Riprap sounds like the name of a new style of music. Actually, it's a material used to prevent scouring and erosion along shorelines. You may have heard it called by other names like shot rock, rock armor, or rubble.

No matter what you call it, if you have property that's along a river or lake, a riprap installation may be the answer you've been looking for.

What Exactly Is Riprap?

The term "riprap" refers to rocky material placed along shorelines, around bridge foundations, and on steep slopes to protect the area from erosion and scouring. The rocks used can range from 4 inches on the low end and go up to over 24 inches on the high end.

It's important to use a mixture of sizes to create a tight interlock for maximum protection. Clean rocks with sharp edges form the most cohesive barrier.

The size of the material used on a particular project depends on a few things:

• The area to be covered
• The steepness of the slope
• The speed of the water

Larger material withstands more force, while smaller material helps protect the soil underneath from being scoured away. Adding a membrane over the soil below prevents it from moving up through the rocks.

From an aesthetic point of view, riprap can look natural, especially with local vegetation growing amidst the rocks. In time, wildlife often create homes in among the rocks. It can create an entire habitat, depending on the size of the project.

Wildlife can have trouble climbing up the rocky slope. Adding smaller rocks and soil among the larger material can make it easier for them.

Where Is Riprap Used?

Engineers, environmentalists, and architects like to use riprap anywhere they want to protect a shoreline or structure from moving water. Some common applications include:

• Around bridge pylons and slopes
• On the outer edge of river bends, slowing down the water's power
• Along the edge of lakes to prevent erosion due to waves
• Paired with walls to prevent undercutting of structures and utilities

Riprap is also commonly used to create spillways. Excess water spills over the banks of a river or lake and runs down the spillway to prevent or mitigate flooding and shore erosion.

This material is not a good option for securing slopes that are steeper than 2 feet of horizontal extension for every 1 foot of drop. A steep slope creates a situation where rocks can fall dislodge and fall down the slope. This opens up the exposed area to water erosion.

How Is Riprap Used?

The traditional use of riprap is standalone. It's basically a stack of rocks that starts below the water line and moves up the embankment. The faster the water moves, the thicker the layer of riprap has to be, to withstand erosion.

In areas with fast water movement, the amount of rock required can be extensive. This leads to a higher cost. Where large rocks aren't locally available, the cost can be even higher.

To lower costs, partially grouted riprap has become an accepted alternative to traditional stacking. The contractor's crews uses a cement-adhesive mixture to adhere smaller rocks together, forming a stability matrix.

With this method, less material is required without compromising the structural stability and durability. It offers a considerable cost savings on projects where material isn't readily available.

If you have a shoreline that's eroding, a riprap installation could solve your problem permanently. It's important to have an expert take a look and recommend a solution that's both environmentally sound and financially doable. Give us a call today at 941-479-7811 or email us at admin@crosscreekenv.com to request a quote!

Your storm drain is an extremely handy feature of your home. If maintained in the correct fashion, it can help prevent a great many problems. But if left alone for too long, it can become a source of serious menace. This is why you need to schedule a regular stormwater inspection from a trusted authority in your region.

What is a Storm Water Inspection?
Storm water inspections are one of the most common examples of a Best Management Practice (BMP). This is a routine check that you can schedule in order to identify areas that may soon develop a propensity for leaking pollutants. Some of the most common areas in this category are storm drains, stockpiles and loading docks.

You can schedule a storm drain check in order to accurately assess the present condition and long term viability of all of your drain protection products. These will include the products that you may already have in place. However, you can also use this routine check to test new products that you are thinking of adding to the mix.

It is highly recommended that you take notice of and follow the BMP in this area. By doing so, you can assure that routine repairs can be conducted in an efficient and timely manner. This will prevent the weakening or total failure of the control measures that you currently have in place to prevent storm drain back ups.

This type of inspection is also regularly used in order to keep track of your compliance with the permit conditions that apply in your local area. It is also a common procedure for training personnel to conduct inspections in the proper manner. For all of these reasons and more, this is a highly significant inspection.

Why Are Storm Water Inspections Necessary?
When it comes to keeping your storm water drain free of clogs and other hindrances, you can't be too careful. This is one routine check that can be the source of numerous problems, many of them potentially serious, if neglected for too long. For this reason, routine checks are both recommended and, in many areas, officially mandated.

A full account of inspection procedures and schedules is required to be included in your SWPPPs (Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans). These plans are required to be filed when your facility applies for NPDES permits. Without proven documentation of an inspection, you will not be able to qualify for this very important permit.

The SWPPP that you file will need to describe the various processes and procedures that you will make use of in order to prevent pollutants from being discharged into nearby waterways. The only way to be able to issue an authoritative guarantee in this area is to include full documentation of a recent storm drain inspection in your plan.

How Often Do You Need to Inspect?
The frequency with which you need to perform an inspection will depend upon your specific local circumstances. Inspections are most often necessary in area where industrial equipment and related materials are stored. Any areas that are regularly exposed to storm water will also need to be inspected on a routine basis.

The area in question may be one where great harm to the environment could result if storm water was released. If this is the case, you can expect to find inspections scheduled much more often. In these areas, inspections may occur daily or once pet shift. In other locations, a quarterly inspections may well be judged sufficient.

The Time to Schedule Your Stormwater Inspection is Now
It's never a good idea to put off a stormwater inspection. This is one type of quality check that could well turn out to be crucial. You don't want to be the one accused later of cutting corners when the health of your community may be involved. The time to call Crosscreek Environmental to schedule your inspection is now.

If you are ready to schedule your stormwater inspection, we are ready to accommodate you. You can call us directly at calling 941-479-7811 or reach us by email at admin@crosscreekenv.com. If you prefer, you can fill out our handy Pricing Request Form for all of the latest info concerning our rates.

It can take a while to identify plants, especially if you're looking for the ideal plants to plant near your lake or pond. However, once you start identifying the plants you'd prefer, the sooner you'll notice them in different environments so you can narrow down your choices and decorate your pond accordingly.

You should also know the "language" when it comes to plants. It can be overwhelming to have so many choices, since you need to know where to purchase the plants, which plants to select and how you should arrange the plants. Knowing where to start and keeping some rules and recommendations in mind will make it easier for you to choose the ideal aquatic planting options for your lake, even if you're a novice.

Retention Ponds in Florida

Florida native plants are in retention ponds all over the state. Some of these ponds are tended to regularly and others aren't. It's likely to see less dependence on chemical weed and algae control as the economy goes through significant changes, which means some lakes and ponds won't receive consistent maintenance. However, beautiful plants are part of the visual appeal of lakes and are a vital part of the lake ecosystem. Plants aren't only pleasing to the eye, they're also a haven for birds and other forms of wildlife. Fish also live in or around many of these aquatic plants and use them for food.

Here are some aquatic plant choices that will make your pond area look more colorful and welcoming.

Pickerelweed

This plant grows to around four feet tall in shallow water. Normally, you'll only see one or two feet of the plant since the bottom of the pickerelweed is underwater. The leaves are shaped like lace and can develop to be about five inches wide and 10 inches long. Each of the flowers on the pickerelweed only lasts for a day. The flowers have a rich blue color and bloom from March until November.

Pickerelweed grows in marshes, streams, ditches, lakes, marshes and ponds, and can cover large areas. The nectar of the flowers is appealing to several insects, including butterflies and bees. Muskrats and ducks use the plant as food and the leaves and stems are hiding places for fish, reptiles, swimming mammals, birds, insects, and amphibians.

Duck Potato/ Arrowhead

Duck Potato, also known as arrowhead, have tubers that are buried deep into the lake. Ducks eat the seed of this plant. Arrowhead grows heartily in lakes, stream margins, swamps, and ditches. the plant has huge leaves that are shaped like arrowheads and white flowers with three petals. The flowers grow on sturdy stalks that are about a foot above the arrowhead's leaves. Waterfowl and mammals eat the seeds of Duck Potato as well, and the flowers are attractive to butterflies.

Fire Flag/ Alligator Flag

Alligator Flag or Fire Flag can grow to about 9 feet tall from a sturdy rhizome. The plant is common in ditches and lakes and blooms from the summer into the fall season. The fire flag has leaves on long stalks -- the large leaves are one of the distinguishing features of hte plant. Alligator Flags also have tiny purple flowers with three petals. This plant could be a great choice for aquatic planting, since it will brings butterflies into your pond area.

Horse Tail

Horse Tail has been around for centuries and is an evergreen that looks similar to a fern. The plant is about 3 feet and is a rich green with segmented stems. Horse Tail grows in sandy soil and is a food source for mammals and waterfowl. The plant has silicon crystals in its tissue which creates a gritty texture. That's why the plant is also called the "scouring rush."

If you think any of these Florida native plants would work well near your pond or lake, get in touch with Crosscreek Environmental by calling 941-479-7811 or emailing admin@crosscreekenv.com. You can also fill out a Pricing Request Form for more information how to add these plants to your landscape.

There's nothing quite like waterfront living. From the thrill of watching a sunset over the water to the excitement of participating in various water sports, owning a waterfront property has many benefits. As great as living near a body of water can be, though, it also comes with some unique challenges. Problems such as pollution, erosion, and excess plant growth can make your dream of living on the waterfront more like a nightmare. Fortunately, dredging offers a solution to many of these common problems, allowing you to reclaim your little piece of paradise.

Understanding The Process

If you've never utilized dredging services before, you may wonder what it entails. Essentially, the process involves removing various types of sediment and debris from a specific area in a waterway. Waterways can include lakes, rivers, ponds, and even oceans. A large machine, called a dredge, is used to complete this process. As sediment is removed, it is diverted to a safe area to be used as backfill, fertilizer, or for a number of other purposes. We've helped with dredging for many years. If you're looking to get a quote on our services, simply submit our Pricing Request Form here.

Types of Dredges

All types of dredges use suction to remove debris from one area and relocate it to another. If the sediment isn't compacted, a plain-suction dredge can be used. This dredge is similar to a vacuum in that it merely sucks-up anything that's loose and sends it on its way. As to the other types of dredges, the main difference between them is the method used to loosen the debris before it is removed from the body of water.

For jobs where there is only a shallow layer of sediment, a cutter-suction dredge can be useful. Utilizing a cutting wheel, this piece of equipment cuts a wide swath on the bottom or side of a body of water. For many residential applications, a cutter-suction dredge is a great option.

Deeper applications may require an auger-suction dredge or a jet-lift dredge. Both of these types of dredges have tools that can penetrate deep beneath the top layer of sediment to allow for major altering of the bottom of a body of water.

Why Is It Necessary?

The shorelines and bottoms of bodies of water are constantly changing. As the amount of water in a waterway increases and decreases, it can cause erosion on the shoreline. Or, if there are large amounts of organic deposits in the water, these deposits can build-up on the shoreline, which can make it more difficult to access the body of water. Therefore, one use of dredging is to restore a shoreline to its original state, either by removing debris or reinforcing the shoreline using material from the bottom of the body of water.

On the bottom of a body of water, organic matter can settle and decompose. Dying plants and animals, dirt deposits, excess fertilizer, and a host of other materials can easily find their way to the bottom of a body of water. Even bodies of water that aren't fed by a river or stream can experience this build-up of debris due to run-off from the surrounding land during wet-weather events.

Eventually, this organic debris can reduce the depth of the body of water, making it unusable for its original purpose. Additionally, the increased decomposition can reduce oxygen levels for living organisms in the body of water, causing a risk for a mass die-off. Fortunately, a dredge can be used to remove this organic matter so that the body of water can be restored.

Additionally, a dredge can be used to increase the size of a body of water, providing additional opportunities for recreation, commerce, and more. Request a quote for dredging services here.

What Are The Benefits of Dredging?

Given the reasons that dredging is needed, you can probably pick up on some of the benefits. As a homeowner, there are several benefits of dredging that can help preserve the beauty and value of your waterfront property.

One crucial benefit of using a dredge is helping to reduce erosion. By using the sediment that the dredge collects on your shoreline, you can build-up and compress the shoreline so that the water doesn't come too close to your home.

You can also use a dredge to re-shape the shoreline to a more natural shape that helps to hold back the soil and ensures you don't use your valuable land to the nearby body of water. Plus, by preventing erosion, you will help protect the body of water so that it doesn't end up with the problems that require a dredge in the first place.

Another important benefit of this process is that it helps to remove pollutants that may have found their way into the water that's near your home. This is especially important if you swim in the body of water or eat fish taken from the water. Something as simple as an excess amount of fertilizer can cause health problems for you and your family if you are exposed to the water. By removing the sediment that contains these pollutants, though, you can swim and fish without a second thought.

While using a dredge isn't right for every situation, it can have major benefits when the need is present. Therefore, if you are having problems with your piece of shoreline, it may be time to give this process some consideration.

Need help with dredging?

Are you looking for some help dredging a shoreline or removing debris? Give us a call today at 941-479-7811 or email us at admin@crosscreekenv.com to request a quote.