Ditchbanks and Ponds need Mowed

[mikim]

yeah - thanks - now i got it and understand why it's tough to mow -

 

[Bird]

Mike, in our part of the country about the only time you hear of "rip rap" is that it's used on the water side of the dams of nearly every Corps of Engineeers lake or reservoir as well as a lot of other lakes.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Rip Rap is large stone used for slowing the velocity of water and protecting the soil from erosion. If you have a ditch or channel that is eroding rip rap will stabilize it. It is not a surface that you would want to cut grass on. Creating large bowls made of rip rap at the end of ditches will prevent 60 -70 % of all sediments from being transported into a lake or pond. These bowls are called "Sediment Traps or Forebays" and they are used all the time. If anyone is unhappy with rip rap and would like a substitute lining for a storm water channel I would recomend a synthetic Erosion Control Blanket (EC-3) which is stapled to the bare soil and allows the grass to grow up through it. Properly installed it can perform the same function as rip rap.
I am employed in the environmental field, if anyone has a specific problem with erosion, ponds, lakes, etc, you can email me .

Pat in VA. PTM1234@AOL.COM

 

[MarkV]

Speaking of Rip Rap I saw something recently that was interesting. There are several small streams that run through areas of Atlanta that will carry a great deal of runoff during heavy rains. I was working in a neighborhood that had a large ditch leading to one of these streams. The ditch had to be 15’ wide by 10’ deep and ran about 150’ to the stream. To control erosion the city had lined the sides and bottom of the ditch with Rip Rap that was bundled into blocks about 3’ square and bond together with cyclone type fence material. I had never seen a system like that before, but it looked good and had to be very strong.

Happy Holidays

MarkV

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Mark,
The 3' square baskets made of cyclone fence are called "Gabion Baskets". Gabions are commonly used to create a stabilized storm water channel. I have even had projects were they were used along Rivers and Bays to protect the shoreline from wave impact erosion.

Pat in VA

 

[MikePA]

In the FWIW category, gabions were also used in the Civil War, aka War Between the States, to create embankments.

 

[Bird]

If I remember right, I've also seen some of that on the hillside to prevent erosion and rock slides along I-40 in Tennessee just west of Harriman (between mile 340 and 347), as well as in some storm drain ditches around the country.

 

[MarkV]

Pat, thank you for coming up with a name. I would guess I have seen these before and did not pay any attention. It sure seems like a good way to handle extreme forces like heavy storm run off or waves. Some how I don’t think my little B21 would move them around very well./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bird, I am often amazed at the things you remember from your travels, even years later, but the mile markers!/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Dang, I have trouble with where I ate lunch last Wednesday./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

MarkV

 

[Bird]

MarkV, with a wife originally from West Virginia, I've driven that particular road several times in the last 34 years./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[smilingreen]

Bird,
Tennessee uses rip rap for every kind of ditch in the middle tennessee area. I live just off of exit 245 on I-40 and this is the only way that erosion can be controlled. We have so much rock in this area. When it rains, a lot of areas have only 6" to 12" of soil (noticed I didn't say top soil: we don't have any, just clay) on top of rock. This obviously becomes saturated quickly, which in turn creates a lot of flash flooding. If you ever get off at one of these exits, check out our county ditches! No road shoulder, just a 24" to 48" drop off. Try mowing one of these ditches!

Dave