3-DIMENSIONAL WOVEN GEOTEXTILES FOR CONTAINMENT DIKE CONSTRUCTION

Every year, approximately 300 million m(3) (400 million yd(3)) of sedi ment is dredged from the United States' waterways (Fairweather, 1995). Although the primary purpose is to increase navigational capacities o f channels, engineers are constantly seeking more effective and enviro nmentally acceptable disposal methods for dredged materials. When the Port of Houston Authority faced this challenge, the Beneficial Uses Gr oup (BUG) decided to utilize dredged material from the Houston Ship Ch annel to construct over 1720 hectares (4250 acres) of intertidal salt marshes. Starting in February 1994, three geosynthetic materials were installed along 1000 m (3300 ft) of dredged material containment levee at a demonstration marsh built on the east side of Atkinson Island. P roposed as possible cost-effective alternatives to conventional riprap , the three materials chosen included a cellular confinement system, f abricated geotextile tubes, and a three-dimensional woven geotextile f or the shoreline protection. The three-dimensional woven geotextile wa s installed on 2H:1V slopes and secured using anchor trenches, hairpin -shaped reinforcing steel bar and duckbill anchors. To date, the produ ct has helped to maintain a stable, nonerosive levee and promoted dive rsified aquatic vegetation (Anonymous, 1994). The project continues to be closely monitored by the Port of Houston Authority, the US Army Co rps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Re sources Conservation Services and a host of other agencies. This paper describes the background, selection, installation, and performance of the three-dimensional woven geotextile used for erosion protection al ong 122 m (400 ft) of levee on this demonstration project. Chronologic al data, field observations and photographs are included to compliment the observations and conclusions made by the authors, and others, fro m the time of installation to present. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Sci ence Ltd.