The Construction Battle
One Friday afternoon in late March, a spring storm loomed on the horizon, rolling over the new shopping center that was being built in the heart of town. The site contractor had been experiencing several delays on this sprawling project and was significantly behind schedule. That Friday evening, it was close to quitting time but there were still areas of exposed soil, stockpiles of gravel, and various substrates around the jobsite that needed to be covered before the weekend break. Surveying the site, the Eroder - that evil Stormwater Degrader - was reminded of the deep hatred that he harbored for this contractor from an old offense. Back in the day, this particular contractor had once sought bids to have large areas of soil moved, which the Eroder thought was a project perfectly suited for his new Slumper technology, a soil liquefaction technology that moved soil without moving the water. Eroder submitted a proposal to pilot test this new approach, but was laughed off the site by the contractor who thought it was a joke. The Eroder’s anger had burned brightly ever since.
Now, on stormy evening with much work to do to put the site to bed before nightfall, the Eroder watched the contractor from behind a fence and considered his next move. Soon the rain began, and the Eroder jumped into action; slumping onto the jobsite, he climbed on top of an uncovered stockpile and stood. With his arms upraised and with a loud angry shout he yelled, “Slide Away!” The command, once spoken, initiated his Gravity Enhancer Suit complete with the new, enhanced Slumper technology. The soil beneath him began to move and shake, dislodging from the material exposed to the rains as highly turbid runoff began coursing through the site. This dirty water created rills, channels, and flooding which further eroded the uncovered soil and stockpiles that the contractor had left behind. It ran off the site in multiple directions, carrying tons of valuable soil and building substrate down the streets toward the town’s storm drains.
Click on Eroder's Image to read his Origin Story
Vax, the Stormwater Defenders Recon Specialist, happened to be on a reconnaissance mission in the area. Hearing The Eroder’s shout, he rushed to the scene and saw the degradation the Slumper was causing at the jobsite. Vax sounded the alarm to the Defenders headquarters, where Super Sampler immediately mobilized local sweeping and vacuum truck services to help stop the runoff flow and clean up the mess. She also called The Amazing Rain Protector (TARP), who she knew would have the skills to intervene and stop The Eroder. Within minutes, TARP arrived on scene and started attacking the Eroder with Hydrogrenades, which worked quickly to disperse mulch and cover up the exposed soils. Knowing The Eroder had limited mobility when his suit was activated, TARP grabbed a roll of jute mat and began running around and around The Eroder, wrapping him in the tightly woven erosion control material, trapping him and disabling his Slumper! Without missing a beat, TARP shouted to Vax, telling him to hook a line to The Eroder and carrying him away from the site. Vax understood, but before he could secure the hook into the many layers of jute mat, The Eroder liquified himself and oozed through the openings in the fabric netting, orchestrating a brilliant escape!
Knowing they would encounter The Eroder again, and because water quality near the site was threatened, the Stormwater Defenders abandoned the attack to focus their efforts on protecting the stormwater system from further pollution as the rain continued to fall. TARP organized the contractor and their team to implement perimeter controls like sediment fence, straw wattles, and covering BMPs to keep any additional dirt from moving. As rain flowed in the ditches and onto the surface of the shopping center project, TARP installed check dams to slow the velocity of the water and help sediment settle out and ensure runoff from the site would be clean. Vax organized the sweeper trucks and vacuum truck companies that had arrived, and together they cleaned up the storm system by removing the turbid discharge, vacuuming out the accumulated material from the storm drains, and sweeping the hard surfaces of any other pollutants that might be carried off by stormwater.
Click on VAX's Image to read his Origin Story
In the cold pouring rain, Vax, TARP, and the contractor worked as a team. They finished stabilizing the site as the spring storm passed. Their quick actions protected the local receiving waters. The work was done, and the crews were sent home for the weekend. As the workers departed, TARP asked the contractor and the Construction Activity Stormwater Manager (CASM) on the project to stay behind. They spoke for a long time about how to be better prepared to combat The Eroder if he returned. TARP knew that the type of materials stored makes a big difference for how to stabilize them, so he took a sample of soil for Vax to deliver to Super Sampler to analyze back at headquarters. As the contractor and the CASM watched in wonder, TARP explained, “It takes more than Sprayin’ and Prayin’ to get vegetation established on a site. We must determine what the soil needs so the seeds we put down will germinate, grow, and fully establish.” The contractor nodded - everyone recognized that vegetation is the most effective erosion control.
Click on TARP's Image to read his Origin Story
It was agreed that Vax would return to the site the following Monday with the newly analyzed soil data so they could start reseeding the property as soon as possible. The contractor’s CASM revised the erosion and sediment control plan to reflect the new approach, and thanked TARP for helping protect local waters from the mayhem of The Eroder. As a final reminder to the CASM before he left the site, TARP said, “remember to minimize areas of exposed soil, and the sooner you get those areas covered or revegetated the less power The Eroder and the rain will have over your site. It will take your whole team being vigilant to keep this construction project moving forward without threat to the surface waters of the town, but now you know how to do it!”
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