River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
These images were taken during the second week of December 2016.
Work has finished on the construction of the ‘debris trap’ in the river bed, opposite the Rivervale Apartments complex. This work was begun a few years ago, and halted with the creation of a pit, and the placement of (what I like to call) the 8 Dargle Dolmen stones (upright pillars) – 4 of which are immediately visible to the eye.
The ‘Debris Trap’ consists of 12 concrete elliptical shaped columns approximately 1.6m (5ft) high spaced 0.5m apart across the river channel — essential for trapping any trees or other objects which may flow down the river in flood conditions.
To create proper foundations for the columns, the guys had to drive steel piles deep into the bed of the river. Similar to work done elsewhere. Within that waterproof chamber, they set/poured concrete to build the columns.
So, as we can see, they’d (chamfered) dressed a terrace adjacent to the pillars.
2 days earlier we’d watched them engaged in what is know as ‘Hydro-seeding’.
Hydroseeding:
Hydroseeding (hydraulic mulch seeding) is the process of spraying a specially mixed slurry comprising of water, seed, hydro-mulch, fertiliser plus eco-friendly binder in just one operation. Although the optimum times to hydroseed are Spring and Autumn, with the right weather conditions hydroseeding can be carried out throughout the year.
Individual mixtures (grasses, legumes, wildflower, tree & shrub seed and sedum) can all be applied with a variety of different hydro-mulches; wood fibre, paper etc, together with organic tackifiers, fertilisers and trace elements to establish vegetation on inhospitable sites.
Additives to the hydroseed mix such as plant hormones, additional erosion control tackifier, soil amendments and microbial bacteria, enhance germination establishment to create the ideal growing environment that increases moisture retention, aids soil stabilisation, provides valuable nutrients and helps fight disease.
Looked like they’re using the T-60 HydroSeeder® – 600 Gallon Working Capacity Tank.
The Finn Model T-60 Series II is the ideal 600 gallon HydroSeeder® for the landscaper or contractor who needs an economical machine for seeding smaller jobs. Coverage is up to 7200 square feet per load with seed, fertilizer and mulch in an easy, one-step process.
Private homes, ball fields, apartments, condominiums and golf course work are just a few of the ideal applications for the T-60. For a small investment you can become a one-person seeding and mulching crew.
The T-60 combines top machine performance with a clean, operator friendly design. For the maximum in mixing efficiency, the T-60 features both hydraulically controlled paddle agitator and liquid re-circulation. For operator convenience, agitator controls are at each end of the tank. A low machine profile allows for easy material loading and excellent sta bility. A large tool box in the hitch can be used for storing hose & nozzles.
Finn’s powerful centrifugal slurry pump is driven by an in-line common shaft clutch, eliminating high maintenance belts and coupling. This new configuration dramatically increases output and operating pressure.
Has all the ‘Green’ appearance of oxidised copper.
