Erosion is an inevitable part of owning property near water causeways, whether it’s a creek, stormwater runoff stream, or otherwise. Over time, running water eats away at the ground beneath your foundation, meaning you run the risk of permanent foundational damage if your erosion control isn’t fully in check. We at Colorado Excavating are an excavation contractor based right here in Denver, and erosion control is just one of our specialties.
We’ll briefly run you through our erosion control services here, but feel free to get in touch with us if you have any questions about what we can do for your erosion service needs.
Detention Systems
Detention systems are water stores, either above or below ground, that store excess water runoff so that it does not unnecessarily eat away at the earth around/inside your property. Once detained, the water is released in a controlled fashion over a predetermined period of time, which greatly reduces the volume of erosion caused by the total volume of water.
Detention ponds are stores of excess water that are stored above ground, true to its ‘pond’ name. Detention ponds can be set up in natural depressions in the earth, or excavated manually in a location of your choosing. Underground detention systems, otherwise known as underground ponds, are popular in new developments but serve largely the same purpose, and are popular for their ability to mitigate erosion without sacrificing on real estate or property aesthetics.
Drainage Swales
Drainage swales aid in directing excess water in a more controlled pattern, along a predetermined contour or along the natural curve of a hill or other natural feature. This allows the excess water to be gradually and safely drained into the soil at a manageable rate, a good deal of which is absorbed by the roots of nearby plants and thereby removed from the system.
Riprap
Riprap is a layer of stones that serves to absorb the prolonged ‘impact’ of the excess water, that impact being the driving force behind prolonged erosion. As the rocks absorb most of the kinetic energy that would otherwise be absorbed by the surrounding ground, it helps delay or prevent erosion and is prevalent around storm drain outfalls, and on top of the outermost layers of topsoil where the ground is at its most vulnerable to erosion.
Temporary Erosion Control Measures
While we’re proud of our more long-term erosion control solutions, we understand that not all erosion control needs to be permanent. Here are some of our more short-term erosion mitigation offerings, useful for construction sites, temporary sites, and more:
- Stilt fencing
- Straw wattles
- Clearing & grading
- Vehicle track outpads
- Subgrade stabilization
- and more.