IECA Field Days in South Carolina

The International Erosion Control Association’s (IECA’s) Southeast Chapter held its first annual South Carolina Training and Field Days in Anderson, SC, in early October. Nearly 200 attendees took part in the two-day event that offered up to nine professional development hours (PDHs) to its participants through a combination of classroom and field-based education. Event co-sponsors included Upstate Forever, Anderson County Environmental Services, the City of Anderson, Greenville County, Spartanburg County, and Clemson University’s Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department.

The first day of the event featured classroom training and exhibits at the host hotel. Presentations from state and regional experts focused on stormwater and erosion and sediment control topics. A “Technology Showcase” profiled advances in erosion and sediment control products and systems. Following the training sessions, the IECA-SE Chapter sponsored a social and BBQ at the Denver Downs Corn Maize.

Day Two’s field day took attendees to TRI/Environmental’s Denver Downs Research Facility (DDRF), a commercial testing facility located just a mile from the host hotel. DDRF provides full-scale performance testing of erosion and sediment control systems. For the field day, the facility was set up with 10 large-scale demonstrations, exposing a wide range of erosion and sediment control products and systems to simulate rainfall, sheet flow, and concentrated channel flows.

The training sessions and demonstrations addressed check structures in channels; erosion control blankets on slopes and turf reinforcement mats (TRMs) in channels; hydraulically applied erosion control products; seeding, germination, and erosion control longevity issues; performance of sediment retention devices (SRDs) such as inlet protection, wattles, silt fences, and flocculation technologies; silt fence installation and maintenance; and scour protection alternatives.

“This event complemented statewide efforts to improve erosion and sediment control practices in South Carolina,” says J.P. Johns, South Carolina state representative to the IECA’s Southeast Chapter. “Based on the reviews and comments from attendees and exhibitors, the meeting successfully advanced ideas and understanding of performance-based specifications and the proper selection of erosion and sediment control products and systems.” Johns adds, “We look forward to hosting another successful event in 2009.”

Pictures from the field day can be viewed at www.erosiontest.com.