Ten Years After - Revisiting a Brownfield Willamette Riverbank Restoration and Protection Project
Damon Sump, CPESC
The former Zidell shipyard along the Willamette River was redeveloped in the early 2010's to create developable commercial space. Significant impacts from the years of industrial work had to be remediated to make this happen, including removal of contaminated soils offsite and onsite burial and capping. The Riverbank interface was a key part of this project as the goal was to stabilize and protect against erosion with a natural appearing solution. There were many stakeholders from the City of Portland to the US Army Corps of Engineers, all of whom had a say in the final design. As part of this design, contaminated soils were capped, and protection was provided by a vegetated Turf Reinforcement Mat (TRM) system accompanied by plantings of native trees and shrubs. We will revisit the design process and parameters, and see how this design has stood the test of time.
Learning Objectives
- Understand the importance of riverbank protection of contaminated sites from erosion.
- Understand the methodology used to provide both manmade and natural protection of a restored riverbank from erosion caused by flood levels.
- Understand the role and capabilities of Turf Reinforcement Mats in the protection of river banks from erosion.