of ...>... More >

As education director for IECA, I obviously am concerned about the future of our association in general—and our education in particular. On a recent trip to the Land and Sea Grant Conference at Hilton Head, SC, I was introduced to a whole new world of erosion control and water quality professionals. There were at least 50 academic institutions all together under one roof, presenting the results of their research. As I attended their presentations and visited more than 150 poster presentations, I became ...>... More >

Field experience has made it clear that if one is to be successful growing native plant communities, a functional microbial community is imperative. Use of native seeds in revegetation follows the current societal focus on multiple use of lands, a policy toward enhancing ecosystem diversity and function, and conservation of biological resources. Retention of and reapplication of predisturbance topsoil is fundamental to success with native seeding efforts. At drastically disturbed sites where topsoil is ...>... More >

Got a camera? The Association of Equipment Manufacturers’ “I Make America” campaign is sponsoring a photo contest called “Picture a Better America.” The idea is to encourage infrastructure investment by providing either visual evidence of problems with the American infrastructure, or photos of the people who are working to fix those problems—the people whose jobs depend on continued infrastructure investment. There is a business intent behind the campaign, of course, and that is to increase the efforts ...>... More >

Settling North America was a tedious, drawn-out process that took centuries of hard work on mostly inhospitable land. Little wonder that the typical idea of nature was not a cuddly maternal figure but rather a monster to be tamed.  Now, when cyberspace has replaced outer space as the new frontier, it has become fashionable to coddle Mother Nature as if she were some old lady in her dotage. We say all the right things about her, and occasionally we visit and say how good she looks. But, in fact, she...>... More >

Getting your erosion control needs met the first time you roll out protection for your project is essential. In this economy, erosion control budgets don’t allow for a margin of error within total costs. Making your project dollars stretch further by choosing the product that can handle all that nature throws at it in an ecofriendly way can only help enhance your business reputation. During a recession, becoming the go-to contractor for sites built for long-term wear brings security and stability for mo...>... More >

There’s strength in numbers, or so the adage goes. By that measure, the four certification programs administered by EnviroCert International Inc. are strong and getting stronger as they continue to attract new registrants. These programs include Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC); Certified Professional in Storm Water Quality (CPSWQ); Certified Erosion, Sediment and Storm Water Inspector (CESSWI); and Certified Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Specialist (CMS4S). At last...>... More >

BOWIE INDUSTRIES INC. The Bowie ADCM is designed for the off-road, rugged demands of landfill operations. The extra-heavy-duty frame and tongue allow the unit to be towed by a dozer, and the higher ground clearance is accomplished by using frame-mounted spindles instead of axles. Heavy 22-ply flotation tires survive cuts from glass, metal, and other debris. The Bowie rotary gear pump will pump the heaviest of slurries. With the standard clear-water-flush system, customers can clean the tower, pump, and ...>... More >

For retaining wall contractors, the long-term goal of a solid retaining wall that will not fail is the primary consideration, but just as important is how the material will hold up to challenges inherent in constructing it. Weather, tight spaces, poor-quality soils, suitable backfill, and time and budget constraints are among the challenges contractors must address. High Pointe Commons A retaining wall project involving High Pointe Commons in Harrisburg, PA, entailed six different walls of more than 24,...>... More >

All of us have seen at some point the destruction caused by widespread deforestation: accelerated erosion, landslides, and, too often, financial hardship for the people living right on the slippery edge of their countries’ economies. In Haiti, for example, about 98% of the forests have been lost, first to farming and the timber industry, and then to the many thousands of individuals who clear land to plant subsistence crops, cut trees to burn for fuel, or try to eke out a living by making charcoal. The ...>... More >

There are slopes and then there are slopes. Some of the slopes on the back sides of the dams around Horsetooth Reservoir in Colorado, for example, reached 1:1 and stretched as much as 800 to 1,000 feet long. The hydroseeding equipment used on the reclamation project was pulled up and supported on its way down by tractors on narrow roads constructed especially for the job. On the other hand, the Ruby Natural Gas Pipeline reclamation project involved working on terrains that ranged from wetlands to steep ...>... More >

ACF Environmental www.acfenvironmental.com Agru America Inc. www.agruamerica.com Belton Industries www.beltonindustries.com Bowie www.bowieindustries.com Bowman Construction/Biosol www.rockymtnbioproducts.com Central Fiber Corp. www.centralfiber.com Earth Chem Inc. www.earthchem.com Ernst Conservation Seeds www.ernstseed.com Filtrexx International LLC www.filtrexx.com Finn Corp. www.finncorp.com Foresight Products Inc. www.earthanchor.com Genesis Nursery Inc. n/a Huesker Inc. www.huesker.com IECA www.ie...>... More >

Try as they might, it’s impossible for contractors to build sound structures on solid ground without soil disturbance. Byproducts of the creative process, the particulates that can cause erosion onsite and can threaten water quality travel by way of dry soil meeting the air, vehicle tires, foot traffic, and water. As the EPA prepares to reissue its effluent limitation guidelines for construction sites, it’s a good time to consider the impact a project will create well before putting pen to paper during ...>... More >

Something interesting is happening in the California Assembly. What it will ultimately mean for erosion and sediment control practitioners—if anything at all—remains to be seen, but it does raise, once again, some important questions about the profession and what qualifies someone to practice it. The issue is California Assembly Bill 1210, which was introduced in February of this year. Here’s an excerpt from the bill as it was amended in March:           ...>... More >

First came Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, which helps answers the question: Where? Where are the BMPs on a specific construction site? Where are the dams or the riparian buffers on a farm, or the toes and the tops of bluffs? Then came geographic information systems (GIS). With GIS, users can collect and store data of all kinds: topographical maps, aerial photographs, and satellite images; data that has been remotely sensed, for example, by cameras, digital scanners, and LIDAR (light detecti...>... More >

On April 20, Waste Management Inc. and AbTech Industries Inc. announced a new agreement to provide stormwater services to municipalities in the US and Canada. Waste Management, based in Houston, TX, provides waste management services throughout North America, including collection, transfer, recycling, and disposal services. AbTech Industries is an environmental technologies firm; one of its products is SmartSponge, a sponge-like material with polymers to filter, absorb, and solidify petroleum hydrocarbo...>... More >

Restoration of water quality in impaired watersheds requires understanding the complex interconnections between hydrologic processes, climate, land use, water quality, ecology, and human socioeconomics. Unfortunately, information regarding those relationships is often inadequate or absent. A lack of technology and analytical tools has contributed to imprecise decision-making, resulting in a lack of progress toward identifying and prioritizing mitigation strategies. It is therefore not surprising that in...>... More >

WESTBLOCK SYSTEMS GravityStone Edge, the newest product by WestBlock Systems, provides the ultimate SRW functionality. It offers over a dozen face options, six structural solutions, two reinforcement systems, and pinned or pinless alignment options. Edge is half the price of precast units, provides better worker utilization, an easy-to-handle design, and better aesthetics and scale for commercial and residential applications. GravityStone Edge is the ultimate choice for durable flexibility in design and...>... More >

Retaining walls, designed to stabilize soil, also provide contractors and developers with a sense of security. The functions they provide can be transforming, as when they create a buildable foundation on a sloped site where construction would be impossible without their presence, or when they secure the sides of a roadway, protecting the unknowing vehicle owners who take safe passage for granted. For all that they restrain, it is the freedom retaining walls provide that ensure their place in the future...>... More >

ACF Environmental  www.acfenvironmental.com Belton Industries  www.beltonindustries.com Blocksom & Co.  www.blocksom.com Bowie  www.bowieindustries.com Conwed Global Netting  www.conwedplastics.com Filtrexx International LLC  www.filtrexx.com Foresight Products Inc.  www.earthanchor.com Genesis Nursery Inc.  N/A Granite Seed Co.  www.graniteseed.com IECA  www.ieca.org International Erosion Control Systems  www.iecs.com J.W. Faircloth & Son&n...>... More >