Erosion Risk Protection Tool for Construction Sites

Project summary:

Previous research projects have focused on the usefulness of erosion control blankets and in improving understanding of fundamental detachment processes. Nonetheless, extrapolating this information to the myriad of construction conditions in Minnesota requires a theoretical framework that links together the many factors influencing erosion. One important factor is highly variable weather conditions. The overall goal of the proposed study is to assess the risk of erosion from construction sites for a variety of weather conditions. The first step in the project is to assess the needs and demands of erosion control practitioners working with construction projects. The next step is to develop a simulation tool that allows practitioners to evaluate the risk of erosion on construction sites associated with simulated or predicted weather patterns. The framework will also be developed to allow for future expansion of the tool to incorporate the effectiveness of various erosion control practices. The final step is to evaluate the usefulness of the simulation tool using the experience of seasoned erosion control professionals and determine what additional research is necessary to complete the tool?s ultimate goal of predicting the effectiveness of various erosion control practices during construction.