Evaluation of erosion control blanket properties and test criteria for specification and design : final report.

Final reportPDFTech Reportcmr 16-016TR201509RegulationsEnvironmental controlErosion controlEquationsEvaluationGeographic information systemsDigital mapsWater pollutionDesignUnited StatesTexasMissouriWisconsinNebraskaIowaIllinoisMissouri. Dept. of Transportation. Construction & Materials DivisionSommer, Daniel T.Cox, Amanda L.Luna, RonaldoSaint Louis University. Department of Civil EngineeringMissouri. Dept. of Transportation. Construction & Materials DivisionUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationUS Transportation CollectionA 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 environmentalconstruction 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 theNational Transportation Product Evaluation Program were researched for further insight to typical ECB applications. A fieldinvestigation was established to study the effectiveness of two ECBs on a MoDOT construction site. MoDOT completedconstruction sites, which utilized ECBs, were also included in the investigation to evaluated how well vegetation was sustainedand 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 MoDOTemployee ECB experiences and identify common problems and successful practices using ECBs. Recommendations for ECBapproval procedures and a design process for conditions representative of Missouri were developed using insight gained throughthe 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\ue2\u20ac\u2122s (NTPEP) ASTM standardizedtesting 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 mapswere developed using ArcGIS for Missouri\ue2\u20ac\u2122s representative hydrologic and geologic conditions for use in the RUSLE. The ECBapproval procedures and design process, which were developed specifically for the state of Missouri, are recommended forimplementation into the MoDOT Engineering Policy Guide (EPG). An ongoing product evaluation system was also developed forECBs to document field performance and assist in identifying ECBs that should be removed from the approved products list