Rolled Erosion Control Products (RECPs) and Vegetation Soil Erosion Properties in Channel Flow and Rain Splash Tests

ASTM D6460 and ASTM D7101 standard test methods were used to conduct the storm-water induced runoff and rain-splash soil erosion performance tests for two types of rolled erosion control products. The test soil is sandy silt obtained from a local river bed. Cold-resistant small leaf Bahia grass was chosen for this study. The test soil conditions included bare soil bed, vegetated soil bed, erosion control mat covered soil bed and vegetated erosion control mated covered soil bed. Six to eight weeks of vegetation was used in this study. Vegetation has more effect on increasing the Manning’s coefficient than the test RECP. Soil erosion was increased with increasing channel slope and pump capacity. Placing RECP over the test soil would significantly reduce the soil erosion. The soil erosion rates for all vegetated soil and vegetated RECP conditions are only around one percent. Four to six months vegetation period is required for using RECP for erosion control applications. Test soil containers were placed on a 36° inclined slope ramp. The test rainfall intensity was 100 mm/hr. The quantity of soil loss was measured and the bench-scale cover index (BSCI) determined for each test condition. The study results indicated that RECP and vegetation are important influence factors for soil loss rates.