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A “short-term” solution provides lasting results
The site chosen for a new Walmart location was a difficult north-facing site on the side of a steep forest/meadow area along State Route 443 in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. William W. (Skip) Schneider, with CEI Engineering, was tasked with designing the Erosion & Sediment Control Plan that would meet the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) Title 25, Chapter 102 Erosion & Sediment Control and NPDES Storm Water Discharge Rules and Regulations.
The project involved cutting into a steep slope and moving 550,000 cubic yards of soil to create the new store pad, parking area, and access driveway. The cut and fill operation resulted in terraced 2:1 (H:V) slopes above the store pad and similar slopes below the site.
The steepness of the slopes required the installation of erosion control blankets to stabilize the newly created cuts and fills and to enhance the rapid establishment of vegetation. Schneider chose a single-net accelerated degradable straw blanket for the project.
RAPID DEGRADABILITY, LONG-TERM PROTECTION
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East Coast Erosion Blankets ECS-1D Temporary Single Net Straw Rolled Erosion Control Product, with a functional longevity of 45-90 days, was installed on the slopes. The blankets were installed in the early to mid spring of 2010 and by mid-summer the slopes were fully vegetated.
The site did not experience any erosion problems. By mid-summer, the photodegradable polypropylene netting was extremely brittle and experiencing degradation–performing exactly as engineered.
The role of these types of erosion control blankets is to provide the essential protection necessary to allow growth to develop.
One year later, the hillside vegetation remains strong and is providing the long-term erosion control this site and all sites really need: natural vegetation itself.
John Ravert is the Director of Technical Services for East Coast Erosion Blankets LLC, www.eastcoasterosion.com.
