The implementation of erosion and sediment controls

Earlier this year, members from the Onward Consulting team completed the Erosion and Sediment Control NSW (Blue Book) training through the Centre for Environmental Training. The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) approved training was completed over four days for professional development in Erosion and Sediment Control, based on Volume 1 of Managing Urban Stormwater: Soils and Construction (Landcom, 2004) (the “Blue Book”).

The content and purpose of each day was as follows:

➡️ Day one: Fundamentals of Erosion and Sediment Control. This workshop provided training for people responsible for the selection, installation, inspection, or maintenance of temporary and permanent erosion and sediment control measures.

➡️ Day two: How to use the Blue Book. Providing a broad overview of the material contained in the “Blue Book”, this workshop introduced the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), as a tool for assessing erosion risk at a site under different management conditions.

➡️ Day three: Water Management on Construction Sites. Day three included the training of personnel in the selection, design and review of temporary and permanent erosion and sediment control measures.

➡️ Day four: Preparing and Reviewing Plans for Soil and Water Management. The final day of the workshop focused on the identification and design of both temporary and permanent erosion and sediment control measures and their delineation of a plan. It pulled together the information presented on days one to three, by practically applying the work undertaken at the earlier workshops.

The workshop helped the team to deepen their understanding of the principles of the Blue Book, and its practical application in selection, design, installation and maintenance considerations for erosion and sediment controls, appropriate to each project or development.

The team are now able to better assist clients in reducing impacts of land disturbance as a result of their project or development activities, and we have already begun to implement these learnings in the development of appropriate erosion and sediment controls for key clients.

To find out more about how we can provide guidance within your next project, get in touch.