SCIENCE COMBINED WITH ART MAKES FOR COST EFFECTIVE ROLLED EROSION CONTROL PRODUCT DESIGN PRACTICES

摘要

The use of Rolled Erosion Control Products (RECPs) has grown steadily overthe past three decades as their value in providing cost effective erosion and sedimentcontrol continues to gain recognition and acceptance. Driven by increasingly stringentenvironmental policies, owners, engineers, designers, agencies and contractors havebeen made more aware of their responsibility to employ effective erosion andsediment control practices on and around construction and land disturbing projects.The more extensive National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)Phase II regulations of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean WaterAct took effect in March of 2003. This legislation requires a growing number ofmunicipalities, construction and industrial sites to develop, implement, and enforcestorm water management programs to reduce the discharge of pollutants to the"maximum extent practicable" to protect water quality. Compliance with theseenhanced EPA policies will lead to an inevitable increase in the use of RECPs for theprotection of slopes, channels, stream banks and shorelines.Over the past decade there has been continued progress in the research anddevelopment of more sophisticated and higher performing RECPs. Research byseveral major universities, laboratories and manufacturers has lead to improvedquantification of RECP performance characteristics and more accurate designmethodology. This research combined with increased usage by numerous agencies,engineering and architectural firms provides greater confidence in the design andselection of proper RECPs for a variety of applications. These efforts have resulted inincreased standardization of RECP product hierarchies positioned for predicted levelsof performance, functional longevity and intended application niches.Despite the rise in RECP popularity, proven cost effectiveness and continuedsuccess, the design of these materials is not always an exact science. There are severalenvironmental factors that will contribute to the long-term performance of RECPinstallations. This paper will provide an overview of Rolled Erosion Control Products,their prescribed application niches, the most up to date design practices and additionalconsiderations for successful performance.