EPA Pollution Reductions

In the Southeast, 167 million pounds of pollution will be reduced, treated or eliminated under the EPA’s Region 4 enforcement program. This includes reducing harmful air emissions and significant volumes of untreated sewage, as well as cleaning more than 1.9 million cubic yards of contaminated soil. The estimated value of the efforts will total more than $2 billion, the highest total ever achieved by Region 4. Region 4 issued 27 administrative actions to developers and homebuilders in North Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, Alabama and Tennessee, for failure to obtain or follow discharge permit conditions. During storms, overflows from inadequate combined sewers and sanitary sewers can discharge untreated sewage and industrial wastewaters into waterways.

One Clean Water Act agreement between the EPA and the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, will require Charlotte to implement measures to eliminate sewage overflows and restore and protect the McDowell Creek Watershed. The estimated cost of these measures is $196 billion, with reductions of more than 139,000 pounds of pollution.

Chambers Resigns

Claudia Chambers has resigned from the International Erosion Control Association’s (IECA) board of directors. Chambers had served as technical vice president of the board since February 2007. In that role, she worked with the professional development committee on the IECA’s educational offerings.

As part of the finance committee, she helped develop and approve the 2007/2008 fiscal year budget. She was also instrumental in selecting Chad Pregrake as the keynote speaker for the IECA’s annual conference, Environmental Connection 2008. Perhaps most importantly, Chambers was an active participant in the selection of IECA’s new executive director, Russ Adsit.

IECA 2008 Board

All three incumbents in this year’s election for the 2008 International Erosion Control Association (IECA) board of directors have been retained. Michael Chase, Julie Etra and Tom Williams will begin their new terms in February 2008. In addition, fellow board members Ron Faucher, Becky Gauthier, Mark Hunter, Lee Johnson, John McCullah and Doug Wimble will serve the IECA in 2008.

Rose Joins Profile

Profile Products has announced the addition of Keith Rose as territory manager for New Jersey. He is responsible for selling, preparing and managing DryJect’s aeration service contracts within his territory.

Rose was previously involved in golf course management for 20 years and was most recently the golf course superintendent for the Madison Golf Club in Madison, New Jersey.

Profile acquired DryJect in 2006, combining two of the industry’s leading, advanced technologies in aerification and soil modification.

Postponed Erosion Prevention Measures

In years past, the Appalachian Power Company has dropped Claytor Lake in Virginia by five feet in mid-November. This was done to give the 1,200 property owners along the lake’s edge a chance to work on their docks, put in erosioncontrol measures and clean up. Not this year, however.

For the second time in six years, Appalachian has canceled the drawdown. The annual reduction has been called off due to below-average rainfall. Claytor Lake wouldn’t be able to refill in what Appalachian considers a reasonable amount of time. At this point, all planned erosion prevention measures will have to be postponed.

Brant Appointed Exec. VP

Propex, Inc. has appointed Stan Brant executive vice president. Brant will be responsible for directing all of the company’s geosynthetic, concrete, furnishing and industrial fabrics and fiber manufacturing activities. He will also oversee the company’s supply chain.

Prior to joining the company, Brant spent 17 years with Duracell, where he held several manufacturing and management positions.

Propex Joins Forces with NAUE

As of January 1, 2008, Propex Geosynthetics has reached an agreement with NAUE GmbH & Co. KG to be the exclusive distributor of Secugrid and Combigrid biaxial geogrids in the United States. Propex is a worldwide producer of geosynthetic, concrete, furnishing and industrial fabrics and fiber. The agreement allows Propex to gain control of all sales and marketing of these products. Inventory of products, generating specifications and providing installation assistance now fall under Propex’s jurisdiction.

The decision to take over sales and marketing will allow Propex to better serve the market, said Hugh McClain, vice president of sales for Propex.

Soil Information

Soil information is now available through the Web Soil Survey, a cooperative effort of the USDANatural Resources Conservation Service, the Department of Environmental Protection and many local governments. It took more than 20 years to compile and digitize the county soil survey maps, capture the soil property and interpretation data and complete quality control. In September, the data was posted to the website.

The demand for soil survey information is increasing as environmental and productivity issues continue to grow. Soil survey information has a variety of uses, including conservation planning and application, stormwater management and watershed planning.

As new knowledge is gained, the data can easily be updated. Web Soil Survey is available online at http://soils.usda.gov.

Ordinance Requires Erosion Control Plans

A new ordinance in Jasper County, Missouri, will require erosion control plans for some construction projects. The ordinance will apply to projects that are located in the urbanized area of Joplin and that disturb more than an acre of land. An erosion control plan must be submitted for building projects that come under the new county requirement before they can receive a site-development or building permit.

These plans are a requirement of federal stormwater laws, and similar measures have been adopted by cities in the county. Jasper County Health Department, which also issues building permits to ensure compliance with floodplain laws and septic tank requirements, will enforce the ordinance.

Soil Erosion Harms Species

No one knows for certain why the Ozark hellbender, a prehistoric salamander, is disappearing from the Missouri Ozarks. But the Nature Conservancy of Missouri knows what might be done to bring the species back.

Some of the possible reasons for the hellbender’s disappearance include bank erosion and siltation. Therefore, the conservancy is looking to raise $4 million to buy property in the Current River watershed and repair the land to protect the hellbender and other plant and animal species. Installing erosioncontrol structures along temporary logging roads is one planned measure. Water bars, which are earthen or wooden dams that deflect water from running down forest roads, might be another. Ultimately, the conservancy’s goal is to utilize best management practices to prevent soil erosion.

Developer Fined for Wetlands Damage

Even though VA Timberline LLC had already earned a record $100,000 charge earlier in 2007, it now faces another fine. The new fine is for not properly controlling soil erosion and sediment runoff at its construction site. In late October, the State Water Control Board ordered VA Timberline to pay $9,100 for damage it did to the wetlands on the James River while constructing six road crossings for its subdivision.

In addition to the fine, VA Timberline must submit a plan to the Department of Environmental Quality for restoring the wetlands areas by the road crossings. The earlier charge, also levied for damage to wetlands, was the largest ever levied by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission for that type of violation.

Erosion Prevention in Burned Areas

With nearly 520,000 acres of land burned in the Southern California wildfires, experts are turning their attention to the damage to the natural landscape. One of the top concerns is the threat of mudslides on denuded hills.

“In terms of watersheds, erosion is a big worry if you’ve got hillsides without live vegetation,” said Bill Rukeyser, a spokesperson for the State Water Resources Control Circle 511 on Reader Response Card Board. To prevent excessive erosion and runoff, workers will put down sandbags and turn fallen trees sideways to slow water flowing downhill. On U.S. Forest Service Land, hay bales will be used as well.

Near Pepperdine University in Malibu, some chaparral, a thick shrub that is native to the Southern California region, has been unable to grow back due to the frequent fires. In its place, more flammable plants such as laurel sumac, weeds and mustard grass have sprouted.

These plants are also more susceptible to soil erosion, as they don’t hold the soil as well as chaparral. A similar shift in vegetation toward more flammable plants is at work along coastal Orange County and in parts of Los Angeles County inland from Malibu.

Profile Expands Production

In conjunction with the recent expansion of its Sanger, California plant, Profile Products, LLC is also expanding its Conover, North Carolina plant. Profile, a manufacturer of erosion control products, also constructed a 150,000 sq. ft. distribution center to support the Conover manufacturing plant. The Hickory Distribution Center began production in August 2007.

Investments in the Conover facility include funding improvements for drying, refining and bagging technologies. The Conover plant manufactures Profile’s erosion control products, such as hydraulic mulch, blankets and infiltration tubes.

Recycled Sludge

Troy, New York, hopes to find a new use for sludge. The city’s $3 million sludge dewatering facility will soon begin treating 1.5 tons of sludge daily. After it is treated, the sludge will be transformed into a mix for topsoil that will be used on highway construction projects.

The dewatering facility will handle the sludge produced by the city’s water treatment facility. The sludge contains organic materials and chemicals used in treating 18 to 20 million gallons of water for the 100,000 people in Troy and surrounding areas.

Recycled Plastic Parking Lot

Relay, Maryland residents of all ages pitched in to construct a green parking lot for their town hall recently. The 5,000 sq. ft. area was paved with recycled plastic. Rectangles 15" x 20" were sectioned into hexagonal cells, each about 2" wide and 2" deep, that can be filled with soil and planted with grass.

Each of these cells is as strong as asphalt or cement, but they are significantly more porous. A large hole at the bottom of each allows water to percolate into the soil below, minimizing runoff and soil erosion.

Restoration Project

Cromer Ridge, an area of about 8,000 acres in Kentucky, has been officially closed to ATVs and other off-road vehicles while the U.S. Forest Service restores the area. The intent is to stop erosion by restoring native vegetation and controlling illegal use. Erosion is affecting nearby waterways, with heavy sedimentation affecting water quality and endangering native species.

Four wheeling in Cromer Ridge has been frowned upon for years, but the U.S. Forest Service began actively repairing the area only this fall. The first order of business was reconstructing the road, which had become virtually impassable. Today, a new gravel road allows for easier access.

Once the U.S. Forest Service gives word, patrolling of the area will begin in earnest. Violators can be ticketed for trespassing, as the vast majority of Cromer Ridge is private property. The fine would be $100 plus court costs, and a 30-day probated jail sentence is also possible.

Erosion Top Concern

For many of Alaska’s coastal communities, erosion control will have to be reprioritized to top status. State Senator Ted Stevens said that hundreds of millions of dollars in erosion control and relocation funds would have to be allocated to save the eroded areas. A few of the control efforts that are being discussed include construction of a 3,100 ft. rock revetment project or, on a smaller scale, a sandbag project.

Either way, something must be done quickly, Stevens says. The situation is dire. Although some interim erosion-protection measures have been implemented, more communities are at risk. Some cannot keep up with the pace of erosion and fear that any major storm may irrevocably damage the areas.

Zwilling Joins IECA Board

Steve Zwilling was recently welcomed as a member of the board of directors for the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the International Erosion Control Association (IECA). Zwilling is currently the eastern U.S. market development manager for Profile Products LLC. Because he resides in Mooresville, North Carolina, he was added as a member at-large.

Environmental Connection 2008

Erosion and sediment control training will be offered during Environmental Connection 2008, the International Erosion Control Association’s (IECA) annual conference and expo. The event will be held February 18-22, 2008, at the Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Florida.

The IECA has planned educational programs that range from basic compliance information to advanced specialized topics, case studies, the latest research and more.

Erosion Control Problems Result in Massive Fine

Erosion control problems on an Oregon highway construction project have spelled trouble for the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and California-based Granite Construction. Granite now faces a $240,000 fine, the largest stormwater management fine ever levied. Work on the project has been suspended for up to two years so that landslide problems can be studied.

Trouble began when the contractor cleared 160 acres of land at once, and sediment washed into the Yaquina River. That action led the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to issue a $90,000 fine to ODOT. Later, ODOT handed a similar fine to Granite for failing to prevent erosion. Problems included silt and sediment discharges running into a fish habitat, compromising the fishes’ health, food, and spawning area.