FY 01, Project 2100 Strawberry River Hydromulch. Izard County Conservation District. March 31, 2003 FINAL REPORT

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1 FY 01, Project 2100 Strawberry River Hydromulch March 31, 2003 FINAL REPORT Task 1, Selection of Roadside Demonstration Sites Objectives: To select up to four (4) demonstration sites depicting typical erosion problems associated with county roads in the Strawberry River Watershed: Subtask 1.1 Select Demonstration Sites: Subtask 1.2 document pre-project conditions: Selection of up to four demonstration sites Site maps and photos depicting pre-project conditions at each site. The and the Strawberry River Watershed Steering Committee selected three sites within the Strawberry River Watershed for demonstration purposes. Site #1 was selected after meeting with Eddie Cooper, Izard County Judge and landowner Tommy Wren. The Izard County Road Department had cleaned off a road right-of-way along County Road 57 in the Strawberry River Watershed. The site had been dozed off and had no ground cover at all. Site maps were prepared and photos were taken of the site. Site #2 was selected after Fulton County Judge Curren Everett expressed an interest in the project to the Fulton County Conservation District Board of Directors. This site is located on the Union Road in Fulton County in the Strawberry River Watershed. As with Site #1, the road right-of-way had been dozed off and there was no ground cover. Site maps were prepared and photos were taken of the site. Site #3 was selected after a meeting with Melbourne Mayor Mike Cone and City Road Foreman Donnie Gulley. This site consisted of a cut-slope bank at the newly constructed ball-park off County Road #9 in Izard County in the Strawberry River Watershed. Site maps were prepared and photos were taken of the site.

2 Task 2, Implement Best Management Practices Objectives: To install and maintain the necessary best management practices at each demonstration site to adequately control the erosion problem. Subtask 2.1 Purchase Hydromulcher/Seeder and related equipment: Subtask 2.2 Select Best Management Practices: Subtask 2.3 Implement Practices Subtask 2.4 Photo-documentation Site Restoration Plans Photo-documentation of BMP installation Using the normal bid procedures, the hydromulcher/seeder we selected for this project was a Finn model T-120GN Series II. The machine has a capacity of 1180 gallons 1000 gallon working capacity, with a 33.5 HP (4) cylinder water-cooled V1505 Kubota diesel engine. It has a hydraulically controlled (variable speed, reversible) mechanical paddle agitator and liquid recirculation, one-piece clutched assembly, and full rear platform. It is also gooseneck style trailer mounted, with electric brakes and DOT lights. We also purchased the electric hose reel with 200 semi-rigid hose and a remote valve assembly from the Finn Corporation. Site restoration plans for Site #1, consisting of 1/3 acre along road ditch on County Road 57 in Izard County, were thoroughly discussed with Izard County Judge, Eddie Cooper and the Izard County Road Department. The BMP was an early spring planting, which included red-top clover, korean lespedeza, and wheat. Site #2 was a newly renovated county road located on Union Road in Fulton County. After discussing the area with Fulton County Judge, Curren Everett and his Road Department, the BMP selected was lovegrass seeded on the eroded ditch bank. On this site, a heavier mixture of mulch and tackifier was used in an effort to improve soil and water retention until the lovegrass was established. Fulton County Road Department and Fulton County Conservation District assisted on Site #2. The BMP for Site #3 site was a mixture of mulch, hydrogel, hydrostick, and Guyman bermuda grass seed. The BMP for this site was discussed at length with Melbourne Mayor Mike Cone and Road Foreman, Donnie Gulley. We wanted to demonstrate the use of a warm season grass seeded on a bare soil slope. The site was drenched by a heavy rain a couple of days following the hydroseed application. However, due to a good coverage of mulch, the rill erosion was kept to a minimum.

3 Task 3, Technology Transfer/Public Awareness Objective: To provide the necessary expertise and knowledge for successful implementation of hydromulch/seeding projects in the watershed. Construction reports at each demonstration site Newspaper and other media articles. Construction reports were prepared and before and after photos of each site were taken. Media coverage has been kept to a minimum until we get more proficient in the proper rates of application and use of the machine. We have had a large amount of interest in the project from landowners who have seen the demonstration sites and are interested in using the machine. The County Judges in Izard, Stone, and Fulton counties have been pleased with the results of the demonstration sites and have expressed interest in using the machine. One-on-one contact usually produces better results in our rural areas.

4 Subtask 4.3 Final Project Report: The will prepare and submit to the ASWCC a final project report consisting of: An executive summary, a description of the problem addressed, a description of the actions taken to address the problem, evaluation of the project in terms of correcting the problem, discussion of the costs, resources and manpower needed to implement the project and recommendations for institutionalization of the project. Final Report January 30, 2003 The has long been concerned about the problem of sedimentation and erosion in Izard County. Erosion is common from unpaved county roads, construction sites, pond banks, and critically eroded areas where the natural, or introduced vegetation has been lost. The necessity of maintaining road ditches is obvious. Safety has to be considered first. To maintain the integrity of the graveled county road, it is often necessary to remove silt and vegetation from the road ditches to allow water to drain from the road surface. This process destroys the vegetation. The resulting bare ditch banks are then subject to erosive forces. The process of hydromulching/seeding is one way to restore vegetation and prevent further erosion damage. The process begins with seed, fertilizer, tackifier, and medium such as cellulose fiber or wood fiber, being combined in a machine. This mixture is then force-applied to the soil surface in an effort to keep the mixture fixed until it germinates. The root structure of the plants will then bind the soil together so as to prevent erosion by wind or rain. With this in mind, the proposed to purchase a hydromulching/seeding machine and to implement 3 demonstration sites in the Strawberry River Watershed. The hydroseeding machine was purchased in the latter part of January 2002 and the first demonstration was performed on February 4, The seeding was a little late for the proper establishment of the clover and wheat, although most of the wheat germinated. Unfortunately, a flock of wild turkeys discovered the wheat and ate most of it. We got a fair stand of lespedeza, but the hot dry summer took its toll and killed most of it. The soil had not been worked up prior to the hydroseeding and the seed soil contact was not as good as it should have been for a good stand of grass. Through our experience with this site, the time of application should correspond, if possible, with the proper planting dates recommended by the Cooperative Extension Service.

5 The second demonstration site in Fulton County was similar to site #1 in Izard County in the fact that the road ditch was bare, steep, eroded soil. The seedbed had not been prepared at this site and the timing was late for the targeted grass. Only a small amount of the seed germinated. The site should also have been sloped to an adequate grade and the soil loosened in order for the seed to get good soil contact. The final demonstration site was timed properly in correlation with the seeding date for bermuda seed. After a torrential rain the night following seeding, the mulch stayed in place, but the seed was washed to the lower part of the slope. The lower part of the slope is now well established in bermuda, but the upper 2/3 remains bare. In hind-site, we should have increased the amount of tackifier and mulch to hold the seed in place to get better results. In June 2002, the machine was used to establish grass at a newly constructed home site with no ground cover. The soil was dry, powdery, loose, and bare. We seeded Wrangler Bermuda on the site. The night after the hydroseeding was performed, we had heavy rain, which caused some gulling. The gullies were not as severe as it would have been on the bare ground. The homeowner had a solid stand of grass within 4 or 5 weeks. The homeowner was extremely impressed with the results and has been very vocal in recommending the machine to others. In November of 2002, the hydroseeder was used on a streambank stabilization site in Fulton County. The site was about 300 feet along the bank of the Southfork River. The BMP was lovegrass, which will not germinate until summer No winter annuals were used to prevent deer from eating the grass and trampling the mulch. We increased the amount of mulch and tackifier to get a heavier bonded fiber matrix mixture. This was a heavier mixture than what has been used on other sites and had to be diluted for the mulch to flow properly. The results will not be fully known at this site for some time. The cost to perform hydroseeding will be the major factor in the use of the machine by both County Road Departments and private individuals. Due to the limited financial resources of our County Governments, many of the right-of-ways and ditches on our county roads can t, or won t be treated because of the cost of materials, even though we have the hydroseeding machine available. If some form of cost-share assistance could be made available to the County Road Departments, then hydroseeding would be more cost-effective to use. The Izard County Conservation District will continue to work closely with the County Judges of Izard, Stone, Fulton, and Sharp Counties on problem areas of county roads and will make the machine available for use to the counties as needed. We anticipate moderate use of the machine in the area of Izard, Fulton, Stone, and Sharp Counties. In summary, we have been very pleased with the working performance of the machine. We estimate, using the Revised Soil Loss Equation, that by hydroseeding the three demonstration sites in the Strawberry River Watershed an average of 56.7 tons per acre of soil has been saved.