Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Early Online
    • Archive
    • Subject Collections
  • Info For
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Subscribers
    • Advertisers
  • About
    • About JSWC
    • Editorial Board
    • Permissions
    • Alerts
    • RSS Feeds
    • Contact Us

User menu

  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation

  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Early Online
    • Archive
    • Subject Collections
  • Info For
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Subscribers
    • Advertisers
  • About
    • About JSWC
    • Editorial Board
    • Permissions
    • Alerts
    • RSS Feeds
    • Contact Us
  • Follow SWCS on Twitter
  • Visit SWCS on Facebook
Research ArticleResearch Section

Runoff water quality and vegetative establishment for groundcovers on steep slopes

D.L. Babcock and R.A. McLaughlin
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation March 2011, 66 (2) 132-141; DOI: https://doi.org/10.2489/jswc.66.2.132
D.L. Babcock
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
R.A. McLaughlin
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • References
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

Construction sites can be a major source of sediment, a common pollutant in surface waters, because steep slopes are often bare during active construction. The use of mulch and polymers has been found to reduce erosion rates and improve runoff water quality on construction sites. Different erosion control methods on steep slopes (2:1) consisting of straw, straw plus 37 kg ha−1 (33 lb ac−1) linear anionic polyacrylamide (straw + PAM), and excelsior blankets were evaluated based on runoff water quality, vegetative establishment, or both at six construction sites. Plots (3 to 9 m [10 to 30 ft] wide by 9 m [29.5 ft] long) were established on cut slopes. Runoff was collected at four of six sites by installing plastic barriers to direct a portion of runoff into containers, later analyzed for turbidity and total suspended solids (TSS) in the laboratory. Large differences in water quality were often not statistically significant for individual storms due to high variability. However, when data were averaged across all storm events, the straw + PAM treatment reduced mean runoff turbidity at three of four sites and mean TSS at two of the four sites compared to straw alone. Maximum reductions in turbidity and TSS were 81% and 56%, respectively. Runoff from the excelsior plots had significantly lower turbidity and TSS than straw plots in one of three sites. Compared to straw + PAM, excelsior had significantly higher turbidity at two of three sites and higher TSS at one of three sites. All differences among treatments for individual storm events occurred within the first three events. Vegetative cover was determined in the field, and aboveground vegetation was harvested to determine biomass production. Neither vegetative cover nor biomass were affected by treatment, and average cover was 60% or less for five of the six sites. Rainfall patterns were largely responsible for vegetative growth, with heavier rainfall soon after seeding tending to reduce cover.

  • © 2011 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society

This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.

Log in using your username and password

Forgot your user name or password?

Purchase access

You may purchase access to this article. This will require you to create an account if you don't already have one.
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation: 66 (2)
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
Vol. 66, Issue 2
March/April 2011
  • Table of Contents
  • About the Cover
  • Index by author
  • Front Matter (PDF)
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on Journal of Soil and Water Conservation.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Runoff water quality and vegetative establishment for groundcovers on steep slopes
(Your Name) has sent you a message from Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
4 + 9 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.
Citation Tools
Runoff water quality and vegetative establishment for groundcovers on steep slopes
D.L. Babcock, R.A. McLaughlin
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation Mar 2011, 66 (2) 132-141; DOI: 10.2489/jswc.66.2.132

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Request Permissions
Share
Runoff water quality and vegetative establishment for groundcovers on steep slopes
D.L. Babcock, R.A. McLaughlin
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation Mar 2011, 66 (2) 132-141; DOI: 10.2489/jswc.66.2.132
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • Evaluation of seven mulch treatments for erosion control and vegetation establishment on steep slopes
  • Erosion control effectiveness of straw, hydromulch, and polyacrylamide in a rainfall simulator
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Women taking action: Multisession learning circles, storytelling, and an ecosystem of relationships for conservation
  • Influence of gypsum and cover crop on greenhouse gas emissions in soybean cropping systems
  • Soil organic carbon and nitrogen storage estimated with the root-zone enrichment method under conventional and conservation land management across North Carolina
Show more Research Section

Similar Articles

Content

  • Current Issue
  • Early Online
  • Archive
  • Subject Collections

Info For

  • Authors
  • Reviewers
  • Subscribers
  • Advertisers

Customer Service

  • Subscriptions
  • Permissions and Reprints
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy

SWCS

  • Membership
  • Publications
  • Meetings and Events
  • Conservation Career Center

© 2023 Soil and Water Conservation Society