Performance of Rolled Erosion Control Products (RECPs) as Bioswale Revetments

Vegetated swales, or bioswales, are among the most commonly used type of green infrastructure (GI) for managing stormwater in temperate climate regions. However, performance data on bioswale drainage technology applied to highly weathered soils (low fertility, high acidity, and erosion prone) in tropical and subtropical climates are still limited. Aimed at closing this gap, this research investigated the performance—assessed in terms of vegetation biomass, biodiversity and coverage of swale, the structural integrity of revetments, and erosion control potential—and cost effectiveness of five rolled erosion control products (RECPs) currently available on the market, in combination with herbaceous vegetation as the revetment of drainage swales, in tropical soils. Additionally, the research project evaluated the performance of a new preseeded RECP, the Preseeded Reinforcement Mat, for drainage in areas that are difficult to access. The performances of all six RECPs were generally adequate as bioswale revetments in the conditions investigated, with performance index values ranging from 6 to 10 in a 0 to 10 scale. At the same time, some RECPs were more conducive to the growth of regional herbaceous vegetation species, measured in terms of biodiversity, which ranged from 2 to 14 species in the different bioswales, and some were more cost effective than others, with costs ranging from 19% to 106% of the cost of concrete lined swales.