Detention ponds excavated at the start of a project during mass grading have proven to be a "pay me now," and "pay me later" proposition for many General Contractors. Unprotected pond slopes inevitably erode during the course of a construction project, which just as inevitably leads to costly re-grading, mucking out, storm water quality permitting delays and potentially contentious closeouts with the project owner. 

Unbudgeted detention pondcleanout costs at the end of a project are actually easy to avoid. Immediately vegetating the slopes is the answer. Hydro-mulch seeding, the common approach to vegetating slopes is simply not enough — unless you're lucky enough to have perfect growing conditions for a period of time long enough to generate a good stand of grass. That's a condition that unfortunately doesn't happen often enough to risk the consequences, i.e. that rainfall carries the seed down the slope, and then the soil on the slopes follows. The real answer starts with hydro-mulch seeding immediately after excavation is complete, and then adds one more step — protecting the freshly seeded slopes with the appropriate Erosion Control Blanket (ECB) OR Flexible Growth Medium (FGM) as soon as the hydro-mulch has set.

The cost of protecting slopes just after initial excavation with ECBs or an FGM is typically less than half the cost of mucking out and re-grading the pond at closeout — often much, much less.

Properly selected and installed Erosion Control Blankets (ECBs) temporarily stabilize pond slopes and provide an environment that nurtures the development of the grass that will provide permanent stabilization by:

• Protecting the slopes from erosion caused by rainfall for up to 24 months. ECB and FGM life spans vary based on the material selected, but generally photo/bio-degrade in 12 to 24 months. [More Info]
• Holding underlying seed, seedlings and fertilizers in place during rainfall and events.
• Retaining water, thereby improving seed germination and growth rates.

Substantial savings are an important benefit to be gained from early detention pond slope stabilization, but perhaps equally important is the luxury of eliminating the closeout headache ponds often create — heading off Storm Water Quality 'as-built' compliance risks, eliminating closeout contention, and leaving a happy owner with a well vegetated pond.

You know us for providing innovative, cost-effective turnkey solutions to SWPPP and other storm water quality challenges on your project sites. What you may not know is that we've installed among the largest installations of high tech slope stabilization projects in this region. Low-cost solutions for detention pond slope stabilization are just another way we help you reduce costs and risk.

Tell us about your project's detention pond, and we'll show you how making informed decisions about detention ponds can improve your bottom line.

For more information on solutions for your detention pond problems , please contact us at 832.456.1000.