During the International Erosion Control Association (IECA) 2013 Region One Conference and Exhibition (Environmental Connection), Geosynthetica’s Elizabeth Peggs sat down with Jill Pack, CPESC of Tensar North American Green to discuss her paper and technical session on the slope stabilization of a beach on a small island off the coast of Portland, Maine.
The project highlights the way single product solutions are not always best. Here, a combination of technologies were used to maximize the project’s efficiencies and beneficial impact for the community, including a more aesthetic end result while ensuring a strong, long-term design.
Key quote:
The first design option…was sort of a traditional option, including a geotextile underlayment with rock slope. The second option was more of an integrated solution, which included the use of a rocked marine mattress as well as geotextiles, turf reinforcement mats and erosion blankets. The nice idea with the second, integrated solution was they would be allowed to soil fill and vegetate it.
Construction on this island, with its sensitive habitats, required design review from local officials, state environmental officials, and the US Army Corp of Engineers. Also of note, the project team did not perform the work until late fall/early winter—which is a challenge in Maine—out of deference to the residents. Off-season construction ensured the least disturbance of local life for the island’s abbreviated summer.
More about this project was just published in the July/August 2013 issue of Land and Water Magazine, including discussion on how the project performed against some significant storms.
Read Jill’s article here
Visit Tensar North American Green online (www.tensarnagreen.com) for more information on the materials and systems discussed in this interview.
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Jill Pack, CPESC has been actively involved in the development and design of erosion and sediment control systems, specification development, and technical training on erosion and sediment control products as the Manager of Technical Services with Tensar North American Green. Before starting with Tensar Corporation, Jill was an Adjunct Professor at Vincennes University where she taught horticulture and landscape classes.
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Environmental Connection 2014
Nashville, Tennessee
25-28 February 2014
