Index Testing to Support the Stormwater Management Erosion and Sediment Control Laboratory

The main aim of this project was to support the Stormwater Management Academy Research and Testing Laboratory (SMARTL) with material index testing. In addition to testing erosion and sediment control products on the test beds in the field-scale laboratory, there was a strong need for conducting tests on the index properties of these products in a controlled laboratory environment, using the relevant established American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and/or American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) standards. The goals of this project include: (a) confirming manufacturer product data (if available) and (b) providing additional material property data to the scientific community. This present research was aimed at performing index testing in conjunction with the ongoing project on establishing test beds and a rainfall simulator. There is a need to evaluate best management practices for sediment and erosion control, and to train designers, inspectors and contractors doing work for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Soil erosion is the reason for sediments found in streams, rivers, ponds and reservoirs. Suspended sediments and other pollutants in stormwater have created problems nationwide. Sediments that stay suspended can impair entire ecosystems, and sediments that eventually settle may need to be removed. It is also important to prevent soil erosion from being initiated in the first place using erosion control measures. A new Florida Manual for Erosion and Sediment Control for Designers and an accompanying Inspectors Manual have recently been developed and are in the implementation phase. This project sets up a laboratory at the University of Central Florida to perform index testing on materials and products used in erosion and sediment control. This project also applies the testing protocols to the determination of the material properties of two types of silt fence materials and to the dosage and toxicity testing of polymers used in erosion and sediment control.