Streambank Restoration
The focus of this project was to protect a homeowner’s yard from continuing to erode into the river by using coir logs and native sedges.
- Date: May 2021
- Client: Individual Homeowner
- Project Type: Coir Log Protection
About this Project
Coir logs, or coconut fiber rolls, act as a flexible but resistant foundation for streambank plantings. Coir logs are initially plugged with native hydrophytic plants and then laid along the toe of the bank where they retain water and nutrients. The coir logs eventually degrade but give plants enough time to form a dense network of intertwining roots that holds the bank in place.
- Natural infrastructure
- Works better than hard armoring
- Adds plant diversity
- Creates habitat for aquatic invertebrates
Prior to working with this homeowner, they previously had railroad ties secured at the waters edge. The problem with this was that for many decades water and wave action was eroding their yard from behind the railroad ties. The wanted to remove the railroad ties because they had deteriorated and once they did this they started to visibly notice their yard slumping and falling into the river.
OWS installed six coir logs, each ten feet long and 12 inches in diamater, and we planted native Carex species into the coir logs as well as into certain sections of the bank.
Eventually these coir logs will degrade but only to leave behind a diverse mix of native sedges that have grown, spread, and permanently established themselves into the streambank, preventing further erosion. This is a simple reminder that natural infrastructure is the best way to combat human error.
