Angel Valley Erosion Control Project
Project Description
Samide Engineering Ltd. (now renamed Sameng Inc.) performed a comprehensive water management planning study for water-related problems within the Woodlands County . One of the water related problems investigated in the planning study was the erosion problem occurring downstream from a culvert under the Angel Valley Road. In 1999, Woodlands County retained Samide Engineering Ltd. to do an engineering design and report on rectifying this erosion problem. The project is located in SE13-62-7-W5 on a watercourse as it drains through the Freeman River Valley wall. The watercourse downstream of a culvert has eroded down by 2.5 m. The erosion problem ends approximately 100 m downstream of the culvert where the channel flows onto a stable rock paved channel bed. The drop in elevation from the culvert to the stable rock paved channel bed was 13 m. The erosion was the result of roadways, upstream ditching and the culvert concentrating the flows to one point where it flowed over the valley wall. The erosion pr oblem would have eventually undermined the roadway. Sameng Inc investigated two alternative solutions as follows:
Alternative 1 - Rock filled seepage channel (A method that Sameng Inc. has successfully used in the past) – This solution was considered because there is an abundance of small rocks (2” to 8”) in the area and the erosion problem is the type that is ideally suited for this type of solution. A design and cost estimated was completed
Alternative 2 - Multiple Orifice Culvert Drop Structure. The type of structure has the advantage of dissipating the water energy in the pipe. The result is that the exit velocities are very low and can be handled by riprap. The design consisted of 100 m of 800 mm diameter corrugated metal pipe (CMP) with thin metal plates with 0.4 m diameter orifices every 5 m along the pipes length. Downstream of the culvert the channel was reshaped and rip rapped for 5 m.
Alternative 2 was chosen over Alternative 1 not because of cost, which was relatively the same, but because there was concern that the rock filled seepage channel may become clogged with sediment.
Services Provided by Sameng Inc.
Reviewed the hydrology and determine flood levels, design velocities and bed shear forces.
Preconstruction surveys required for design.
Prepared a report re bank erosion protection outlining all of our investigations and designs (report was used for applying for cost sharing and for applying for Approval under the Alberta Water Act).
Replying to concerns raised as a result of advertising the project.
Prepare contract documents (specifications and drawings).
Construction surveys and project management.
Progress payments.
Key Consultant Staff
Gerald Samide, P. Eng.
Company Technician.
Company’s survey crew.
Start-up and Completion Date
Work was completed in May 2000.
1. Samide Engineering Ltd. (1997). Fort Assiniboine/Goose Lake Water Management Study. Report prepared for the Municipal District of Woodlands No. 15.
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Ross Creek Erosion Control Project
Location - The Project is located approximately 4 km southeast of Fort Saskatchewan in Strathcona County. The project is located in SE27, Sw26 and NW23-54-22-W4
Project Description
To reduce flooding problems in the project area, Ross Creek was improved (channelization and channel straightening) by Alberta Agriculture, Water Resources Division in the late sixties. No drop structures were installed and the result was an overall degradation of the channel. In the project area the channel bed had degradated 2 m. Land was being lost as the channel widened to accommodate the deeper channel. Samide Engineering Ltd. predicted that the channel in this area had not yet stabilized and that more degradation and slumping (channel widening could be expected). In order to stabilize the Ross Creek channel through the project area a gabion drop structure was installed and 0.8 km of channel was reshaped to have flatter sideslopes.
Services Provided by Sameng Inc. :
Determine flood discharges, flood elevations, design velocities and maximum bed shear forces.
Preconstruction surveys required for design
Surveys required to assess final stable regime slope and stable bank sideslopes.
Calculate the final stable regime bed elevation throughout the project area and determine stable channel sideslopes.
Design drop structure to prevent further channel degradation in the project area.
Determine changes required to reshape the channel so that it will be stable (future slumping and bank erosion will be minimal or none at all).
Prepared a report re hydrology, bed degradation and channel bank stability investigations, design of drop structure, design of bank stability works, etc. (report was used as the basis for cost sharing and to apply for Water Resource License).
Replying to concerns raised as a result of advertising the project.
Finalize designs for construction.
Prepare contract documents (specifications and drawings).
Construction surveys and project management.
Progress payments
Key Consultant Staff
Gerald Samide, P. Eng.
Company Technician.
Company’s survey crew.
Start-up and Completion Date
Construction work began on the week of October 4, 1994 but due to high flows in the creek the work had to be halted until the second week in November 1994. All of the major works were completed by the middle of January 1995. Some minor cleanup and landscaping was completed in May 1995.
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Sawridge Creek Bank Erosion Protection Project
Location - Sawridge Creek along the east side of Alberta Vocational College (College now renamed) in the Village of Slave Lake.
Project Description
In 1999, the left bank of the Sawridge Creek, at two locations, was eroding towards the College building. Alberta Public Works, Supply and Services needed to ensure that the structural integrity of the building would not be threatened by bank erosion in the future.
For the upstream problem various alternatives such as channel realignment, gabions protection, riprap protection and sheet piling were considered. The solution recommended was to placed gabions along the left bank to prevent the creek from eroding any closer to the College building. At the time of construction large riprap was placed along the bottom of the channel bed (3 m wide by 64 m long by 1 m deep) and then gabion mats were placed along a reshaped bank (2.5 H to 1 V). The gabions mats covered an area of 1074 m2 for 75 m along the creek bank and were “keyed” into the creek bank at the upstream and downstream ends.
For the downstream problem Sameng Inc. concluded that before significant amounts of bank erosion would take place near the College building, a natural channel cut-off would form and result in the main channel realigning itself away from the vicinity of the College building. Thus no major channel protection works would be required for this problem. However to ensure that the bank erosion near the College building remained insignificant the existing bank eroded area was filled with stiff clay. Consideration was given to constructing the cut-off instead of letting it happen naturally. However this was ruled out due to fishery concerns and future downstream bank erosion liability concerns.
Services Provided by Sameng Inc.
Reviewed the hydrology and determine flood levels, design velocities and bed shear forces.
Preconstruction surveys required for design.
Determined rates of bank migration (past and future).
Determine amounts of bed scour.
Prepared a report re bank erosion protection outlining all of our investigations and designs (report was used to apply for Water Resource License).
Replying to concerns raised as a result of advertising the project.
Prepare contract documents. (specifications and drawings).
Construction surveys and project management.
Progress payments
Key Consultant Staff
Gerald Samide, P. Eng.
Company Technician.
Company’s survey crew.
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Sturgeon River Erosion Protection Project
Location - Project is located along the Sturgeon River along the north side of the Sturgeon Valley Golf and Country Club.
Project Description
The Sturgeon River Golf & Country Club has their golf course located adjacent to the Sturgeon River (Lot 60 in the St. Albert Settlement). Bank erosion resulted in the right riverbank becoming unstable and a portion of the bank slid into the river. The golf course retained Sameng Inc. to determine what measures could be taken to eliminate the movement of the riverbank into their golf course and also to supply the necessary information required to obtain approval under the Alberta Water Act to construct erosion protection works (approval was also obtained from DFO). The report investigated riprap, gabions and sheet piling alternatives. The most feasible type of erosion protection proved to be riprap protection. The constructed works consisted of:
Reshaping 120 m of riverbank to a sideslope of 2.5 H to 1 V.
Installing 1300 m2 of filter cloth.
Installing 700 m3 of riprap along 120 m reach of river bank (riprap keyed in the river bank at the upstream and downstream ends).
Services Provided by Sameng Inc. :
Determine flood discharges, flood elevations, design velocities, maximum bed shear forces and maximum scour depths.
Preconstruction surveys required for design.
Design erosion protection.
Prepared a report re bank erosion protection outlining all of our investigations and designs (report was used as the basis for applying for Approval under the Alberta Water Act).
Replying to concerns raised as a result of advertising the project.
Finalize designs for construction.
Construction surveys and project management.
Key Consultant Staff
Gerald Samide, P. Eng.
Company Technician.
Company’s survey crew.
Start-up and Completion Date
Work started and completed in September/October of 2000.
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