IFAI International Achievement Award of Excellence 2022
LAKE MCCONAUGHY GEOTEXTILE TUBE SHORELINE EROSION PROTECTION
Category: Mines/Landfill/Waste-Water
Products: TenCate Geotube®
Project location: Keith County, US
Description of project:
The purpose of this project was to stabilize the shoreline at the base of cliffs along Lake McConaughy in Keith County, Nebraska. The shoreline had been subjected to decades of wind, wave and ice erosion which was compromising the stability of homes built along the top of the cliffs. Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District (CNPPID) wanted a robust yet economical solution that would prevent erosion spanning from the toe up to 17.5 feet of the cliff face. A geotextile tube erosion control structure that could be filled using on site materials was selected over importing costly stone.
What is unique or complex about the project?
To reach the 17.5 feet high, the erosion control structure required three levels of geotextile tubes. Each layer has to be a minimum of 30 feet in circumference, and filled with a pumped sand slurry to a minimum of 5.5 feet high. The tubes were fabricated with flat ends to achieve a continuous level top surface of each level. The geotextiles tubes are exposed to the elements the majority of the year, so the geotextile must be a high strength tri-composite that has high UV and abrasion resistance to withstand the impact of ice flow and debris.
The tri-composite geotextile from which the geotextile tubes were fabricated is unique because it is strong enough to fabricate 30-foot geotextile tube units that could be filled to 5.5 feet with pumped sand slurry. The units provide hurricane impact, abrasion protection, and UV resistance after installation. In addition, the three-layer design was complex to install with at a 45° slope angle design terminating at the face of the cliff.
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