Some Exams have been graded

Congradulations to the following people who have sucsessfully completed the certification requirements for C.P.E.S.C.

Some (as designated with an *) are registered as In-Training because they do not have enough years of experience. But they still had to take most of the same test the rest of us took (4 hour test).

Calvin R. Becksvoort
Kyle E. Carrick *
Paul L. Forton
Donald B. Heck
Kevin J. Kalmbach
Randel J. LeMoine
Allen J. Patrick
Travis J. Underhill
Joseph A. LaGrow, Jr.

* An asterisk, if present, denotes a CPESC In-Training

This gives us more than 1/3 of the Certified Professionals in Michigan, in our area.

Other Michigan Soil Erosion Groups

Just incase someone gets this far and would be interested in a different area of Michigan

Here are some other groups in Michigan


West Michigan Soil Erosion Control Network
425 36th Street SW
Wyoming MI 49548-2108


Mid-Michigan Soil Erosion Group
(this is where you are now)
Kevin Kalmbach, Soil Erosion Engineer, 517 543-3886
kkalmbach@eatoncounty.org


South East Michigan Soil Erosion Network
http://ewashtenaw.org/government/departments/soil_erosion/se_sesc.html
Katie Lee, Soil Erosion Officer, 734-222-3978,
leek@ewashtenaw.org

CPESC REVIEW AND TESTING

We had 24 people attend the review / training day on Wednesday, November 28, 2007. It was fast passed, but we learned a lot.

The next morning was the testing portion, half of us continued on to take the CPESC certification test. It was challenging, and the worst part is we won't know until February how we did on the test.

I believe this was the first time CPESC Review and Testing has ever been offered in Michigan.

Sorry, but I didn't take any pictures this time.

Keep tuned for more educational opportunities. The next one will be much lighter, you might even need to bring your own chair.

Spartan Motors Field Day

This last Wednesday, June 27, our group organized our first field demonstration day. We had 35 people from 15 different organizations in attendance. Spartan Motors was very cooperative and allowed us to utilize their site to demonstrate proper installation methods for a few temporary stabilization methods.

Installed on the site is:

• Erosion Control Blankets - North American Green DS150, S75BN, SC150
• SedimentSTOP, Biodegradable filtration system
• Hydromulch
• Crimped Straw (we also saw the handmade crimper)
• Straw with tackifier

The manufacturer’s installation details can be found at:
http://www.nagreen.com/resources/specifications.html

We wouldn’t have made it without the efforts of Steve Shaw and his crew from The Sacred Tree. They went all out to make sure the site was ready for us. They installed all the products we looked at and also provided us with some insight on installing these products.

I plan on taking pictures weekly of the installation so we can see the results. The rain we received during the walkthrough was great, we needed it.

For those of you who ran away, you should have been looking at the SedimentSTOP and the blankets. After the short viewing of the Spartan facility, we had the opportunity to see how the soil had held up after the rain and discuss the crimper. Later that afternoon and evening it rained more. The guys from The Sacred Tree said the water was nearly flowing over the top of the SedimentSTOP that was by the sign-in table. I will have pictures of the site taken that afternoon and following weeks at our next meeting.

Let me know if there are products you just can’t seem to get to work or if you want to see some particular product you haven’t seen before. There is a great deal of interest in doing this again.

Also, we discussed an upcoming CPESC training our group is organizing. It will take place this fall on November 28th and testing on November 29th. More information on CPESC certification can be found at www.cpesc.org .

John Price, Price and Company, will be conducting our training. We are planning on 2 options, either training and certification or just the training with no certification.

MIDMISEG MEETING MINUTES Feb. 22, 2007

Open meeting:
Introductions of attendees

Associations:
Do we want to work with the IECA or SWCS?

CPESCS:
Does everyone understand the importance? Should we work to educate others? Should we try to entice others to receive this designation? Will it promote a better understanding of soil and sediment loss?

Views from participants:
Networking
Consistency between designers, regulators, contractors, suppliers
Better understanding of expectations of erosion and NPDES Phase 2
Better understanding of the effect of erosion-POLUTION
Team approach to problem solving
Product knowledge
Product installation
Product application
New products
Product reviews
Project reviews

Bylaws
It appeared most wanted to wait to formally set up a committee. A temporary board will be set up. The following individuals volunteered for the board; Kevin Kalmbach (Eaton County Drain), Joe LaGrow (Price and Company), Dave Fisher (Wolverine Engineering).
This committee will review suggestions from the meeting and set up topics for discussion.

Board meetings will be held bi-monthly or as needed. Group meetings will be held quarterly.


Plan Making Workshop
Concerns were voiced in regards to needing to know exactly what the CEA wants to have submitted on the plan. Ingham County is putting together a presentation for later this year for their area. Shiawassee County Health Department is planning a “get to know you” presentation for this Spring. The Shiawassee HD just became the CEA for their county.
It was agreed that the 4 CEA’s represented would discuss the possibilities of a larger plan creation workshop.

Summer Field Day
A lot of questions and discussions were brought up. The board will review both an on site field day and photo work shop. The field day would be open to the public and require more work from this group. It would have a greater impact within the community. A photo workshop/power point would probably be limited to the space of the facility, speakers and topics.

Future topics of discussion
BMP work shop
Plan review workshop between designers and regulators
Stomwater operator expectations, log reports, consistency, and accuracy
Product review, installation workshop

Future Participants
This group is open to any individually willing to attend and provide good constructive opinions in a professional manner. The first group was hand selected to move the group forward in a positive and open minded fashion. It was not set up to specifically exclude any person or company. All opinions need to be reviewed whether some like the content or not. These discussions make us aware of others needs and/or expectations.

Feel free to invite anyone at your discretion. Permission from the group or board is not required for participation.

Soil Erosion Plans

My goal is always to be in a position to enable builders and developers to responsibly develop their land. Since our forefathers failed to care about the environment and just looked at the land as a commodity, we now must pay the price of government regulation.

So far its not that bad. The developer (or their engineer) chooses how the development progresses and determines the products used. There is only about 13 things listed in Part 91 that must be on the plan. The real design is up the engineer.

As an Engineer, I realize the need to utilize standard drawings and cookie cutter plans. But that doesn't cut it for soil erosion. At the least, you must consider the soil type and slope.

The plan should show pre-existing conditions, final conditions and detailed instructions on how to go from one to the other. Typical items missing from plans I see are products used and construction details. How do you bid a project if you don't know which Geotextile fabric they want? How about all thoes plans I see with silt fence details showing wire backing?

Heres my suggestion. First, design the site. Its probably already layed out when you get it. Design the roads and balance the dirt. Do all the standard CE work.

Second, go through the list of things in Part 91 and put them on the plan. This includes soil descriptions. Are they erodible? Which way does the land slope? Where is the nearest water? Where are the existing catchbasins?

Third, think about the site. Protect everything identified in the above step. Silt fence does not stop erosion and therefore does not protect the land. If you don't know how to stop erosion, either learn or hire an individual who does. I am sorry if I sound harsh, but if you cant do it learn how. Plan review takes much longer if the enforcing agent needs to train the designer in the process.

Fourth, instruct your draftsman (or do it yourself) to place standard details for ALL the items listed in your "keying system". Then, you must update them to reflect specific item selections. You are the engineer, use your knowledge to make educated decisions.

If you follow this process you will be able to intelegently argue the basis of design for your project instead of arguing about the "requirements" for part 91.

Finaly, visit the site while it is being built to see what your plan was lacking. We can always do better.

MID-MICHIGAN Peer Group for Soil Erosion Professionals

I am working with Joe LaGrow, from Price and Company, to set up a Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control peer group here in Mid-Michigan. I have tentatively called it the Mid-Michigan Soil Erosion Group (MiMISEG). If you found this page, then I would call you a professional just due to your interest in soil erosion. Everyone is welcome.

Our first (organizational) meeting will be held on

Thursday, February 22, 2007

At

2:00pm

In the basement of the

Eaton County Farm Services Building
551 Courthouse Drive
Charlotte, MI 48813

At this meeting, we will review some organizational material, set up a small temporary board, and start planning a Field Day for this summer. Bring your ideas of what you and others might need to see.

RSVP (517) 543-3886
kkalmbach@eatoncounty.org

Sincerely,
Kevin J. Kalmbach
Soil Erosion Engineer

Conquest of the Land through 7000 years

A wonderful personal report by Dr. Walter Clay Lowdermilk detailing historical soil erosion over the history of the world has been re-published by the USDA. See this link

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/ecs/agecol/conquest.html

He covers soil erosion from the beginnings of post-flood civilization in Mesopotamia to current (1930's) catastrophes such as the Dust Bowl . He ends the paper with the "Eleventh Commandment"

Thou shalt inherit the Holy Earth as a faithful steward, conserving its resources and productivity from generation to generation. Thou shalt safeguard thy fields from soil erosion, thy living waters from drying up, thy forests from desolation, and protect thy hills from overgrazing by thy herds, that thy descendants may have abundance forever. If any shall fail in this stewardship of the land thy fruitful fields shall become sterile stony ground and wasting gullies, and thy descendants shall decrease and live in poverty or perish from off the face of the earth.

Seeding requirements for Michigan

I have recently been asked what requirements there are for achieving final stabilization (seed or sod or other final landscaping). The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Land and Water Management Div. Rule 323.1709 states that

(5) A person shall complete permanent soil erosion control measures for all slopes, channels, ditches, or any disturbed land area within 5 calendar days after final grading or the final earth change has been completed. If it is not possible to permanently stabilize a disturbed area after an earth change has been completed or if significant earth change activity ceases, then a person shall maintain temporary soil erosion and sedimentation control measures until permanent soil erosion control measures are in place and the area is stabilized.

This portion of the rules applies to all earth disturbances. The area of the rule that states "If it is not possible..." means that conditions beyond the control of the contractor and owner. Excuses that are not valid include (but I hear a new one every day)

• My Landscaper told me it was better to plant my grass in August.
• Its not in my contract.
• The Landscaper wants to do 5 homes at once to make it worth him coming all the way over here.
• I don't have the money for grass seed, my gold plated kitchen used up all the discretionary funds.
• My Realtor told me ...?
• I've been building for 20 years and never had to do that!

Rain, snow, or the lack thereof is more than a good excuse. I will be the first to back you on weather related delays. Now, here's the kicker, its January 5 and I just picked a plate full of fresh broccoli from my garden. Now is a great time to be out working and seeding lawns (dormant seeding).