Flood Control Channel Armoring with Flexamat Tied Concrete Block Erosion Control Mat
In order to facilitate future development within an existing floodplain, the City worked with the Flood Control District to develop a comprehensive Area Drainage Master Plan Report. The study area was approximately 85 square miles located within the Mohave Desert.
The results of the study were used as a planning tool and as input to the design of potential future drainage infrastructure and flood mitigation measures that are appropriate for the physical environment for both existing and future development. Based upon this data, a plan was developed to create a flood control channel to open flood plain land for future development. This required a 4800' long channel to be constructed. The Flood District engineers needed permanent erosion control for the channel and sought an alternative to rock rip rap. The engineers did not view rock rip rap as a permanent solution, knowing that the rock would often displace after large rain events and be an ongoing maintenance issue for the Flood District. The project location in the Mojave Desert created unique design challenges, this area is known as one of the harshest climates in the world.
Due to the extreme climate, Flood District engineers needed a product that would withstand these tough conditions. A cellular confinement system was specified to armor the flood channel from future erosion, also known as geocells. Typical cellular confinement systems are geosynthetics made with ultrasonically welded high-density polyethylene (HDPE) strips or novel polymeric alloy (NPA)—and expanded on-site to form a honeycomb-like structure—and filled with sand, soil, rock, gravel or concrete. The Flood District engineers specified Flexamat 10-NW as an alternative to the cellular confinement/geocell. Flexamat 10-NW is a tied concrete block erosion control mat. This concrete erosion mat includes a 10-ounce non-woven geotextile underlayment.
The low bidding contractor for this project determined Flexamat 10-NW would be a significant labor and time savings compared to installing the cellular confinement/geocell system. The Flexamat concrete erosion mat was manufactured on the project site, greatly reducing transportation cost.
Our Contact Info
Motz Enterprises, Inc.
3153 Madison Road
Cincinnati, OH 45209
https://www.flexamat.com/
Sales or Technical Questions:
info@Flexamat.com
513-772-6689 (MOTZ)