In Michigan City, Indiana, the Sanitary District is currently retrofitting an old garbage dump along a local fishing site to become The Karwick Nature Park. This 7+ acre park has over 2800 linear feet of shoreline and hillsides that will be protected from erosion utilizing the SOX Erosion Solutions Systems upon completion of the project. In addition to the protection of the shorelines and hillsides the land is also being protected by The SOX Turf Reinforcement Matting (TRM). The versatility of the SOX Systems allows the SOX Certified Service Provider, Slusser’s Green Thumb, Inc., to provide over 50,000 square feet of contiguous coverage that provides a safer, more stable, vegetated environment along the perimeter of the Karwick Nature Park. By using the SOX System in this manner, it allows the predetermined, prescribed (grass) seed mix that has been applied a chance to root and grow through the SOX material from the inside out.
The 2800 feet of shoreline and hillsides are alongside Trail Creek, which in Michigan City, Indiana is a local favorite recreational fishing area. The ShoreSOX® Erosion Control system halts soil erosion and re-stabilizes shorelines and hillsides using an open-ended containment system that is filled with a locally sourced organic media. In this case the SOX Service Providers used a combination of clean topsoil and mulch from the fallen trees chopped on site. ShoreSOX is designed with a double layered knitted polyethylene mesh. This gives ShoreSOX its maximum moisture retention capabilities that allows us to vegetate new living shorelines, even in arid climate condition. The result is an immediately stable shoreline which adds aesthetic value to the property, improves the natural ecosystem, and greatly reduces safety risks for workers and maintenance staff. A new SOX living shoreline is expected to last many decades.
By retrofitting this park and reassuring the protection of hillsides and shorelines, Michigan City is assuring stable shorelines and a beautiful natural space for its residents and visitors to enjoy the outdoors for years to come. Without the engineers specifying a specific stabilization system, simply re-sloping and seeding would be a short-term fix and unfortunately would have to be done over and over again. By protecting the re-sloped and recreated areas with SOX Erosion Solutions patented systems, once the park is finalized and open for public use there will be no need to close and prevent park visitors from enjoying the great outdoors in Karwick Nature Park.
Editor's Note: Scranton Gillette Communications and the SGC Water Group are not liable for the accuracy, efficacy and validity of the claims made in this piece. The views expressed in this content do not reflect the position of the editorial teams of Water & Wastes Digest, Water Quality Products and Storm Water Solutions.
