Choosing the Right BMP Based on Performance and Avoiding the Race to the Bottom
Craig Shultz
Education Track: Stormwater Management
“The race to the bottom,” as some would call it, is a disturbing trend right now in the erosion and sediment control industry. This means the cheapest product is being used on projects across the country because they are incorrectly placed into the same categories as higher performing products, which typically cost more.
Specifications have become watered down too much in some places; for example, a straw blanket is considered equal to aspen excelsior and coconut erosion control blankets (ECBs) in areas of concentrated flow. Decades of data, field experience, and a basic understanding of the characteristics of each product type have proven that straw blankets are not the best management practice (BMP) of choice for channelized flow conditions.
However, there is a positive trend in the erosion and sediment control industry. Many state transportation departments officially do not allow straw blankets in areas of concentrated flows because of performance concerns. Other state transportation departments are considering disallowing the use of straw blankets in areas of channelized flow.
Straw blankets work very well as mulch blankets in areas that do not contain concentrated flow. It is simply a case of using the right product for the right application. Every product has its place and generally most BMPs available today perform when properly installed in the proper application, but no one product is the magical silver bullet that can be installed in every application.
It is our duty to the environment and future generations to specify and use products properly designed for the conditions where they are used.