Hydraulic Performance Evaluation of Wattles Used for Erosion and Sediment Control

Whitman, J. Blake; Schussler, Jaime C.; Perez, Michael A.; Liu, Lan

doi:10.1061/(asce)ir.1943-4774.0001586

Cited by 6 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Building on Donald et al’s performance criterion, Whitman et al evaluated the effects of wattle fill material and encasement on hydraulic performance through clean water tests ( 23 , 37 ). Eight wattles were tested in a hydraulic flume at Iowa State University and classified into one of the four following classes: (C1) least effective at sustaining subcritical flows and had depth and length ratio percent differences less than 20% and 30%, respectively; (C2 and C3) indicated depth percent differences ranging from 10% to 20% and length percent differences ranging from 20% to 30% for C2, and 10% to 20% for C3; (C4) most effective at maximizing subcritical flows with only miscanthus-grass-filled wattles qualifying, with a depth and length percent difference less than 10%.…”

Section: Erosion and Sediment Control Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Eight wattles were tested in a hydraulic flume at Iowa State University and classified into one of the four following classes: (C1) least effective at sustaining subcritical flows and had depth and length ratio percent differences less than 20% and 30%, respectively; (C2 and C3) indicated depth percent differences ranging from 10% to 20% and length percent differences ranging from 20% to 30% for C2, and 10% to 20% for C3; (C4) most effective at maximizing subcritical flows with only miscanthus-grass-filled wattles qualifying, with a depth and length percent difference less than 10%. Results suggest that excelsior wattles fall into C1; wheat straw wattles into C2; coconut coir, wood chip, and synthetic wattles into C3; and miscanthus wattles into C4 ( 37 ).…”

Section: Erosion and Sediment Control Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Decade of Research in Review at the Auburn University Stormwater Research Facility

Schussler

Perez

Donald

et al. 2022

Transportation Research Record

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Sediment remains one of the most commonly occurring pollutants affecting the U.S.’s water bodies, as identified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) ( 1). Construction activities largely accelerate soil erosion and subsequent sediment deposition. The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Construction General Permit requires construction operators to implement erosion and sediment control (E&SC) plans to minimize downstream implications from sediment-laden discharge. However, E&SC practices are often designed from “rules of thumb” and lack scientific, performance-based evidence in their design and implementation. The Auburn University Stormwater Research Facility (AU-SRF), previously the Auburn University Erosion and Sediment Control Testing Facility (AU-ESCTF), is an outdoor research center dedicated to evaluating E&SC practices and products commonly used on highway construction projects. Large-scale test apparatuses and methods at AU-SRF are designed to mimic construction site conditions, including rainfall, flow rates, topography, and soil characteristics, to evaluate existing and novel E&SC practices. Since its inception in 2008, AU-SRF has provided small-, medium-, and large-scale testing evaluations for numerous Departments of Transportation and product manufacturers. Findings from controlled testing have continued to inform the selection, design, implementation, and maintenance of E&SC practices used on construction sites and protect downstream waters and infrastructure. In the first decade, AU-SRF has directed 13 research projects and produced more than 30 peer-reviewed publications and 100 professional presentations. As AU-SRF grows into its second decade and efforts reach outside of the southeastern region, the mission to advance knowledge through E&SC research and development, product evaluation, and training remains constant. This review synthesizes the research produced from large-scale testing at AU-SRF to date and presents ongoing projects.

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Section: Erosion and Sediment Control Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Erosion and Sediment Control Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decade of Research in Review at the Auburn University Stormwater Research Facility

Schussler

Perez

Donald

et al. 2022

Transportation Research Record

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“…Since the concept of cross-section utilization is relatively new and unknown for most SB practices, an alternative approach to estimating utilization would certainly be of value when evaluating practices for a particular application. One metric that could be used to assess cross-section utilization is subcritical flow conditions created upstream of a SB practice, which is a function of an SB’s flow-through rate as suggested by Donald et al ( 18 ) and Whitman et al ( 21 ). For instance, SB practices that form elongated subcritical pools upstream of the installation typically have low flow-through rates, thus resulting in increased impoundment depth along the upstream face of the SB practice.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Troxel (8) SB life-cycle analysis Gogo-Abite and Chopra (9) Silt fence performance evaluations Chapman et al (6) SB installation effectiveness Garcia et al (17) SB in-field performance evaluations Cooke et al (7) Silt fence failure to protect the ecosystem Donald et al (18) Hydraulic evaluation of SB ditch checks Bugg et al (19) Silt fence performance evaluations Whitman et al (4) SB performance evaluations Wood (20) SB performance evaluations Whitman et al (21) Hydraulic evaluation of wattle SB Schussler et al (22) SB in-field performance evaluations Enhancement Donald et al (12) Ditch check design and installation enhancements Donald et al (13) Silt fence ditch check design and installation enhancements Perez et al (14) Inlet protection design and installation enhancements Whitman et al (3) Silt fence design and installation enhancements Whitman et al (15) Silt fence dewatering and stability enhancements Liu et al (23) SB design and installation software tool Test Bugg et al ( 16) Large-scale SB testing improvements Whitman et al (10) Small-scale SB testing improvements…”

Section: Area Of Focusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving the Design and Performance of Double-Row Sediment Barriers Used During Highway Construction

Whitman

2022

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation R

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Sediment barriers (SBs) are stormwater management devices often installed along the perimeter of a construction site to intercept and treat overland sediment-laden flow before discharge into the surrounding environment. Effective SB practices remove stormwater pollutants by creating a temporary impoundment upstream of the practice which facilitates sediment capture via sedimentation. Controlling agencies and design practitioners often specify the installation of two SB practices (i.e., primary and secondary SB) in areas where enhanced stormwater treatment is critical because of downstream environmental concerns (e.g., impaired waters). This study sought to identify the overall performance of a commonly specified double-row SB (i.e., double-row silt fence), as well as six alternative designs that utilized various secondary SB practices that could be easily paired with a primary silt fence SB. Small-scale experiments were conducted on each of these double-row design configurations to develop a comprehensive understanding of their performance capabilities. A statistical analysis conducted on 700 water quality data points suggests that all six alternative double-row designs significantly outperformed the double-row silt fence installation. Water quality improvements achieved using alternative secondary SBs ranged from 11% to 71% during the 30 min test period and 14% to 60% during the 90 min dewatering period. In comparison, the double-row silt fence installation only achieved 5% and 1%, respectively. Additionally, post-test observations of secondary SB cross sections indicate that, at best, only half of the matrix filter media within the secondary SB contacts sediment-laden flow. This observation suggests that alternative cross-sectional designs could improve media utilization.

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“…where H 1 = theoretical impoundment depth (ft or m), H 2 = measured maximum impoundment depth (ft or m), L 1 = theoretical standing pool impoundment length (ft or m), and L 2 = measured subcritical flow length (ft or m). Whitman et al (15) determined that synthetic fiber and miscanthus-filled wattles generate optimal hydraulic conditions throughout a broad range of flow rates and slopes. Whitman et al (15) defined favorable conditions as obtaining an average impoundment length ratio greater than 80% and an impoundment depth ratio greater than 100%.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydraulic Evaluation of Wattle Encasement Materials

Clampitt

Perez

Whitman

et al. 2023

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation R

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Suspended sediment in stormwater runoff can have negative environmental impacts. Construction activities are a major contributor to sediment-laden runoff caused by the constant disturbance and destabilization of soil. Wattles are one of the most commonly used materials across a wide range of erosion and sediment control applications. Past research has found that the hydraulic performance of wattles is based primarily on fill material. This research focused on further evaluating wattles by assessing the impact that encasement material (e.g., netting, socking, etc.) has on hydraulic performance. Two separate hydraulic flumes were used in a two-phased approach. Phase I evaluated wattle encasement fabric configurations. Selected encasements were then evaluated in Phase II using 4.0 ft (1.2 m) excelsior fill materials: plastic netting (control), polypropylene, polyester and polypropylene mix, and cotton woven encasements. The results from each wattle test were normalized with impoundment length and depth ratios. Results indicated that the percent open area (POA) had a direct relationship with the impoundment length and depth when the encasements were evaluated independently of the fill material, but encasement type had a larger effect on performance when fill material was included. Using a cotton fabric increased impoundment length and depth ratios by 30% and 24%, respectively, which increased to 52% and 42%, when two additional cotton fabric layers encompassed the wattle.

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Hydraulic Performance Evaluation of Wattles Used for Erosion and Sediment Control

Cited by 6 publications

References 12 publications

Decade of Research in Review at the Auburn University Stormwater Research Facility

Decade of Research in Review at the Auburn University Stormwater Research Facility

Improving the Design and Performance of Double-Row Sediment Barriers Used During Highway Construction

Hydraulic Evaluation of Wattle Encasement Materials

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