Rocket science and erosion control

Erosion control is more of an art than a science.  It's an art because water seems unpredictable.  Like a living thing, water finds its way around whatever obstacles we throw in its path.

Many engineers and contractors would rather forget about it and concentrate on the things they can control.  But by going out in the rain and inspecting your site, you can learn a lot.  Erosion does have its own rules, and you can become familiar with them.

Keeping the mission in mind

Erosion control does have one thing in common with rocket science--and that's the importance of keeping the goal in mind.

The Space Shuttle has always been a source of pride for America.  Tens of thousands of people turn out to watch shuttle launches.  A disaster for the program is a disaster for America.  Every contractor and sub-contractor is working to make each mission a success.

A few broken or missing tiles of the heat shield caused one space shuttle to disintegrate upon reentry.  Imagine the effect on the program if all the subcontractors were doing the minimum to get by. 

If contractors just said: "A rivet is a rivet--who cares where it's going..."  that would be a recipe for failure.  In fact, it was that attitude which contributed to the first space shuttle disaster, caused by faulty O-rings.

The "mission" of erosion control

Lake Mendota has always been a great source of pride and a boost to our economy.  The mission is to protect that resource--to keep our lakes and watersheds healthy.

Local studies show that 19% of phosphorus getting into Madison's lakes come from construction site erosion.  Phosphorus acts as a fertilizer that leads to toxic algae, smelly lakesides, and a lower quality of life for all.

Muddy water leaving your site in gutters (or on vehicle tires) is a pollutant.  Phosphorus hitchhikes to the lakes attached to the microscopic particles in muddy water.

When a plume of muddy water goes into the lake near your site, that's mission failure, no matter how well you followed the plan.  That's mission failure, even if City inspectors passed you, the afternoon before it rained.

"Mission failure" by Speedway Sand & Gravel at Lake Wingra, 7/7/10.

Since construction sites make a big contribution to water pollution, and are under the control of relatively few people, they are places where your actions can have a big impact.

So that erosion control plan is important.  If it's inadequate or not working, it's up to you to make sure it does work--that no muddy water leaves your site.