Meadowbrook Terrace Streambank Restoration Day 2
By the time we got out there again on the second day they had already been working for hours.
The pumps were set up again and the brook was nearly dry.
Now they were up to the bamboo roots.
It took us a while to figure out what they were up to next. They laid out a lot of the coir fabric down the middle of the brook and staked it on one side.
The other guy showed up with a truck full of more of the rolled up coir matting.
Vegetated coir logs are biodegradable coconut coir pith logs tightly packed in tubular netting. They are highly effective in reducing water velocity at the base of slopes, shorelines, and stream banks. They are used for controlling dry slope erosion and establishing wetland edges and stream channel banks.
The staked the coir fabric on one side, laid the rolled up fabric on it and staked it down. Then they pulled the rolled out fabric up and over the “log” and staked it on the other side so that the whole thing was really really staked down every which way.
The had left some of the old retaining wall where there was a power pole. They build up this rolled up coir on that side from where the wall ended.
Then they did the same thing over it with another layer to create this double layer.
They filled in behind the wall where the soil had eroded away and put a lot of rock on top of that.
This was what they were making. It will help to hold the soil until the plants start growing.
Coir logs generally last for two to five years. As it bio-degrades, the plants develop a well-established root system in the shoreline sediment which will retain the soil in place preventing further erosion. The decomposing Coir log provides valuable humus to the soil.
www.aquaticbiologists.com/erosion-control/
Seed
Seed Conditioned by Lazy M Farm
The plans call for them to put in riparian seed mix. That means seeds that grow well on stream banks. Stream banks have soil that is high in clay, organic matter and saturated sand. Riparian Seed Mix is a mix of grass and wildflower seeds that naturally grow on stream banks. It holds the banks in place and provides food and cover for birds and other animals.
They also spread fertilizer.
They graded the area, then he raked it a little and threw down the seed.
He spread hay over the seeds.
They set lots and lots of stakes in the fabric. He would push them in a little by hand, then walk back and press them down with the head of a sledge hammer.
Now they were done with that side and the back. Only the front where the bamboo roots are left to do. They made this area much wider and built up the bank with the dirt they dug out.
The dug out the rest of the bamboo roots and made the brook wide and shallow here.
It was piles of roots. The truck took two loads to the stump dump.
Storm Drain Culvert
We have a storm drain on the road that diverts rain runoff into the brook. They dug by hand to find the culvert for that before they went any further.
The guy in the back of this photo is continuing to stake down coir fabric.
One guy dug out the storm drain culvert. Then the other guy cut it off with a chainsaw.
Then he pulled out the cut off piece of culvert with the excavator. (I know it is an excavator because I googled Cat 314E.)
The new Cat® 314E L CR hydraulic excavator is designed for customers requiring a powerful, versatile, fuel-efficient, 14.5 to 17.1 metric-tonne machine with the compact dimensions to work productively on space-restricted job sites. The new model meets European Union Stage IIIB emissions standards and features a fuel-flexible engine, efficient hydraulic system, choice of booms and sticks, refined operator’s environment and easy serviceability.
Before that I was calling it all kinds of wrong things.
The culvert had been blocked and water gushed out as soon as it was cut.
He lifted the big piece of culvert away, then graded the stream bank to the right height.
Then he cut the pipe at an angle to match the grade.
This is the last part. They made the stream bed much wider here.
I was worried they would take my oak tree, but they worked around it. (The apple tree in the back yard is gone gone gone.
This is the last part of the bank to get cut away.
Clear water pouring into the new stream bed
They turned off the pumps and let the clear water flow into the new stream bed.
They were still spreading seeds and hay, cleaning up and loading up the equipment when I left.
This is what we came back to the next day.
This is the riffle area. It is running clear and the little baby brook trout were already loving it!
None of my photos look like anything, but there are little 4 and 5-inch long brook trout in the rocks.
They left this bit of the old retaining wall. They replace the soil that had been washed away under and behind the wall. They put in rock and pressed dirt over.
The project said;
Meadowbrook Terrace Streambank Restoration
The restoration project will stabilize approximately 210 linear feet of both sides of the stream by integrating bioengineering and live stakes to increase the strength and structure of the streambank. The project will consist of approximately 420 linear feet of bioengineered geolifts, approximately 250 linear feet of brush mattresses, approximately 700 live stakes, several log vanes and approximately 740 square yards of erosion control matting. The project will also consist of clearing out invasive vegetation and removing the retaining wall. Please note that the quantities provided above are approximate and that detailed design and permitting will be necessary to establish exact quantities and specific items.
Live Stakes
Live Stakes
Specific tree and shrub species that root well from cuttings in water or moist soil conditions are available as live stakes… They are used as part of a strategy to stabilize streambanks and create natural shorelines.
Live stakes are dormant woody cuttings with the branches removed. They can be used alone or to secure other bioengineering materials such as erosion control blankets or root carpets. Live stakes are easier to install than bare-root trees and shrubs, because they require a 2-inch pilot hole, compared to an 18-inch hole for a tree or shrub.
www.cardnonativeplantnursery.com/erosion-stormwater-control/live-stakes-fascines
Are the things they pushed in to stake the coir fabric the live stakes?
Bioengineered Geolifts
The way they did the bank with the rolls of coir is the bioengineered geolifts. It is a way to “prevent erosion until the permanent vegetation is established.”
Brush Mattresses
A brush mattress is a layer (mattress) of interlaced live branches placed on a bank face, often with a live fascine and/or rock at the base. The live branches are cut from any adventitiously sprouting (sprouts roots from stems) woody plant, such as willow and some species of shrub dogwood and alder. The mattress and the live fascines are held in place with wire or twine, live stakes, and dead stout stakes.
Brush Mattresses for Streambank Erosion Control
by Hollis H. Allen and Craig Fischenich
250 linear feet of brush mattresses? I don’t see that they did that at all. I can’t see where they would even want to.
Clearing Out Invasive Vegetation and Removing Retaining Wall
They removed the cane, native, but I am SO glad it is gone.
They removed the broken part of the retaining wall and shored up the rest.
The final sentence says; “Please note that the quantities provided above are approximate and that detailed design and permitting will be necessary to establish exact quantities and specific items.”
So are they going to come back and plant all these shrubs and trees?
Anyway, they said they will start on the area by our house soon! That is the Comet Drive Streambank Restoration.
Meadowbrook Terrace Streambank Restoration
Meadowbrook Terrace Streambank Restoration Plan
Comet Drive Streambank Restoration Plan
The Out of Control Bamboo or Cane
The Broken Retaining Wall
Pond & Streambank Restoration at Patton Park
Day 1 Restoring the Streambank at the Log Cabin
Day 2 Restoring the Streambank at the Log Cabin
