Erosion Control using Soil Bioengineering

The flood of 1996 removed approximately 500 cubic yards of soil along 200 feet of river bank near the home of Mark Beach and Kathleen Ryan on Highway 53 near the redwood bridge.

Since this loss of this material became a threat to their house, Mark decided to see what could be done to protect and restore this bank. After considerable research he chose to use a strategy that was both friendly to the environment and effective. You can view the site from the bridge into Redwood Estates.

The process involved the following:

Trimming back blackberries and willows to ensure complete contact between the ground and the blanket installed in step two.
Covering half of the bank with a blanket laid parallel to the river flow Covering the other half with recycled coffee bags filled with wood chips.
Covering the blanket/bags with three feet of conifer slash kept as dense as possible.
Securing the slash with conifer poles
Covering the area with netting
Securing the netting with rock
High waters during the winter of 1998/99 filled slash with silt without damaging the construction.

SPECIFICATIONS FOR BIOENGINEERED REVETMENT
ALONG NORTH FORK NEHALEM RIVER
AT 77282 HIGHWAY 53

	Specifications	Source	Cost
OVERLAY NET	Geocoir Dekowe 700	CSI Geosynthetics.	four rolls 4 by 50 yards @ $940 ea. = $3,760
SLASH	green spruce branches approximately 40 3/4-ton pickup loads	landowner's property	Free
ROCKS	any 50-100 pound rock with at least one flat side approximately 500 rocks	old barrow pits	Free
STAKES	4-foot, 1 x 2 cedar	Nehalem Lumber	approximately 300 stakes = $156.00
BAGS	used coffeebean bags	McDowell Bag Company	300 bags = $225.00
CHIPS	chips from trimming trees approximately eight truckloads	Tillamook PUD	Free
ROPE	1/2-inch hemp approximately 600 feet	Englund Marine, Astoria	$96
POLES	hemlock and fir tree tops 10-20 feet long, 4-6 inches diameter approximately 40 poles taken under Free Use Permit	Tillamook State Forest	Free
WILLOW STICKS	Hundreds of sticks	Cut from willows on stream bank	Free
TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT	3/4-ton pickup Power tools: powerwagon, chainsaws, blade trimmer Hand tools: shovels, picks, etc.	All provided by landowner	Free
LABOR		Approximately 200 hours 72 hours provided by Clatsop Soil and Water remaining hours provided by landowner
PERMITS		Army Corps of Engineers Division of State Lands

Erosion Control using Soil Bioengineering

Trimming back blackberries and willows to ensure complete contact between the ground and the blanket installed in step two.

Covering half of the bank with a blanket laid parallel to the river flow

Covering the other half with recycled coffee bags filled with wood chips.

Covering the blanket/bags with three feet of conifer slash kept as dense as possible.

Securing the slash with conifer poles

Covering the area with netting

Securing the netting with rock

High waters during the winter of 1998/99 filled slash with silt without damaging the construction.