Temporary Stabilization

12/23/25

“How can construction operators temporarily stabilize soils when they’re pausing construction?”

Soils are disturbed during construction activity. While site maintenance can prevent erosion, sometimes you want to pause construction activity. When this happens, you will want to temporarily stabilize the soil to keep the soil from eroding. Temporary Stabilization offers the quick fixes needed to prevent site degradation. Temporary stabilization measures are usually quick to deploy but do not last permanently.

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Surface Stabilization

11/22/25

“What can we do to prevent soil from eroding away?”

Soil is foundational for human life on this planet. Whether it’s for growing crops or managing construction projects, humans modify soil to meet the needs of the day. Sometimes soil needs altering to make it able to hold it in place and keep wind, water, and other forces from eroding it. These strategies are commonly referred to as Surface Stabilization. Surface stabilization applications range from strengthening soil to support new structures to planting trees to keep sediment from spilling into waterways. 

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Concrete Washouts

12/21/25

“How do we dispose of leftover concrete at the end of a construction workday?”

Concrete is a vital part of modern-day construction activity. But what do we do with the spare concrete leftover at the end of a construction workday? If we don’t do anything with it, we risk polluting soil and waterways. Well, what if we wash concrete out of all tools and chutes and place the waste into a special disposal container? Well, this is the Concrete Washout process, and it’s how construction operators ensure they don’t harm the surrounding environment and community with concrete waste.

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Dry Wells

12/20/25

“How can we create underground storage chambers that infiltrate stormwater into the earth?”

Stormwater can overwhelm any municipality, whether it’s in the Borneo rainforest or the Kalamari Desert. People need a way to manage it as it enters. So what if we were to use a pipe to collect stormwater from a roof or catchment basin, place it in an underground tank filled with filtering aggregate material punctured by void spaces for the water, and encase it in a semi-permeable structure that allows water to infiltrate out? Well, this is the idea behind Dry Wells. Dry wells can mitigate stormwater flooding and help recharge nearby aquifers. Operators should install dry wells away from low hydroconductive soils, high groundwater table aquifers, polluted sites, and building foundations.

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Turbidity Curtains

12/19/25

“How can we use floatable curtains to prevent turbidity from spreading in bodies of water?”

Sediment runoff from construction activities can spike turbidity levels in nearby bodies of water. Once enough sediment breaches into a body of water, it can envelop everything. So what if we were to build a floating curtain barrier to contain the turbidity to a single place? Well, this is the idea behind Turbidity Curtains. Turbidity curtains have three parts: a top floatable piece, a protective skirt in the middle that prevents turbidity from spreading, and a ballast at the bottom to stabilize the curtain. We can apply turbidity curtains to a variety of situations beyond construction activity, from aquaculture to oil spill containment.

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Blue Roofs

12/18/25

“How can we develop roofs designed to store rainwater during storms?”

Rainwater during storms will fall on roofs before moving to the ground. If too much water is dumped on the ground, then it might overwhelm local infiltration capacity and flood the area. So what if we were to develop roofs that could hold rainwater during storms and then slowly release and/or evaporate it once the storm has passed? Well, this is the concept behind Blue Roofs. Blue roofs are an excellent asset for flood control. Reducing the intensity of stormwater can decrease the occurrence of combined sewer overflows and increase water conservation.

Image credit: https://abg-geosynthetics.com/