Outfall Protection

What exactly is outfall protection?  Outfall protection is an essential element of proper culvert installation and can certainly extend the life of your culvert.  Outfall protection most often consists of rip rap or other large aggregate placed at the end of the culvert to intercept and absorb the energy produced by the water exiting the culvert. 

Rock Outfall Protection

As water flows down a ditch or stream, it is gaining speed or velocity.  This velocity increases once the flow of water is concentrated in a culvert.   Culverts also tend to have more smooth edges, or less roughness than the ditch or streambed to slow this water down.  Once this water exits the culvert, it is moving relatively fast with lots of power ready to move some soil and cause erosion.  In addition to scouring out the channel down from the culvert, this water tends to swirl around as it leaves the culvert and can eventually wash out the culvert, costing you money to come in and re-install your culvert. 

Outfall protection intercepts this flow and spreads it out, thus reducing the speed of the water and its erosive power.  Outfall protection can be as simple as some old bricks, busted up concrete, old tires, or large rock.  On cross-drain culverts, where you are transferring runoff from across the road, you may want to not only put outfall protection under the end of the culvert, but also on the bank adjacent to the culvert exit, to help preserve the bank and prevent excessive erosion.   On culverts used for creek crossings it is often important to not only have outfall protection on the culvert exit, but also on the sides of the banks on either side of the culvert exit.  This will prevent swirling water exiting the culvert from eroding the stream banks and eventually blowing out the sides of your culvert. 

Outfall protection can also be an important component of wing ditches on some of your woods roads that are generally only used during forest operations.  In these instances, you may not need to invest in large, rock aggregate, but instead can prevent excessive erosion by placing slash or brush at the outlet of the wing ditch.  Another method of providing outfall protection on wing ditches could be using vegetation.  If this is an area that doesn't receive a large amount of runoff, it is a good idea to use our seeding chart on page 67 of the blue book. 

In conclusion, outfall protection is essential in protecting your culvert, ditch, stream, wallet, and water quality in general.  Outfall protection will save you money by not having to re-install culverts and reduce the frequency that you have to come and pull your ditches.  Outfall protection protects streams health and preserves water quality by reducing the amount of sediment traveling downstream that result from stream bed and stream bank scour.  

Bell County Conservation Expo - June 12, 2014

To RSVP, contact: 

Bell Co. AgriLife Extension Services

 

(Checks payable to: Bell Crops Committee)

 

1605 N Main St., 102

Belton, TX 76513

254-933-5305

l-zoeller@tamu.edu

www.texasconservation.org 

May 2014 BMP Q&A

By: Todd Thomas, Water Resources Forester, Texas A&M Forest Service

Q: As a result of some of these spring time rains we have been experiencing, several of the permanent roads we use have stayed wet and become a major headache.  For future reference, what do you recommend to help decrease the amount of time it takes to dry these roads out?

A: After some of the dry weather we’ve had the last couple of years, there’s no doubt that the rain is welcome, but with it comes issues like the one you’ve brought up.  As they say, “the wetter the road, the weaker the road.”  One method that comes to mind for decreasing the amount of time it takes for a road to dry out is called “daylighting.”

Sun and wind are the primary agents needed to dry out a road.  Daylighting is a method that that entails clearing trees along the edge of the road in order to increase air circulation and allow more sunlight to hit the road surface.  The forest canopy intercepts quite a bit of wind and sunlight.  The more sun and wind that reach the road, the faster it will dry out, allowing you to work more efficiently, reducing erosion potential, and increasing the life span of your road.  How far you decide to remove these trees on the sides is up to your discretion, really just enough to get that sunlight and wind onto the road surface.  

 

This road is receiving optimum sunlight and air circulation now,
but later on these trees along the side may need to be removed.

Due to our location on the Earth’s surface, the southern side of east-west running roads should receive the most attention in order to maximize the amount of afternoon sun that hits the road.  Generally speaking, afternoon sun has a greater intensity than morning sun and a southern exposure will receive more direct sunlight than a northern exposure.  On a north-south running road, the west side should have more trees removed than the east side, to maximize the afternoon sun.  In areas with substantial curves in the road, go ahead and take several trees out of the inside of the curve to enhance the daylighting process and to increase visibility down the road as a safety precaution. 

In addition to allowing the road to dry faster, daylighting also helps to increase vegetative cover.  Increased grasses on the road surface when the road is not under heavy traffic loads will do two things.  The root structure of the grasses will do an excellent job of holding soil in place while the grasses themselves intercept rainfall and reduce soil particle displacement from raindrop impact.  The second benefit to the road is that the grasses will also aid in removing moisture.  As these grasses grow and conduct photosynthesis, they will remove moisture from the soil comprising the road bed and then transpire it into the atmosphere.  The increased number of grasses and forbs growing in the road and on the sides of the road will be of great benefit to wildlife as a food source.  So you are not only helping the road system but you are helping to feed our furry friends.  Who knows, maybe they’ll grow some bigger antlers and be more convenient to load into the back of the pickup since they are hanging out on the road! 

In conclusion, if your primary access roads are staying too wet, you may want to consider removing some trees along the side of the road in a process known as “daylighting.”  Remember, forest roads have the potential to severely degrade water quality and by keeping them in good shape, you are helping to keep our waters clean as well.  If you have any questions, feel free to call me at 936-639-8180, you can reach me by email at tthomas@tfs.tamu.edu, or just swing by our office in Lufkin. 

*This article was published in the May 2014 edition of the Texas Logger

March 2014 BMP Q&A

By: Todd Thomas, Water Resources Forester, Texas A&M Forest Service

Q: Recently I was considering various revegetation options so I decided to consult the trusty old blue book.  On page 68, in the chart that has different types of grasses and planting rates, etc., I noticed under plating rate that most everything is listed as lbs/acre.  However, there were some that instead of “lbs”, the unit was “bu”.  What does “bu” stand for? 

A: First and foremost, I commend you on exploring other revegetation options and taking advantage of our seeding chart.  To answer your question, “bu” stands for “bushels”.  Species listed in bushels per acre are to be sprigged instead of seeded.  Species that require sprigging are generally hybrids such as Coastal Bermuda grass.  Since they are hybrids, they do not reproduce from seeds, but from roots or runners. 

Bermuda Grass Sprig

Now you are probably asking yourself, “How much exactly is a bushel?”  Do not worry, you are not alone, this is not a common unit of measurement these days to say the least.  A bushel is defined as a volume measurement that contains 32 quarts, 8 gallons, or 1.25 cubic feet.  Length times width times depth in feet divided by 1.25 or multiplied times 0.8 will give the number of measured bushels a truck or trailer can hold.

Species of Bermudagrass are excellent options for erosion control.  These species are perennials, so under the right circumstances, they will return year in and year out, making them ideal for areas that will not be placed into timber production.  Bermuda also has an extensive root structure that does a superb job of holding the soil in place.  The fine blades of Bermudagrass above the soil surface were almost designed to intercept overland flow. 

I hope I was able to clear up some of the confusion out there concerning our revegetation chart.  If anyone out there has any BMP related questions, please do not hesitate to contact our office in Lufkin.  The phone number is 936-639-8180, you can also send them to me via email, my email address is tthomas@tfs.tamu.edu. 

*This article was published in the March 2014 edition of the Texas Logger

Texas Riparian & Stream Ecosystem Workshop - San Bernard River Basin

March 18, 2014 - Tuesday 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

City of Wharton Civic Center
1407 N Richmond Rd.,
Wharton, TX 77488  (map)

This workshop will focus on the nature and function of stream and riparian zones and the benefits and direct economic impacts from healthy riparian zones. The riparian education programs will cover an introduction to riparian principles, watershed processes, basic hydrology, erosion/deposition principles, and riparian vegetation, as well as potential causes of degradation and possible resulting impairment(s), and available local resources including technical assistance and tools that can be employed to prevent and/or resolve degradation. The Texas A&M Forest Service's Water Resources Department will be presenting on Protecting Water Resources while Conducting Management Operations.

This is a one day indoor class with an outdoor field tour that same afternoon.

At the conclusion of the training, participants will receive a certificate of completion.

Continuing Education Units Available:

• Texas Department of Agriculture Pesticide Applicators License – 3 CEUs
• Texas Water Resources Institute  – 1 CEU
• Texas Nutrient Management Planning Specialists – 6 hours
• Texas Forestry Association – 6 hours
• Society of American Foresters – 4. 5 hours
• Texas Board of Architectural Examiners “Acceptable for HSW credit”
• The program may also be used for CEUs for Professional Engineers.

RSVP is required by March 13, 2014. Online RSVP and Agenda: naturalresourcestraining.tamu.edu/schedule

A catered lunch will be provided for $10 cash at the door. Please feel free to bring your own lunch as we will have a lunchtime presentation before heading to the river site. Please select if you would like the catered lunch or if you will bring your own on your RSVP. Thank you. 

For more information or questions please contact Nikki Dictson at 979-458-5915 or n-dictson@tamu.edu.

Texas Wildlife & Woodland Expo 2014 – Lone Star College – Montgomery Campus

Bring your family to an educational and fun event this spring! Learn about the land you live on in Texas, while having a great time outside on Lone Star College’s beautiful Montgomery Campus.

Five zones exist throughout the event; each with several hands on activities for adults and young ones. Topic specific demonstrations will occur throughout the day in the five exciting zones. These zones include: Trees, Community, Water, Wildlife, Heritage, and Adventure. The Texas A&M Forest Service will have booths in the Heritage, Trees, Community, and, of course, Water zones.  Please come by and meet Donna Work and myself with any BMP or water quality questions you may have. Donna and I will be explaining the importance of forests to improve water quality in Texas. Our groundwater recharge model and SMZ Model bring The Texas A&M Forest Service’s Best Management Practices Handbook to life. We will also have fun games where your family can learn about water related soils and critters that live in the water.Hope to see you there!

This is a FREE event. No registration required. This event is put on by Lone Star College Montgomery, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas A&M Agrilife Extension, Montgomery County Beautification Association, and the Texas A&M Forest Service. For more information about the expo please visit expo.tamu.edu

March 22, 2014 – 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Lone Star College Montgomery Campus

3200 College Park Dr, Conroe, TX 77384

If you have any questions about this event please contact me: Kristen Wickert at 713-688-1248 or by email at kwickert@tfs.tamu.edu

Field Day for land owners of small acreage tracts

Peach Creek Plantation, located inside the Sam Houston National Forest, is hosting a field day for landowners of small tracts. Thirteen experts on managing land in Texas will ride along with landowners on a hay ride around the Peach Creek property. There will be several stops along the ride where the experts will address their respective topics at corresponding locations on the property. After the tour, landowners will able to meet and greet with the experts one on one; where the experts can share more insight, materials, and handouts.

Topics covered will include:

·         Wildlife habitat

·         Nuisance animals

·         Reforestation and planting

·         Water quality and erosion

·         Pond construction

·         Implementing your forest/wildlife management plans

·         Managing for aesthetics – Native plants

·         Tax valuation

·         Timber theft prevention and contracts

Please pack a picnic lunch.  Some refreshments provided by POA.

Please register for free for this event with Penny Whisenant at pwhisenant@tfs.tamu.edu  or call 936-273-2261

The event starts at 10:00 AM on Saturday February 15^th and ends around 1:00 PM.

Peach Creek Plantation – Big Buck Pavilion

3615 N. Duck Creek Road, Cleveland, TX 77328

Event signs with directions will be present along adjacent roads.

Big Buck Pavilion Coordinates:   30°19’35.42”N     95°13’30.82”W