5 Ways On How To Control Erosion At Your Construction Site
One of the most neglected concerns at a construction site is generally soil erosion. It might be difficult to believe, but around 35 to 45 tons of soil can be lost to erosion if the site is not managed correctly.
Furthermore, with Tacoma receiving rainfall for around 154 days a year, erosion is quite a significant concern. If that is the case in your construction site, you need to employ expert sand dumping services in Tacoma, WA and get ahead of the issue immediately.
However, there are some steps you must take by yourself to ensure that the overall erosion at your construction site stays at bay and the site is well managed.
Segment and breakdown the construction process
The primary step to a well-managed site is segmenting and breaking down the workflow. You don’t need to start working across the entire site simultaneously. Break the site down into parts, and work on only one part of the site at a time.
By doing this, you are making sure that only a part of the earth is exposed to the risk of erosion at one time. As a result, the sedimentation and erosion happen in a controlled manner.
Stabilize all site entrances
Keep in mind that the vehicles entering the site are generally large and can pull sediment along as they drive in and out. This causes quite a bit of erosion that can be avoided if you stabilize all site entrances.
Try and avoid creating steep slopes
While working on-site, keep in mind that you don’t create slopes that are too steep. This is because steep slopes are much more difficult to protect from erosion, given their gradient. Furthermore, they get eroded by simple erosion methods, and you will have difficulty planting any foundations in these places.
Protect your streambanks
There is a constant flow of water in streambanks; hence, these are the places you need to protect most from erosion. You will have to use special erosion control methods like brush mattresses.
These brush mattresses are essentially bioengineered erosion control methods, developed especially for shallow slopes and streambanks. They generally have interwoven live branches over one or two layers and act as sediment traps.
Once they are placed, they act as an excellent base for vegetation growth since there is enough soil for the roots to anchor down.
Minimize disturbed earth
This means you must keep the amount of earth turned for construction to a minimum. As a result, you will expose less soil-to-soil erosion. Do not turn up the earth and break the ground, unless you absolutely need to.
So, plan this out well in advance, and ask your workers to stick to it. Furthermore, also dig up a separate path for the workers and construction equipment, ensuring that no one tramples the vegetation.
Soil erosion at construction sites is a major problem, and not taking care of it only invites more trouble. It also brings quite a few problems in construction since the soil is no longer strong enough to build a proper foundation and hold the structure down.
As a result, you will end up spending a lot more on the project than you intended to. Employ expert Sand Dumping Services, Tacoma, WA, and make sure you implement erosion control methods. Go through the above pointers and make these minor changes to your site to avoid a hassle in the future.