After a wet and rainy spring, you may have noticed areas on your property where drainage issues or erosion occurred. Although erosion is a natural geological process caused by gravity-fed water, man-made changes to existing topography may often speed up erosion to damaging levels. Not only is this messy, but your valuable soil and property is literally being swept away!
Erosion can often occur during construction when existing grades and drainage are altered or when vegetation is removed, leaving the soil bare. Erosion control measures help mitigate property damage and soil loss by stabilizing areas that are occasionally exposed to turbulent flowing water.
A recent project for a client of ours in North Texas called for some erosion control measures. The client’s property included a bridge over a creek bed that led to a nearby pond. Although the creek was normally dry, it would fill with fast moving water during heavy rains, causing erosion concerns that could undermine the bridge. As a solution for our clients erosion control problem, we used gabions, wire structures filled with stone, to stabilize the area. Here are some photos of the work being done to stabilize that area.
Before starting, this is how the area looked.
Leveling, grading, and compacting of soil before gabion base is installed.
Infilling stones into gabion base set on top of Geotextile fabric.
Gabion walls are then built up on either side to desired height after filling the base layer.
Gabions form a base and walls on the outflow side of bridge.
Geotextile fabric is carried along the sides of gabion structure before backfilling. Although the fabric is permeable, it prevents the soil from eroding through the gabions.
Before
After
Adam enjoying himself.
A cross section of a gabion structure. Credit
Many areas that require erosion control efforts only occasionally see water during heavy rain or flooding events. After this last rainy spring, you may have noticed areas on your property that need proper erosion control. Don’t wait until it’s too late to address these important drainage concerns.
Let us know if you have any questions about drainage and erosion control on your property. J. Cordell Landscape and Irrigation will be glad to help. Text or Email us today to schedule a consultation! 469-609-7733
