EROSION AND SEDIMENT CONTROL PLAN

INTRODUCTION

Erosion is a process by which soil and minerals are detached and transported. The process may also be viewed to include sedimentation, which is the deposition of particles when gravitational forces overcome the forces that cause the movement (McCuen, 2004). Erosion can be loosely defined as the wearing away of the land. Forces associated with water, wind, ice and gravity are constantly at work wearing down Earths surface known as erosion processes. Within the four forces, water erosion is the most widespread agent of erosion process and is responsible for the bulk of the sediment transported from the land to the sea. Besides, precipitation along with a variety of other factors breaks down rocks, which forms soil and debris. The resulting matter is transported through rills, gullies, channels, and other water courses toward the oceans. There are four primary activities which accelerate the rates of erosion: construction, agriculture, logging and mining. For example, when land is disturbed by construction activities, soil erosion may increase from 2 to 40,000 times the preconstruction erosion rate. This is evidenced by the fact that each year approximately 80 million tons of sediment is washed from construction sites into lakes, rivers, and other waterways (Goldman et al.,1986).

EFFECTS OF EROSION AND SEDIMENTATION Numerous problems arise from inadequate control of erosion rates and sedimentation. One of the problems is the suspended sediment in rivers and streams. In addition to the negative aesthetic value, the environmental effects of suspended sediment and deposited soil on aquatic habitat are widely known. Besides, erosion has economic impacts as well. For example, when

excessive sediment is accumulated in a reservoir, the reservoir must be dredged and the soil material disposed of. In Cull Canyon Reservoir located in Alameda Country, California, less than 10% of the watershed has been urbanized. Eleven years after construction of the reservoir, 400,000 yd of sediment was removed. The cost was approximately $1 million (Goldman et al., 1986).
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SITE-SPECIFIC EROSION AND SEDIMENT CONTROL PRACTICES As discuss in the previous section, construction sites are often major sources of sediment. One of the most effective mechanisms for controlling sediment from construction is to require an erosion and sediment control plan for every proposed development project and to review the adequacy of this plan before construction begins. Erosion and sediment control plans are worthless if they are not put into practice on the ground. To help ensure that plans are effectively implemented, the following procedures are recommended (CEP,1994): Establish a single integrated process for building/site plan reviews and permitting. If approval for site development involves a series of separate permits issued by separate individuals (for example, separate permits for building plans, for earth disturbance, and for erosion control), erosion and sediment control practices are less likely to be smoothly and sensibly integrated into the final site design.

Ensure that sediment control practices are designed into the construction job, not tacked on as an afterthought late in the process. By incorporating sediment control practices into site design early on, it is more likely that the construction job will be budgeted and contacted to cover necessary costs.

Close the connection between plans put on paper and work performed on the ground. For example, the developer should be asked to stake out the limits of cleaning as shown on the erosion and sediment control plan before bulldozer operators begin work. Requiring a bond to cover the cost of connecting problems (if any) caused by failure to follow the plan may also help motivate developers to close the connection.

Table 1: Suggested Contents of An Erosion and Sediment Control Plan

(Source : Denver Regional Council of Governments)

Six basic common-sense principles should govern the development of an erosion and sediment control plan (EPA, 1976): (1) Plan the operation to fit the topography, soils, waterways and natural vegetation at the site (2) Avoid development in natural drainage-ways (3) Expose the smallest practical area of land for the shortest possible time (4) Apply soil erosion control practices as a first line of defense against off-site damage (5) Apply sediment control practices as a second line of defense against off-site damage (6) Implement a thorough maintenance program during and after operations are completed.

CASE STUDY
(Source:http://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/Composting-Helps-Battle-Erosion-on Roadway-Projects/5923/)

Like many states, Texas struggles with roadside erosion. In the late 1990s, The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) began using compost in highway construction designs. Texas is now considered a leader in the use of compost along highway systems for erosion control.

According to Barrie Cogburn, director of landscape and enhancements of the design division of TxDOT, the use of compost in erosion control is gaining acceptance as more contractors and designers become aware of the benefits associated with its use.

There are many advantages to the use of compost for erosion control, Cogburn said. Along with limited long-term maintenance, compost has shown to be nearly 50 percent less expensive to apply than traditional erosion control blankets.

The blankets only protect the seedbeds, he said, while the combination of compost and woodchips amends the soil and protects the seedbed, thus quick and stable vegetation occurs.

Faster embankment stabilization means the contractor can move on to other phases of construction sooner, Cogburn said.

One of the first compost projects in Texas was implemented at Big Springs, a badly eroded hillside where, for approximately 30 years, multiple unsuccessful attempts at seeding, hydromulching and blanketing had failed.

Finally, in 1997, a 50-percent mixture of compost and wood chips was applied to the slope, which, by then, was worn down to its subsurface soil. Not only did the compost remain through 40 mile per hour winds on the day of application and resist a heavy rainfall shortly after application, but two months later, the site was heavily vegetated and remains so to this day, Cogburn said.

These results were enough to prove to Cogburn the tremendous potential of compost as erosion control.

The more success stories that are circulated and the fact that compost is both time and cost effective will lead to it eventually becoming the method of choice.

Recently, the Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division (EFLHD) used the composting method after a small landslide along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville, NC, took out a section of the roadside cut area. The project was unprecedented in that it was the first time EFLHD had used compost in this capacity and to roadside terrain this steep.

According to Mitch King, project engineer of the EFLHD, compost is an excellent tool in erosion control, not just for its tremendous success rate, but for its additional benefit in reducing the invasion of pesky plants.

The heat generated during the compost process eliminates the ability of weeds and other unwanted exotic plants to grow, King said. I have worked directly on numerous compost projects, including the one along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The results in every case indicate that compost has a bright future as an erosion control method; not only is compost as good as or better than conventional erosion control methods, but it also benefits the environment by reducing the invasion of exotic plants, which is of particular importance in environmental sensitive areas such as the Blue Ridge Parkway.

METHODS OF CONTROLLING SEDIMENT AND EROSION Sediment control requires two basic approaches. One approach is the handling of sediment where it creates a problem. The other is reduction of the rate of sediment production from the drainage area. Two elements are involved in controlling sediment production. The first is prevention of erosion or the initial entrainment of sediment particles on the land slopes and in the minor drainage-ways. Second is deceleration of movement and selective storage of sediment at innumerable points throughout the drainage area. The most effective means of preventing surface erosion is to protect the land with a permanent vegetal cover to the greatest possible extent. Numerous experimental data show that dense forest, shrub, and grass cover prevents raindrop and wind impact on the soil surface, which is the initial and very consequential force involved in sheet erosion.

Vegetative Buffers

Slope Vegetation

The erosion process can be controlled through proper maintenance and improvement of stable channels. Lane (1937) defines the term stable channel as an unlined earth channel in which the banks and bed are not scarred objectionably by the moving water and in which objectionable deposits of sediment do no occur. Pictures below show several options to prevent and help to diminish soil erosion problems along river embankments.

Gabion Wall: Gabion wall are used as bank stabilization where high soil erosion is likely to occur and where the bank is composed of small rocks that will resist the water forces.

Geotextile Matting: Geotextile matting are non-woven fiber of coconut, bounded together with a polyethylene mesh rope. They usually come in rolls and are rolled out over the surface on the bank, preventing soil erosion on newly graded slopes. Sometimes vegetation can be established over the geotextile and the roots of the vegetation will act as an interlocking agent with the fibers.

Brush

Mattress:

system

of

protecting the bank by branches that are anchored to the ground using stakes. This system is ideal capturing sediment in rain events. The

drawback of this technique is that the fascines are vulnerable to be washed away during heavy rain.

Streambank erosion is a natural process that occurs in streams. Depending on the soil type and land use, streambank erosion can account for 40 percent or more of total soil loss in some watersheds (Smith, 1992). The major factor accounting for streambank erosion is the velocity of the flowing water. Velocity is affected by the stream cross section, stream bed gradient, bank cover, depth of flow and degree of meander. Water flowing at the rate of two feet per second can move a cobblestone weighing half a pound, but an increase in velocity to ten feet per second can move a stone that weighs one hundred and fifty pounds. There are numerous methods of controlling streambank erosion. When a streambank requires protection from high velocity flows, structural methods should be considered. Two structural methods commonly used are riprap revetments and gabion revetments.

Riprap Revetments

A runoff, erosion and sediment control plan includes the use of sediment traps, in association with sediment control structures to trap or retain suspended sediment on site or within an enclosed in stream work area. Sediment traps are temporary or permanent sediment control structures that reduce water velocity and allow soil particles to settle. The remaining water is filtered through geotextile or organic type structures, such as straw bales, before entering a storm water system or natural watercourse. Sediment traps are simple to construct and relatively inexpensive. They can also be removed or vegetated to anchor accumulated sediment. Monitoring and repairs are important components of a sediment control plan. Accumulated fill should be excavated and removed to a stable location to increase the storage capacity.

Confinement of sediment laden water inside turbidity curtain, North Saskatchewan River,

Edmonton Alberta.

Sediment settling pond, Storm Water Outfall 13 Project, Edmonton, Alberta

Sediment trapped in straw bale sediment barrier

Pictures Source: http://www.terraerosion.com/projects/sediment-control.htm

REFERENCES Richard H. McCuen. (2004).Hydrologic Analysis and Design. Book News, Inc., Portland. Caribbean Environment Programme. (1994).Guidelines For Sediment Control Practices In The Insular Caribbean (CEP Technical Report No.32). United Nation Environment Programme. Denver Regional Council of Governments. (1980). Managing Erosion and Sedimentation from Construction Activities. 101 pp. Goldman, S.J., Jackson, K. and Bursztynsky, T.A. (1986). Erosion and Sediment Control Handbook. McGraw-Hill, New York. Lane, E.W. (1937). Stable Channels in Erodible Material. Trans., ASCE, Vol.102. Richard H. McCuen. (2004). Hydrologic Analysis and Design. Book News, Inc., Portland. Smith, Darrell. (1992). Raging Waters. Farm Journal. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (1976). Erosion and sediment control In: Surface Mining in the Eastern U.S., Volume 2, Design. EPA Technology Transfer Seminar Publication EPA-625/3-76-006.