HR: 0830h
AN: H41E-1044    [PDF]
TI: Erosion Management of Construction Sites
AU: Pudasaini, M S
EM: m.pudasaini@uws.edu.au
AF: School of Engineering and Industrial Design, University of Western Sydney Locked Bag 1797, Penrith South DC, NSW 1797 Australia
AU: * Shrestha, S P
EM: s.shrestha@uws.edu.au
AF: School of Engineering and Industrial Design, University of Western Sydney Locked Bag 1797, Penrith South DC, NSW 1797 Australia
AB: Improvements in medical technology and improved lifestyles around the globe have resulted in the population growth trend we see today. The outcome is an ever-increasing demand in construction activities, be it for housing purposes or to provide for additional infrastructures to sustain the population growth and improved lifestyles. Indirect impact of this increase in construction activities is an increase in soil erosion from these (construction sites) activities, accelerating the global threat posed by massive soil erosion from human induced activities. While little, if any, can be done to stop the natural erosion process, timely actions can be taken to reduce erosion resulting from construction activities. The constraint, however, is to strike a balance between adverse economic impacts and associated environmental hazards. This is where effective use can be made of mathematical models specifically developed with aims of predicting soil erosion. For construction activities, these mathematical models can be used to compare adverse impacts of different management practices, with the objective of choosing the most appropriate (i.e. Best) Management Practice (BMP) for minimizing adverse environmental effects. With a plethora of erosion models available, with varied degree of data requirements and associated reliabilities, the dilemma planners and managers face in selecting a set of BMPs for reducing soil erosion from construction activities is the selection of a suitable model itself. This paper addresses this dilemma through selection of a simple yet reliable model that will assist the planners, developers and decision makers in comparing impacts of a range of management practices. The result is the selection of management practices that will meet the economic requirements without causing adverse environmental impacts.
DE: 1815 Erosion and sedimentation
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting