Evaluation Of Erosion Control Blanket Properties And Test Criteria For Specification And Design

Download or read book Evaluation of Erosion Control Blanket Properties and Test Criteria for Specification and Design written by Danny Sommer and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 151 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A research project to investigate the product approval, design process, and ongoing product evaluation of erosion control blankets (ECBs) for the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) was conducted. An overview of federal and state environmental construction laws was performed noting the significance of ECBs on construction sites. Standardized erosion control testing, product approval, and design processes utilized by other state departments of transportation and those recommended by the National Transportation Product Evaluation Program were researched for further insight to typical ECB applications. A field investigation was established to study the effectiveness of two ECBs on a MoDOT construction site. MoDOT completed construction sites, which utilized ECBs, were also included in the investigation to evaluated how well vegetation was sustained and ongoing blanket degradation following site acceptance in accordance with the MoDOT Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP). In addition to field site evaluations, surveys were developed and administered to record contractor and MoDOT employee ECB experiences and identify common problems and successful practices using ECBs. Recommendations for ECB approval procedures and a design process for conditions representative of Missouri were developed using insight gained through the study of common ECB product acceptance and design, the field site investigation, evaluation of completed construction sites, and the surveys of ECB experiences. The National Transportation Product Evaluation program's (NTPEP) ASTM standardized testing was recommended as the basis for product approval. For ECB design, the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was recommended and used to establish minimum performance requirements for both product acceptance and design. Digital maps were developed using ArcGIS for Missouri's representative hydrologic and geologic conditions for use in the RUSLE. The ECB approval procedures and design process, which were developed specifically for the state of Missouri, are recommended for implementation into the MoDOT Engineering Policy Guide (EPG). An ongoing product evaluation system was also developed for ECBs to document field performance and assist in identifying ECBs that should be removed from the approved products list.