United States Department of Transportation
i
Performance Base Testing for Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control (EPSC) Devices
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2021-05-01
[PDF-2.51 MB]
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Alternative Title:RES2016-20:Performance Base Testing for Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control (EPSC) Devices
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Edition:Final Report: October 2015 – March 2021
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Abstract:To address excessive soil loss from roadway and other construction sites, several erosion prevention and sediment control practices exist. However, there is still a need for systematic performance evaluation methods that provide sound efficiency values for the different practices under a range of conditions. There is also the need for a transparent means to determine a suitable practice for specific site parameters. Three objectives were developed to help resolve these needs: (1) identify a systematic protocol for testing sediment control practices that considers the range of soil, climate, and topographic conditions in Tennessee; (2) quantify the efficiencies of different sediment retention practices using this methodology; and (3) develop a simple model for choosing proper practices for sites in Tennessee. A physical model of a fill slope below a highway shoulder leading to a drainage ditch was constructed that was similar to, but a scaled-down version of, the large platform studies used in AASHTO’s National Transportation Product Evaluation Program. A step-by-step methodology for testing sediment control practices was developed using this structure. Simulated rainfall events were conducted initially with no sediment retention practice and then with a silt fence, straw-filled tube, and mulch-filled tube. The results showed that runoff was better correlated with soil loss than other examined rainfall factors (e.g., intensity), and hence, a better erosivity index. Power functions were fit to the soil loss – runoff coefficient data pairs from the simulated events to provide “floating” baseline soil loss values for quantifying Practice Management Factors, or P-factors. Since these empirical equations use runoff coefficients, which are functions of the soil, slope, weather, and management, they essentially provide “site specific” values. The P-factor values for silt fences, mulch-filled sediment tubes, and straw-filled sediment tubes exhibited a wide range (0.03 – 0.76) strongly related to the runoff coefficient. An erosion calculator was developed that incorporates the Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation and simple nomographs to determine the P-factors for common conditions in the state. A system dynamics framework was used because it is highly visual, easy-to-follow, and transparently depicts the causal links between the pedologic, topographic, hydrologic, hydraulic, and management-related components of any site-system. The calculator is web-based and can be accessed by anyone without any special software.
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