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One saying I often use is, “Words either wow or wound, so use them carefully!” People who are intentional and thoughtful about the words they use experience a cringe-like reflex immediately when using a word or words that shouldn’t have been used. We’ve all done it, and then we say to ourselves, “I knew I shouldn’t have said that...
A site contractor has a three-fold objective:
Produce a quality product.
Finish the job on time.
Don’t lose your profit.
Difficult to do, but possible if unexpected problems do not arise. It is a safe bet that unexpected problems will present themselves, especially as the job approaches completion. Removing sediment from a pond is one of those problems that no contractor wants to...
The extensive use of plant equipment in construction poses challenges to emissions reduction, demanding creative approaches in equipment selection and construction methodology. The Bruce Highway, Cairns Southern Access Corridor (Stage 3), Edmonton to Gordonvale (E2G) project has tackled this challenge by the development and deployment of six solar hybrid systems to replace traditional generators across the project, a first...
Constructed wetlands are usually planted and/or seeded with plant species native to that area. However, as with any disturbed area, invasive, non-native species may appear and begin to dominate the plant community. A recent study examined a wide variety of factors that could explain when three common “invaders” occur in constructed wetlands in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain regions...
Chloride has promoted itself to a pollutant of top concern in many cold climates and highly populated regions of the world. In the United States, Minnesota annually spends more than $100 million importing road salt for temporary winter safety while accumulating a legacy of damages.1
The Real Cost of SaltA big penalty is paid when using salt, as it harms...
Contractors often use open ditches to convey water from one location to another on construction sites. An inherent problem with this practice is that the flow scours the soil along the path and adds more sediment into the flow. The solution to this scouring problem is to line the ditch or channel with a protective layer such as jute,...
Westernport Water, a wastewater utility in Phillip Island, Victoria, is transforming a wastewater lagoon into a plant-filled wetland to explore how Australian native wetland plant species can improve water quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and manage emerging contaminants such as per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This two-year research project commenced in 2023 and involves the installation of a constructed floating...
The importance of specifying and implementing erosion control and custom seed mixes for permanent stabilization on construction sites is frequently overlooked. Often, erosion control and revegetation sections in project specifications are simply copied and pasted from previous projects or are boiler-plated from state or federal agency standards. While the erosion and sediment control industry may place a strong emphasis...
The process of clearing and grading land for construction projects usually results in highly turbid runoff while construction is underway. Construction projects are required to have an erosion and sediment control plan that uses the best management practices (BMPs) such as sediment basins, check dams, inlet protection and silt fences. These practices have been improved and refined to retain...
Vegetation establishment is recognized as the most effective Best Management Practice for stabilizing disturbed ground to prevent erosion and is often a prerequisite for receiving a Notice of Termination for a permitted construction project. Many projects have specific requirements for the type of vegetation that must be replanted and most have a threshold for percent establishment, typically 70% of...
