When a canal and stormwater structure presented unacceptable risks to people and wildlife, the City of Palm Coast, FL, and the St. Johns River Water Management District evaluated the options to reconstruct the steep banks of the canal and the embedded culvert structure. The original construction material, rock riprap, had failed; it presented safety risks to the public and maintenance workers and flooded often. The consequent erosion had become an issue, and homeowners feared losing ground. The rock embankments also presented a serious threat to the Florida turtles that traverse the culvert structure and canal embankments to reach their territory.
The Palm Coast stormwater manager, Captain Mike Brennan, knew what he wanted and the proven solution that would be most effective. “I had employed SOX Erosion Solutions previously on a reconstruction of embankments and a weir at BS-2 in Palm Coast,” he says, “and the results were beyond my expectations and those of the St. Johns River Water Management District.”
SOX Erosion Solutions of Delray Beach, FL, was put to work on the ailing B1-A Canal. The SOX crew covered the riprap and created new canal banks using their Shoresox breathable material and filling it with a soil and compost mixture. They also employed their Dredge-sox system to dredge the shallow sediment from the canal, then used the sediment as a base inside the Shoresox banks, which acted as a stable shoreline. Then they blew in topsoil. When the embankments settled, the entire structure was restored with a natural landscape.
“The SOX Erosion Solutions’ part of the project was completed in a week,” says Brennan. “They restored the walls of the canal and under and over the culvert.”
The banks have stood the test of time. The turtle population is safe. The homeowners are ecstatic at how natural it looks. The project mitigated flooding and safety issues,
as anticipated.
“We are able to control the water, maintain elevations, secure footing, and give the area a natural look,” says Brennan. “It’s a more stable and environmentally friendly option to erosion control.”
Hurricane Matthew slammed into the city of Palm Coast one year after the reconstruction. Despite record rains, there was no impact to the shoreline, and no erosion was reported.
