By Laurie Honnigford with Tim Lancaster and Mark Myrowich

The erosion control industry consists of a broad range of professions and specialties, including site engineers, consultants, regulatory agencies, earthwork and seeding contractors, erosion control product suppliers and manufacturers. One of the most rapidly growing segments within the industry is the Rolled Erosion Control Products (RECPs) market.

In July 1992, several progressive RECP manufacturers formed the Erosion Control Technology Council (ECTC), a non-profit organization, to develop standard testing protocol, proper design specifications, and installation uniformity for RECPs as a way to promote continued growth of the industry through education and leadership.

Mission and Goals
ECTC’s mission is to be the recognized industry authority in the development of standards, testing, and installation techniques for rolled erosion control technologies. ECTC promotes the use of RECPs through education and industry leadership, and assists specifying agencies, engineers, designers, and other interested individuals and organizations in the proper application of products and establishment of testing standards.

ECTC’s mission has grown even more important as builders, developers, and site designers look for guidance in employing RECPs to comply with more stringent erosion/sediment control regulations.

Today, ECTC consists of directing members, all manufacturers or fabricators of RECPs, and a diverse associate membership including RECP distributors, consulting engineers, universities and testing laboratories. Directing membership is available only to those companies actively manufacturing or fabricating RECPs. Associate membership is open to anyone interested in promoting the growth of the RECP industry and the development of guidelines, specifications and educational programs for the effective use of this technology.

Rolled erosion control products (RECPs) were first used in the form of jute mats imported from Asia back in the mid 1950s, but have quickly evolved to include a wide variety of temporary degradable open weave textiles and erosion control blankets, as well as permanent turf reinforcement mats.

As the use of RECPs began to escalate in the early 1990s with the advent of the U.S. EPA’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and the increased awareness of the environmental impacts of soil erosion and sedimentation, so did the need for standardization of a blossoming RECP industry. At that time, several progressive RECP manufacturers realized the industry’s need for standard testing protocol, proper design specifications and installation uniformity for RECPs. In July 1992 they formed the Erosion Control Technology Council (ECTC) and set out to create these standards and promote the continued growth of the industry through education and leadership.  

Accomplishments
Over the past 14 years the ECTC has accomplished many initiatives and goals toward securing our organization’s mission. The following are highlights of ECTC’s accomplishments:
1) Standard terminology for RECPs.
2) Product categorization of RECPs into two broad categories, Temporary Degradables and Long-Term Nondegradables.
3) Erosion control design guidance and product application charts to assist end-users in the proper design and selection of RECPs for specific projects. ECTC provides a general product selection system for slope and channel protection applications on its website, www.ectc.org.  
4) Index tests and test procedures for RECPs based on their physical properties. ECTC standard terminology and index testing procedures have been compiled into the organization’s Technical Guidance Manual, available free of charge to the industry.
5) Bench-scale tests to indicate RECP performance adopted by many organizations as the standard.
6) Standard specification for Rolled Erosion Control Products.
7) Educational materials and seminars to assist in effective RECP selection, design and installation procedures.  
8) Information dissemination - ECTC has published a wide variety of articles and white papers in industry publications and conferences.  
9) ECTC maintains close relationships with industry standards organizations and related associations to help promote the proper use of RECP technology.
10) Annual market data reporting system regarding product types, quantities, regional distribution of shipments, and industry growth rates.

Erosion, driven by the forces of nature and magnified by the actions of man, is continuous and cumulative in effect. As human development and expansion continues, the impacts of erosion and sedimentation on our environment will escalate, unless adequate controls in the form of policies, practices and products are implemented. ECTC has produced many “deliverables” over the past 14 years and is armed with a great deal of knowledge, experience and expertise through its diverse membership. These tools and knowledge have ECTC well positioned to assist regulatory agencies in specification development, educating engineers and contractors on effective erosion and sediment control practices, and promoting the proper use of RECPs in combating the cumulative and detrimental effects of erosion on our environment.

Additional Resources
ECTC  produced an educational DVD on the proper installation of Rolled Erosion Control Products (RECPs). The DVD, which includes sections on installation of RECPs in channels, slopes and shorelines, is one initiative in the ECTC’s drive for education and standardization within this growing industry.
Since becoming available this spring, the DVD has been featured in numerous publications as well as featured on ESCN.tv. Professionals in the industry have been both downloading the videos from ECTC’s website, www.ectc.org, and ordering DVDs containing the important educational information.

“These DVDs were produced to educate and help installers ensure proper application of RECPs,” said Mark Myrowich, ECTC Marketing Committee Chairman. “Proper Installation of RECPs is the most important step in any erosion prevention system.”

A visual educational tool, the DVD provides step-by-step instruction on correct installation procedures including site preparation; blanket (RECP) replacement; RECP stapling/staking; anchor trench details; and shingling of RECPs.

Each of the three DVD sections is approximately eight minutes in length and is ideal for training before a contractor sends installers into the field. The focus of this DVD is installation only; it does not contain product selection or design information.

ECTC is a non-profit organization committed to advancing the use of RECPs. Those interested in obtaining this educational tool may either download the video or request a DVD by visiting www.ectc.org. SLDT