Hi gentleman, I'm going to do some bank stabilization around some parts of the lake. There's a nature trail around it that i spend quite a bit of time volunteering on. There's a couple spots where the waves have ate the bank away and it's getting a little sketchy driving past them on equipment now. What is the proper procedure to repair and move the bank back to where it was. I'm thinking boulders and clay maybe, then filter cloth. Then cover it with more boulders and small rock to pretty it up. The bank is about 5 feet high and the repair will be 10 or 15 feet long. Will be using my cat 301.8 to do the repair, the thumb i wicked for moving rocks and it's small enough to fit down trail. Remember that this is all donated time and materials. Thanx Marc
We have used a similar method to repair blow-outs on the Herbert Hoover Dike (HHD) which surrounds Lake Okeechobee. We will use fill to reestablish the bank's slope then use armor stone on top to protect from wave erosion. I think you may encounter an issue with the filter cloth which may cause invisible erosion. I'm no Civil Engineer but I would go with fill and carefully placed boulders, stones or rocks.
Hi Houghie I live in Manitoba and riverbank and lake shore stabilization is a big issue here with all our on and off flooding the last few years. Around the Winnipeg area rip rap blasted out of limestone is usually used as it interlocks the best and is readily available. By the sounds of it your erosion problem isn't as bad as it is on some of our rivers. I would cut back if possible whatever disturbed soil you have before putting any clay back and then use a small pad foot compactor (if it's not to soft and if it's available) to compact the clay in lifts. Out here rip rap is often placed as far as the excavator can reach into the water, but with a mini excavator you probably won't be able to reach far, but I would highly recommend using an approved geotextile as it can prevent the clay from being washed out from beneath the boulders. It would be great if you posted some pictures of the project I use to live and work in Alberta and have quite a bit of familiarity with the countryside and the soil there.
I would agree with this suggestion, although I am concerned about the use of geotextiles unless they are installed properly. The biggest issue we had on the HHD was that the cloth was never installed deep enough below the mean low water level. We had the best results if we could get it at least 5' below that mark and then have it the same elevation above mean high water level to deal with storm induced wave action. If you are unable to install the cloth properly you run the risk of seepage and hydraulic piping which will inevitably erode your efforts. I did forget the importance of compacting the lifts when rebuilding the slope face. If using a mini-ex there are compactor attachments I think though there may be an issue with reach using a mini.
Thank you for your replies, maybe i'll look at renting a compactor for my hoe as that would beat the heck out of a jumping jack. I don't believe reaching will be an issue as i can sit right on edge. So from what i understand from you guys is to dig out eroded soil back to solid stuff. Then place clay in and pack it in lifts to desired slope. Then rocks on top of clay to break up waves and stop erosion of the clay. does that sound about right?
Yeppir, I think that'll work for you. If you can get some geotextile cloth deep enough below mean low water level and high enough above mean high water level and between the fill and armor stone that should keep it from eroding in the future. Remember though, if you can't get the cloth installed properly it can eventually cause more headaches than having it there at all. Good luck and happy digging... :waving
I can reach lake bottom at this particular place on lake. I have a new roll of the black cloth that is placed when doing base work on roads. I call it filter cloth, not sure of the technical name. so if i use cloth, where in the process to i place it?
Once you've finished with the slope place it atop the fill then lay your armor stone on top of the cloth. The best way I know is to roll out the cloth and anchor the bottom with rocks, pull the cloth taught up the slope the begin placing your armor stone. Make sure you maintain an overlap on your sections of cloth.
My roll is 16 feet wide or something like that so i shouldn't have to overlap. Thanx for the valuable information!
That's even better...
Yeah it might mean having to get the hip waders out and using rocks to 'paperweight' the cloth down. If you have that nice plastic clay like in Edmonton and your using a lighter weight hoe pack or pad foot packer make your lifts of clay a little thinner like maybe 4-6 inches thick if possible so you can get the best compaction results. On the Red River here we usually put a two foot thick lift of rip rap and that's 12-18 inch size rock. Your lake sounds kinda small from what your telling us so maybe one lift of similar size rock depending on what you have available.
i'm not sure what the clay will be like, it's all sand around my area. I've been thinking, What do i do with the bottom layer since it will be in the water?
I think the best I can suggest for that is either make up for it with extra rock or just try to press it in as best you can with your bucket and sliding the heel of your bucket across it to make it smooth, it shouldn't be to big a problem since your putting filter cloth on top of it.
My concern was placing the clay directly in the water and trying to pack it somewhat so the lifts about it will pack hard.
Yeah I'm not sure of any other way other than packing it by sliding the heel of the bucket and using the weight of the machine. The only other way I can think of is lowering the level of the lake.