Stormwater and Erosion Control
The leading water quality problem in many watersheds is sediment and turbidity
coming from stormwater runoff. Because construction sites can be a
significant source of these pollutants, the Soil Science Department has an active
program in erosion and sediment control research and education for the
construction industry.
The centerpiece of this program is the Sediment and Erosion Control Research and Education Facility (SECREF), located at the Lake Wheeler Road Field Laboratory in Raleigh. Established through funding from the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, we are developing new systems and approaches to erosion and sediment control. At SECREF we have the capability of generating artificial runoff of up to 5 cubic feet per second (0.14 m3/s) through a system of 12" (0.3 m) pipes fed by a storage pond. Testing of sediment traps of various designs and other sediment control devices is well underway. We have also built a rainfall simulator for testing ground cover effectiveness.
One of the most difficult problems to handle is turbidity generated when fine soil particles are suspended in runoff. We are experimenting with polyacrylamide (PAM), an environmentally safe chemical which can reduce turbidity by flocculating the fine particles so they drop out of the water column. Preliminary results are very promising for PAM and field tests are underway.
Training and education are a major part of the program. Workshops
are held several times per year with over a hundred engineers,
landscape architects, designers, inspectors, and installers
participating. In addition, presentations are made at numerous
state-wide and local meetings to provide the results of our
testing to the erosion and sediment control community. On-site
field testing is also underway, including projects with the North
Carolina Department of Transportation in Charlotte and the North
Carolina Department of Environment/Balsam Mountain Preserve in
Jackson County. These also provide opportunities to demonstrate
the latest technologies to professionals in those areas.
Sediment and Erosion Control Research and Education Facility (SECREF)