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(gentle music)

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(titles whoosh)

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- [Narrator] The Environmental
Protection Agency requires

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that construction sites use measures

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to capture build related chemicals

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and reduce sediment released
into rivers and streams.

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This sediment can impact water quality

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and lead to an increased risk of flooding.

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Working with the Texas A and
M Transportation Institute,

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the Texas Department of Transportation

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researched sediment control devices

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to determine their effectiveness

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and evaluate a testing
protocol for best practices

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to be used on construction sites.

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- For years, TxDOT had
evaluated slope protection

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and channel protection type products,

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but sediment control
products, for many years,

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were just produced and marketed

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based on manufacturer claims.

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But TxDOT saw the need to put some science

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and testing behind these products,

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and that's what drove
the need for testing.

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- When we have to do
roadway widening, regrading,

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all of that kind of stuff,

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that loose sediment can
be picked up by wind.

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It can also be picked up by water.

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And when it ends up in the
water in unnatural quantities,

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it's considered a pollutant.

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TxDOT construction projects are required

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to implement stormwater
management practices

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to meet state and federal regulations.

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So we wanted to really develop
a scientifically measured

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list of devices so people
can make better choices

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when designing the
controls for the project.

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- For this project, we
designed a test protocol,

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is the first thing,

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and then we looked at a
lot of different products

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that the manufacturer sent us,

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and the idea was to design a
test method that could be used,

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you know, for many
years that would monitor

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the effectiveness mainly
of removing sediment,

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but also of, you know,
slowing down the velocity

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of water as well.

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A lot of the test systems that
have been designed in the lab

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before, there's never
been a full scale system

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that's been designed.

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And this one, it was a lot more natural

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because it recreates, you
know, natural water flow,

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natural runoff, natural sediment,
you know that you've got

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that it's occurring in the real world.

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- TTI built that testing facility,

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and so now there is a
place where we can go

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and get these measures tested
that didn't exist before.

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So that was a great
outcome of the project.

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And through that process of the research,

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they established the testing protocols

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that we can now use moving
forward to collect more data

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and build up, you know, the
library of devices that we have.

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- Out here, having the
runways with it being

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an old army air base,
you know, that gave us

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a real natural surface
that worked for runoff.

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And so what we were able to
do is go toward the end of

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one of these runways and
design, basically, curb cuts,

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drop inlets where water
would flow off of the runway

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into these devices.

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And so it was a real natural setting

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here at the the RELLIS campus.

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Well, this research just
goes right along with

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the research we've done for
30 years with, you know,

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slope protection,
erosion control products,

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and channel protection.

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This is just the next step
for, you know, products

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that are designed to
remove sediment from water

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after it's already flowing.

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And for years, you know, we've
tried to hold soil in place

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with different products that we've tested,

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and now the next step
is just to take water

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that already has suspended solids and soil

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and all sorts of different
contaminants in it, and filter

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and remove those contaminants.

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And it's the next step in the
process for TxDOT as well.

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- The one thing that we need now

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is just to continue testing more devices.

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The ones that were tested
as part of this research

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was just the beginning, so
we need to collect more data

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so that we can get a better sample size.

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And then from there,
we'll start to figure out

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how we can incorporate that data

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into our day-to-day practices.

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- [Narrator] For more information

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and to find the publication
for this project,

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please visit the TxDOT Research Library

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at the link shown below.