On Thursday, November 14, 2019, over thirty people participated in a Field BMP Demonstration Day held at the Hawaiian Earth Recycling facility located in Kapolei, Hawaii on the Island of Oahu. The State of Hawaii Department of Transportation partnered with local distributors and vendors of sediment and erosion control products to host the field demonstration. Marleina Lyons-Wolfe from EnviroServices and Training Center, LLC coordinated with John McCullah (Salix Applied Earthcare, LLC) and Eddie Snell (Applied Polymer Systems, Inc.) to provide participants with an on-site demonstration of BMPs.

The Field BMP demonstration day included seven stations with temporary sediment and erosion control BMPs for participants to learn about the selection and proper installation of BMPs.  The stations included the following:

  • Hydromulch and bonded fiber matrix (BFM) applied on slopes at two different application rates;
  • Demonstration of compost berm applications and compost filter sock installation and alternative anchoring and staking methods;
  • Rolled erosion control products (RECPs) installation including trenching and anchoring erosion control blankets (ECB) and turf reinforcement mats (TRM);
  • Perimeter control installation including silt fence using wooden stakes or t-posts and other proprietary sediment control devices;
  • Options for construction entrances/exits;
  • Stockpile management with woven geotextile cover using pins with washers for anchoring; and
  • Turbid water treatment with anionic polyacrylamide blended logs to remove fines and reduce turbidity.

In Hawaii, there are many challenges when it comes to choosing BMPs for sediment and erosion control. Unlike many places, each island in Hawaii is surrounded by water and there are so many amazing resources to protect. Projects have to contend with steep slopes, year round construction, quick changing weather, and hard rain events that produce a lot of rain in short periods of time. Additionally, most BMPs must be shipped by boat or airplane to the islands, which means not all products on the market are readily available.

The field demonstration day gave participants information on BMPs that are currently available in the islands and demonstrated applications and installation methods for effective control of sediment and erosion. It was great to have so many participants in attendance and hopefully we will see more hands-on events like this one in the future!