Characteristics of Erosion Control Measures and Their Impact on Erosion

Project summary:

Erosion control blankets and synthetic turf mats are widely used to reduce erosion from construction sites. Their effectiveness is currently evaluated by empirical investigations. Although this approach is useful, each new product requires expensive and tedious field experiments. Long-term progress in selecting erosion control measures can best be made by obtaining a better understanding of the interactions of the control measures with the detachment and transport of sediment. The effectiveness of blankets and turf mats can then be evaluated using simulation tools instead of field experiments. The first goal of the project is to extend the current Minnesota?s database on the effectiveness of erosion control blankets. This will be accomplished by using field plots on long hillslopes with sandy soils. The second goal is to obtain a better understanding of the interactions of erosion control measures and fundamental erosion principles. The impact of blankets/mats on the shear stress acting on soil particles will be investigated using a laboratory flume. Additional insight will be obtained by compiling and analyzing previously published data.