Many companies took advantage of Environmental Connection (EC09), the annual conference and expo of the International Erosion Control Association (see page 40), to introduce their latest products and services for erosion and sediment control. Following are some of the products showcased at EC09. Additionally, in response to a request from CE News, other companies provided current information about their products. Company web addresses are provided for immediate access to additional information.

American Excelsior Company (www.curlex.com) says its ErosionWorks Online is the first web-based erosion analysis and design program and the first program that offers single-storm hillslope analysis. The single-storm analysis tool determines the kinetic energy based on the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). Average Annual Slope analysis based on RUSLE is also provided. Hillslope calculations are based on the climatic, geotechnical, topographic, surface cover management, and support practice characteristics of the site. ErosionWorks Online calculates hillslope soil loss using all American Excelsior Company rolled erosion control products and compares the soil loss to bare soil conditions. The program generates reports in PDF format that can be saved or printed.

Carlson Software ’s (www.carlsonsw.com) Natural Regrade software uses the GeoFluv method for landform design, which the company says minimizes material handling and erosion and creates sustainable lands. According to the company, GeoFluv identifies the type of drainage network—stream channels and valleys—that would tend to form over a long time given the site’s earth materials, relief, and climate to achieve a stable landform, and helps to design and build that landform. The resulting slopes and stream channels are stable because they are in balance with these conditions. Natural Regrade runs on top of any AutoCAD or Autodesk Map versions 2000 through 2009 and also comes with built-in IntelliCAD, a DWG-compatible CAD platform that CAD developers can build upon.

Conwed Plastics (www.conwedplastics.com or www.ecocycletechnology.com) introduced its Ecocycle Technology at EC09. Ecocycle Technology modifies standard plastic, enabling erosion control netting to lose strength at a programmed rate. During its useful life, the netting is stabilized to prevent premature onset of strength reduction. As the netting ages beyond its design life, with ambient heat and oxygen, the netting becomes brittle, breaking into small fragments. The fragments from the initial degradation, under standard conditions of use, can be further broken down until they are digestible by microbes in a second stage of degradation. According to Conwed, netting made with Ecocycle Technology is the only light net that degrades without sunlight so the bottom net degrades just like the top net, allowing for a bottom-to-top, fully degradable rolled erosion control product.

PAM-12 Plus erosion control granules from ENCAP, LLC (www.encap.net) are a combination of defibrated recycled paper fibers agglomerated into granules and water-soluble anionic polyacrylamides (WSPAM). The granules can be applied with broadcast, hydraulic, or blower equipment and used for temporary stabilization, over-winter applications, and for primary erosion control in conjunction with seed and fertilizer. The WSPAM, combined with a calcium component, is the basis for an Advanced Soil Technology that the company says is released through natural or applied moisture and provides effective erosion control through bridging of soil particles.

Environmental Barricades, Inc. (www.environmentalbarricade.com) offers flood and erosion control barriers that according to the company can support silt fencing and replace sandbags. Each 36-inch-tall by 48-inch-long unit weighs 50 pounds empty and 615 pounds when filled with water (77 gallons). Units are joined using a 1/2-inch steel round pin that requires a special tool to resist tampering. Barricade height can be adjusted for the terrain by raising the hinge connection to the next level.

Envirotech Biosolutions’ (www.newbiosolutions.com) EarthMulch uses organic compost, recovered corn fibers, and recycled paper mulch for bio-engineered hydraulic mulch products. EarthMulch is intended for slopes less than 3:1. Bonded Fiber Matrix (BFM) and Bonded Compost Matrix (BCM) formulations include organic tackifiers and environmentally safe polymers. EarthMulch BCM, designed to stabilize traditional compost blankets, is intended for slopes between 3:1 and 2:1; EarthMulch BFM is for slopes between 2:1 and 0.5:1. According to the company, benefits of all three products include bioremediation of soil pollutants, reduced water requirements, lower fertilizer and pesticide requirements, denser vegetative establishment, and higher success rates.
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Erosion Tech LLC’s (www.scourstop.com) ScourStop is a biotechnical replacement for rock rip-rap and offers permanent protection against scour and erosion at drainage outlets, overflow structures, and stream banks. The mats’ impact resistance and tensile strength provide mechanical protection against high stress forces. According to the company, the semi-rigid, perforated mats conform to soil profiles and uniformly secure soil covers—sod, turf reinforcement mats, or geotextiles—to the ground with 70 pounds of "hold-down capacity" per square foot using a deadman-type anchoring system. The Iowa Department of Transportation recently issued a Public Interest Finding, approved by the Federal Highway Administration, for use of ScourStop on state projects.

TYCELL cellular confinement system, from Fiberweb, Inc. (www.fiberweb.com) is made from TYPAR geotextile fabric in a 3D cellular design that the company says allows for custom sizes and configurations, and adaptability to a variety of terrains. TYCELL is expanded on site and filled with a ballast material such as sand, stone, soil, mulch, or other material. Water can filter through the cell walls while the geotextile retains the fill materials. According to the company, the geotextile is UV stabilized for two years; longer if covered.

Landfill Service Corporation (www.landfill.com) created a new marketing division called Posi-Shell Environmental Coatings. Posi-Shell is a spray-applied, cement-mortar coating, similar to stucco, consisting of a liquid base (water or leachate), Posi-Pak P-100 fibers, and PSM-200 setting agent. Depending on the desired durability and color, portland cement and various dyes may also be used in the mixture. According to the company, it forms a durable, non-flammable crust that resists wind and water erosion. In addition to slope stabilization, it is also suitable for applications such as ditch lining; dust control; cover for contaminated soil, compost, coal, or cement clinker piles; and mining applications.

Lane Enterprises, Inc. (www.lane-enterprises.com) manufactures pre-assembled, welded-wire mesh gabions and gabion mattresses. Welded-wire mesh means that each point of contact in the wire grid is welded to form a rigid connection. Lane says its pre-assembled gabions provide shape control that is better than that achieved with other types of baskets such as twisted or woven-wire fabrics, and the gabions install at a considerably faster rate than woven-wire baskets. The gabions are shipped flat with hinged panels that fold out and form a rectangular basket. The sides of the basket are connected with corkscrew spiral binders that stitch the panels together and form the corners of the basket. Preformed stiffeners connect adjacent vertical basket panels and assist in maintaining shape control.

The Layfield Group (www.layfieldgroup.com) offers turbidity curtains, consisting of a permeable or impermeable body fabric, that are suspended vertically in a body of water with floats at the top and ballast chain in the bottom to hold the curtain in a vertical position. The curtains are commonly used near marine environments to protect contained water from turbulence, allowing particles to fall out of suspension. Layfield supplies standard floating turbidity curtains in three constructions: Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3, as defined by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers specifications.

Nedia Enterprises, Inc.’s (www.nedia.com) KoirWrap 1000 is a double-layered, biodegradable erosion control fabric comprising an outer layer of high-strength, continuously woven coir matting and an inner layer of lightweight jute fabric connected together at regular intervals. According to the company, KoirWrap 1000 is ideal for fabric-wrapped soil construction on steep slopes and along stream banks. Fabric-wrapped soil construction relies on the strongest type of coir fabric construction to reinforce soil lifts, high-density plantings of rows of willow cuttings, native seeds, and in many cases a reinforced stone toe to protect against toe scour. The resulting structure relies on fabrics during the initial soil stabilization period (two to five years). As the fabric degrades, the installed vegetation provides the necessary erosion protection and aesthetic benefits.

HydraMatriCX Series hydraulic erosion control products—made with a proprietary blend of straw, reclaimed cotton plant material, tackifiers, and polymers—are manufactured exclusively for North American Green (www.nagreen.com) by Mulch & Seed Innovations, LLC (www.cottonhydromulch.com). HydraCX2 Extreme Slope Matrix is designed for use on steep to severe slopes (2:1 to 1:1). HydraCM Steep Slope Matrix is designed for medium-length, moderate to steep slopes (4:1 to 3:1). Both products require a maximum of 100 gallons of water per 50 pounds of mulch and, according to the company, can be applied in one step together with seed and fertilizer. HydraCX2 and HydraCM do not contain synthetic fibers.

Presto Geosystems’ (www.prestogeo.com) Geoweb slope and shoreline protection systems use cellular confinement sections—connected with restraint clips and held in place with anchors, if necessary—that are filled with topsoil, aggregates, or concrete to resist anticipated hydraulic flows. When infilled with soil and vegetation, Geoweb confines the upper soil layer and protects from the effects of erosion, the company says. Aggregate infill allows use of Geoweb on steeper slopes and creates a permeable, weatherproof cover. Infill with concrete provides hard-armor protection.

Profile Products LLC (www.profileproducts.com) launched a web-based program called Profile Soil Solutions Software (PS³) that provides engineering and agronomic assistance for erosion and sediment control. PS³ integrates hydraulically applied and rolled erosion control products, sediment retention fiber rolls, and prescriptive agronomic formulations. In addition, it provides complete design documentation including product specifications, installation guidelines, CAD drawings, and other pertinent technical information. PS³ offers design, diagnostics, explanations, and guidance in creating sustainable erosion and sediment control solutions based on five design considerations: soil analysis, species selection, erosion and sediment control technologies and products, guidelines for effective product installation, and appropriate measures for ongoing inspection and maintenance. The new software is accessible at www.profileps3.com.

RoLanka’s (www.rolanka.com) BioD-Mat blankets are woven from machine twisted, 100-percent natural bristle coir twines. According to the company, these 100-percent biodegradable, open-weave coir mats support vegetation establishment better than synthetic and composite turf reinforcement mats. BioD-Mat is also wildlife friendly. The open-weave structure allows planting through the mat without cutting it and also accommodates reseeding, if necessary after installation. These semi-permanent mats have field functional longevity of four to six years. BioD-Mat blankets are available in weights from 460 grams per square meter (g/m2) to 980 g/m2. They are available in 83-foot-long rolls ranging in width from 3.28 feet to 13 feet. BioD-Mat 70 and BioD-Mat 90 are suitable for channel (vegetative waterway) restoration, slope stabilization, soil bioengineering, and other wetland applications.

Soil Retention Products, Inc. (www.soilretention.com) offers ENVIROFLEX, an articulating concrete erosion control block. Applications include dam/spillway overflow protection, culvert outlets, detention/retention basins, embankments, wetland traffic crossings, and applications where erosion, scour, and maintaining environmentally responsible surroundings are of concern. ENVIROFLEX is manufactured from fiber-reinforced concrete. The openings in the block units enable vegetation to be established and allow stormwater infiltration. According to the company, cabling or other connection devices are not required for hydraulic stability. However, each block can be individually connected through a one-mat pin or continuously connected by a cable. Each block interlocks through an overlap connection that limits the block’s overturning ability by eliminating protruding edges.

Tri-Lock articulated concrete blocks (ACB) from Southwest Erosion Control (www.southwesterosioncontrol.com) interlock to form flexible concrete revetments. A typical ACB revetment mat is formed by placing "lock blocks" and "key blocks" on a geotextile fabric. The interlocking matrix allows versatile structure design for use over varying land contours and grades. ACB’s traverse changes in terrain without disrupting the placement patterns and interlocking features of the system, allowing for partial settlement of the underlying foundation without disrupting the integrity of the installation. Voids between blocks allow vegetation to establish over time. The blocks are available in three sizes ranging in weight from 50 pounds to 70 pounds.

EarthGuard Fiber Matrix, manufactured by Terra Novo, Inc. (www.earthguard.com), is patented technology generically known as a stabilized fiber matrix. It is a liquid emulsion that is mixed in a hydro-seeder with fiber mulch and sprayed on soil to resist erosion. EarthGuard is designed to work directly with soil to maintain its stability by both preserving existing soil structure and flocculating fine sediment being dislodged by stormwater or irrigation. Fiber is used to prevent splash erosion; seed is optional. According to the company, EarthGuard Fiber Matrix offers protection equal to a bonded fiber matrix and some blankets at a fraction of the cost.