Alabama Handbook Vol. 1

386 Pages·2014·24.34 MB·English

Alabama Handbook for

Erosion Control, Sediment Control
and Stormwater Management on
Construction Sites and Urban Areas

Volume 1

Developing Plans and Designing
Best Management Practices

Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee
Montgomery, Alabama
Foreword

A concerted effort has been made to make the September 2014 Handbook an accurate and
comprehensive handbook useful to those involved in the technical aspects associated with land
disturbances.

The Handbook is available primarily as an electronic version from the following web site:

http://swcc.alabama.gov/pages/erosion_control.aspx?sm=b_b

It may be review and copied without a charge.

Hardcopies of the Handbook will not be distributed to a mailing list as was done when the Handbook
was updated in 2009. Instead, a hard copy of the Handbook or a CD may be purchased from the
Alabama Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society through the Jefferson County Soil and
Water Conservation Foundation. Order forms are available on the website listed for viewing the
Handbook.

Constructive comments on the contents of the 2014 Handbook should be provided in writing to the
Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee at the following address:

Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee
P. O. Box 304880
Montgomery, AL 36130-4800

The preparation of this handbook was financed in part through a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency to the Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee under provisions of Section 319(h) of the
Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended.

All programs and services of the federal, state and local agencies and organizations that cooperated in the
preparation of the handbook are available on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, national
origin, religion, sex, age, martial status, handicap or disability.
September 2014 i
Forward

ii September 2014
Acknowledgements

This 2014 Handbook update is a product of a partnership project between Alabama Soil and Water
Conservation Committee, Alabama Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society, Alabama
Association of Conservation Districts, Alabama Department of Environmental Management,
Alabama Department of Transportation, Associated General Contractors of Alabama, Home Builders
Association of Alabama, the USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service, Auburn University
and Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

Steering Committee – September 2014
Stephen M. Cauthen, Director
Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee, Montgomery, Alabama

Jack Wadsworth, Chairman, Urban Conservation Committee
Alabama Association of Conservation Districts, Autauga County, Alabama

Kory Boling, Member Services Director
Home Builders Association of Alabama, Montgomery, Alabama

Eve Brantley, Associate Professor, Auburn University Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental
Sciences and Water Quality Coordinator, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Auburn, Alabama

Barry Fagan, Environmental Program Engineer
Alabama Department of Transportation, Montgomery, Alabama

Jeff Kitchens, Chief Stormwater Management Branch of the Water Division
Alabama Department of Environmental Management, Montgomery, Alabama

Jeff Rodgers, Vice-President, AGC Birmingham Chapter Headquarters
Alabama Associated General Contractors, Birmingham, Alabama

Patti Hurley, Senior Environmental Scientist, Office of Education and Outreach
Alabama Department of Environmental Management, Montgomery, Alabama

Monday Mbila, President
Alabama Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society, Huntsville, Alabama

Diane Guthrie, State Conservation Engineer
USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Auburn, Alabama

September 2014 iii
Acknowledgements

Handbook Authors – 2002 through September 2014
Jim Baier, Assistant Professor-Biosystems Engineering
Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama (no longer with Auburn University)

Eve Brantley, Associate Professor, Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, Auburn
University and Water Quality Coordinator, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Auburn,
Alabama

H. Jeff Holloway, Resources Engineer
USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Oxford, Alabama (now works in Georgia)

Richard Hulcher, Chief, Office of Field Services
Alabama Department of Environmental Management, Montgomery, Alabama

Charlene M. LeBlue, Associate Professor
School of Architecture, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama

Tim Logiotatos, Environmental Engineer
City of Auburn, Auburn, Alabama (no longer works with City of Auburn)

Eddie R. Jolley, Conservation Agronomist
USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Auburn, Alabama

Jerry L. Johnson, State Staff Forester
USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Auburn, Alabama (deceased)

Lawrence McGhee, State Soil Scientist
USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Auburn, Alabama

Earl L. Norton, Handbook Coordinator
Alabama Chapter, Soil and Water Conservation Society, Auburn, Alabama

Perry L. Oakes, State Conservation Engineer
USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Auburn, Alabama (retired from NRCS)

Teresa Paglione, Cultural Resources Specialist,
USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Auburn, Alabama

Kenneth M. Rogers, Conservation Agronomist
USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Auburn, Alabama (retired from NRCS)

B. Dewayne Smith, Associate
Malcolm Pirnie, Inc., Auburn, Alabama (no longer with Malcolm Pirnie)

E. Don Surrency, Plant Materials Specialist
USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Athens, Georgia (retired from NRCS)

Jeffery Thurmond, Wildlife Biologist
USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Auburn, Alabama
iv September 2014
Acknowledgements
Technical Advisors
Tim Albritton, State Staff Forester
USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Auburn, Alabama

Audrey Marshall, Information Technology Specialist, Opelika, Alabama

L. Fay Garner, Public Affairs Assistant
Natural Resources Specialist, Auburn, Alabama

Charles H. Gilliam, Professor,
Department of Horticulture, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama

AUTOCAD drawings provided by:
Jeff Dowdy, Civil Engineering Technician
Natural Resources Conservation Service, Auburn, Alabama

September 2014 v
Acknowledgements

This Page Intentionally Left Blank

vi September 2014
Table of Contents

Foreword ......................................................................................................................... i
Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... iii
Table of Contents ......................................................................................................... vii
Introduction ................................................................................................................... ix

Chapter 1: Erosion, Sedimentation and Stormwater Processes .............................. 1
Chapter 2: General Planning Concepts for Erosion Control, Sediment
Control, and Stormwater Management .................................................... 7
Chapter 3: Plan Preparation .......................................................................... 43
Chapter 4: Best Management Practices Design ..................................................... 61
Site Preparation
Construction Exit Pad (CEP) .................................................................................... 63
Land Grading (LG) .................................................................................................... 67
Topsoiling (TSG) ...................................................................................................... 71
Surface Stabilization
Chemical Stabilization (CHS) ................................................................................... 77
Dune Sand Fence (DSF) .......................................................................................... 79
Dune Vegetation Planting (DVP) .............................................................................. 83
Dune Walkover (DW) ................................................................................................ 91
Dust Control (DC) ..................................................................................................... 95
Erosion Control Blanket (ECB). ................................................................................ 99
Groundskeeping (GK) ............................................................................................. 107
Mulching (MU) ........................................................................................................ 113
Permanent Seeding (PS) ........................................................................................ 119
Preservation of Vegetation (PV) ............................................................................. 129
Retaining Wall (RW) ............................................................................................... 139
Shrub, Vine and Groundcover Planting (SVG) ....................................................... 141
Sodding (SOD) ....................................................................................................... 151
Temporary Seeding (TS) ........................................................................................ 157
Tree Planting on Disturbed Areas (TP) ................................................................... 163
Runoff Conveyance
Check Dam (CD) .................................................................................................... 169
Diversion (DV) ........................................................................................................ 175
Drop Structure (DS) ................................................................................................ 197
Grass Swale (GS) ................................................................................................... 201
Lined Swale (LS) .................................................................................................... 223
Outlet Protection (OP) ............................................................................................ 229

September 2014 vii
Riprap-lined Swale (RS) .................................................................................... 241
Subsurface Drain (SD) ...................................................................................... 247
Temporary Slope Drain (TSD) ........................................................................... 253
Sediment Control
Block and Gravel Inlet Protection (BIP) ............................................................. 259
Brush/Fabric Barrier (BFB) ................................................................................ 263
Fabric Drop Inlet Protection (FIP) ...................................................................... 267
Filter Strip (FS) .................................................................................................. 269
Floating Turbidity Barrier (FB) ........................................................................... 275
Flocculant .......................................................................................................... 283
Rock Filter Dam (RD) ........................................................................................ 287
Sediment Barrier (SB) ....................................................................................... 291
Sediment Basin (SBN) ...................................................................................... 299
Sediment Trap (ST) ........................................................................................... 317
Stormwater Management
Bioretention Area (BA ...................................................................................... .321
Porous Pavement (PP) ..................................................................................... 331
Stormwater Detention Basin (SDB) ................................................................... 335
Stream Protection
Buffer Zone (BZ) ............................................................................................... 343
Channel Stabilization (CS) ................................................................................ 347
Stream Diversion Channel (SDC) ..................................................................... 353
Streambank Protection (SP) .............................................................................. 359
Temporary Stream Crossing (TSC) ................................................................... 371

Appendix (filed in either Volume I or Volume II) Note: The Appendix should be
inserted by the user in the Handbook Volume that will make it most useful to the
user.
Soils in Alabama ............................................................................................................ 1
Glossary ....................................................................................................................... 43
References ................................................................................................................... 59
CAD Drawings .............................................................................................................. 63
Local Information ........................................................................................................ 65

viii September 2014
Introduction

The Alabama Handbook for Erosion Control, Sediment Control and Stormwater Management on
Construction Sites and Urban Areas provides guidance for preventing or minimizing the related
problems of erosion, sediment and stormwater on construction sites and eroding urban areas. It
provides a basis for developing sound plans and implementing appropriate measures, commonly
referred to as Best Management Practices. It can help users meet environmental and regulatory
objectives.

The Handbook recognizes that erosion and runoff are influenced by the combination of climate,
topography, soils, vegetative cover and the extent of land-disturbing activities. Because topography,
soils, environmental conditions, and to a lesser extent local climate vary widely over the state,
the application of the procedures and criteria in the Handbook should be tailored to local site-specific
conditions and user objectives.

Erosion at construction sites and the resulting sediment-laden and turbid stormwater runoff impact
individuals, our society and the environment. Damages occur on-site and off-site if land, water and
related resources are degraded. Similar impacts may occur as a result of erosion in urban areas on
non-construction sites.

The Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee, acting under authorities set forth in section 9-
8-22 of the Code of Alabama 1975, printed the first edition of the Handbook in 1993. Its purpose was
to aid land users, including developers, contractors, consultants, city, county and state planners and
planning boards, other governmental officials, and homeowners in adequately addressing the soil
erosion, sediment, and stormwater problems associated with land disturbing activities associated with
non-agricultural development. The First Revision of the Handbook was completed in 2002. It added
Chapter 9 and provided thirteen additional practices that were not in the original Handbook.

The Handbook June 2003 update involved all parts of the previous handbook and divided it into two
volumes to make the contents more user-friendly. Additional practices were added to make the
Handbook more comprehensive. Revision No. 1 dated January 2006 was made to add the
Bioretention and Stream Diversion practices, to revise the procedure for determining the size of rip-
rap for the Channel Stabilization practice and to correct several grammatical errors.

Revision No. 2 of March 2009 made significant changes including adding the concept of Low Impact
Development and revising practices in the Sediment Control section.

Revision No. 3 of September 2014, made improvements by incorporating industry suggestions and
further integrating the concepts of Low Impact Development to mesh with the new LID Handbook in
Alabama. Some of the more significant changes include replacing exotic invasive species with native
species in the Shrub, Vine and Groundcover Planting practice, modifying the specifications of the
Class A Silt Fence in the Sediment Barrier practice, adding the practice Flocculant as a Sediment
Control measure, and providing CAD drawings for several of the practices that were supported earlier
with only figures.

It is a goal of the Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee that we keep the Handbook
current with changing technology. Although we cannot use the Handbook to identify and recommend
specific products, we recognize that product development will continue and that over time we gain a
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