Abstract:
The invention is a system and related method to reduce erosion caused by storm runoff. Eco-friendly erosion reduction assemblies help reduce the effects of both sheet and rill erosion. The assemblies comprise a receptacle housing a perforated water velocity reduction wall embedded in media. The wall may be constructed from recycled tires and the media utilized may be from on-site materials. A series of such assemblies in an erosion zone limits erosion by reducing water velocity.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/494,734 filed on Jun. 8, 2011 titled “System and Method for Reducing Storm Run-off Erosion,” which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention is generally directed to controlling ground erosion and in particular to an assembly having a plurality of positioned perforated elements to reduce erosion caused by storm runoff and related methods. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Erosion is the process of weathering and transporting of solids (including sediment, soil, rock and other particles) from their natural environment and location. Such transport is caused by wind, water or ice or by down slope creep of soil and other materials under the force of gravity. 
         [0004]    Erosion is a natural process, but its effects escalate dramatically based upon human land use—especially industrial agriculture, deforestation and urban sprawl. For example, land that is used for industrial agriculture generally experiences a significantly greater rate of erosion than land having natural vegetation. Tilled land is prone to particularly high rates of erosion due to reduced vegetation cover on the surface of the soil, perturbed soil structure, and a lack of plant roots that would otherwise hold the soil in place. 
         [0005]    There are two primary types of water based erosion: sheet erosion and rill erosion. Sheet erosion is the detachment of soil particles by raindrop impact and their downslope removal by water flowing overland as a sheet instead of in definite channels or rills. The impact of the raindrop breaks apart the soil aggregate. Particles of clay, silt and sand fill the soil pores and reduce infiltration. After the surface pores are filled with sand, silt or clay, overland surface flow of water begins due to the lowering of infiltration rates. Once the rate of falling rain is faster than infiltration, runoff takes place. There are two stages of sheet erosion. The first is rain splash, in which soil particles are separated by raindrop impact. In the second stage, the loose particles are moved down slope by broad sheets of rapidly flowing water that is filled with sediment known as sheet floods. This stage of sheet erosion is generally produced by cloudbursts; sheet floods commonly travel short distances and last only for a short time. 
         [0006]    Rill erosion is the process of developing small concentrated flow paths, which function as both sediment source and sediment delivery systems for erosion on hill slopes. Generally, where water erosion rates on disturbed upland areas are greatest, rills are active. Flow depths in rills are typically on the order of a few centimeters or less and slopes may be quite steep. These conditions constitute a very different hydraulic environment than typically found in channels of streams and rivers. Eroding rills evolve morphologically in time and space. The rill bed surface changes as soil erodes, which in turn alters the hydraulics of the flow. The hydraulics is the driving mechanism for the erosion process, and therefore, dynamically changing hydraulic patterns causes continual changing of erosion patterns in the rill. 
         [0007]    Accordingly, there is a need for an eco-friendly technology that helps reduce the effects of both sheet and rill erosion, especially in areas in which human land use such as industrial agriculture, has increased the impact of such erosion. Such technology should be environmentally friendly and should preferably use recycled materials. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0008]    The invention helps reduce both sheet and rill erosion caused in human land use areas, such as industrial agriculture sites. The invention comprises a system to reduce water mediated erosion of land. The system comprises a plurality of erosion reduction assemblies that are situated in a region in need of erosion reduction. Each assembly comprises aggregate filter media that is placed in a receptacle having a size and dimension to substantially surround and maintain the position of the media. Preferably, the receptacle is made from a substantially rigid mesh. 
         [0009]    A perforated water velocity reduction wall is embedded in the media. The wall has both an exposed portion and a non-exposed portion, the non-exposed portion being that portion embedded in the media. The exposed portion comprises a substantially arcuate shape that reduces the velocity of water flowing through the perforations. 
         [0010]    In a preferred embodiment, the water velocity reduction wall comprises a plurality of tires, recycled tires, or similar structures. These tires are preferably cut in half to form approximately “C” shaped tire portions. Each tire is fastened to a proximate tire in order to form the wall. 
         [0011]    The invention also contemplates a method for disposing of tires and preventing water mediated erosion. The method comprises the steps of cutting tires approximately in half to create two approximately “C” shaped tire portions; placing aggregate filter media within a receptacle having a size and dimension to substantially surround and maintain the position of the media; and placing a plurality of tire halves partially within the filter media so that an upper portion of the tires protrudes from the top portion of the filter. 
         [0012]    In one embodiment, the method further comprises the step of fastening the plurality of tire halves to each other to form a continuous wall of tires. 
         [0013]    The method also comprises the step of perforating the tires or the tire portions. The step of placing the assembly on a portion of land in an area in need of erosion reduction is also contemplated. A plurality of assemblies is placed on the portion of land in an area in need of erosion reduction, and preferably the assemblies are situated in a staggered conformation with relation to each other. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]    For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference is made to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating various embodiments of the present invention, in which: 
           [0015]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an erosion reduction assembly; 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a water flow restrictor made from a perforated tire portion; 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a water flow restrictor; 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating a water flow restrictor wall made from a plurality of water flow restrictors illustrated in  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  illustrates placement the erosion reduction assembly of  FIG. 1  without the addition of media; 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  is diagram showing a staggered configuration of a plurality of erosion reduction assemblies; and 
           [0021]      FIG. 7  is a diagram showing a side view of a plurality of erosion reduction assemblies in a used condition. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0022]    In the Summary above and in the Detailed Description of Certain Embodiments and in the accompanying drawings, reference is made to particular features (including method steps) of the invention. It is to be understood that the disclosure of the invention in this specification includes all possible combinations of such particular features. For example, where a particular feature is disclosed in the context of a particular aspect or embodiment of the invention, that feature can also be used, to the extent possible, in combination with and/or in the context of other particular aspects and embodiments of the invention, and in the invention generally. 
         [0023]    The term “comprises” is used herein to mean that other ingredients, steps, etc. are optionally present. When reference is made herein to a method comprising two or more defined steps, the steps can be carried in any order or simultaneously (except where the context excludes that possibility), and the method can include one or more steps which are carried out before any of the defined steps, between two of the defined steps, or after all of the defined steps (except where the context excludes that possibility). 
         [0024]    In this section, the present invention will be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. 
         [0025]    As shown in  FIG. 1  through  FIG. 6 , the invention is directed to an eco-friendly and biocompatible erosion reduction assembly  100 . In a preferred embodiment, the erosion reduction assembly  100  is made of locally harvested items and preferably includes recycled and rededicated materials to reduce the carbon footprint. By positioning a plurality of the erosion reduction assemblies  100  throughout a tract of land which commonly suffers from sheet or rill erosion, the technology helps slow down the flow of the underlying water and thus reduces the risk of removing valuable soil and nutrients. 
       Erosion Reduction Assembly 
       [0026]    As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the erosion reduction assembly  100  may include a plurality of perforated arcuate water flow restrictors  200 , where these flow restrictors  200  are arranged and secured to one another in parallel to form a water velocity reduction wall  300 . Each velocity reduction wall  300  can be placed in a receptacle  400  that is preferably made of wire mesh or grating. Media aggregate  500  may be positioned within the receptacle  400  and within the lower portion of the flow restrictor inner cavities  210 . Media aggregate  500  may also be positioned within the upper portion of the flow restrictor inner cavities  210 . The aggregate  500  functions to both anchor the receptacle  400  and velocity reduction wall  300 , and also creates a water and sediment filtration layer. In one embodiment, drain pipe  510  is embedded in the media for the purpose of allowing water to rapidly drain from the assembly  100 . An additional mesh blanket (not shown) can be placed over or within the media  500  to offer a second filter layer. 
       Water Flow Restrictor 
       [0027]      FIG. 2  illustrate an embodiment of a perforated water flow restrictor  200 .  FIG. 3  illustrate an alternate embodiment of a perforated water flow restrictor  201 . First turning to  FIG. 2 , each individual flow restrictor  200  comprises an inner cavity  210 , side walls  220 , an outer wall  230  connecting the side walls  220 , which preferably creates an essentially “C” shaped form. This, shape, however can be straight, curved, cupped, or any other shape that effectively reduces the velocity of water. 
         [0028]    With continued reference to  FIG. 2 , perforations  240  are positioned on the outer wall  230  and the side walls  220  of the water flow restrictor  200 . The perforations may be holes or slits. Each perforation  240  forms a conduit between the inner wall  250  and the outer wall  230  of the water flow restrictor  200  having a sufficient size and dimension to allow water passage therethrough. 
         [0029]    Each water flow restrictor  200  is preferably made of a flexible, biodegradable material, such as a plastic or composite. As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the water flow restrictor  200  can be made from approximately half a tire. Perforations  240  are added with the tire portions through drilling, sawing, or cutting operations. Perforations are not limited to round holes, but can be slits or any other contemplated size and shape of aperture. The tires used, need not be limited to automobile tires. To accommodate particular land and erosion reduction requirements, tires ranging in size go kart and bicycle tires to large equipment off the road tires are used. 
         [0030]      FIG. 3  illustrates an embodiment of an alternate flow restrictor  201  made from a piece of molded material such as new or recycled plastic or composite. This alternate flow restrictor  201  comprises an inner cavity  211 , side walls  221 , an outer wall  231  connecting the side walls  221 , creating an essentially “C” shaped form. This, shape, however can be straight, curved, cupped, or any other shape that effectively reduces the velocity of water. 
         [0031]    With continued reference to  FIG. 3 , perforations  241  are positioned on the outer wall  231  and the side walls  221  of the alternate flow restrictor  201 . The perforations may be holes or slits. Each perforation  241  forms a conduit between the inner wall  251  and the outer wall  231  of the alternate water flow restrictor  201  having a sufficient size and dimension to allow water passage therethrough. 
       Water Flow Restrictor Wall 
       [0032]    While  FIG. 2  illustrates the structure of the water flow restrictor  200 , and  FIG. 4  offers by way of example one embodiment of a water velocity reduction wall  300 . As shown, each velocity reduction wall  300  is created by attaching a plurality of individual water flow restrictors  200 ,  201  together in parallel to one another. This can be accomplished through use of fasteners  310 . The fasteners  310  can be plastic or metal tie wraps, metallic hardware such as nuts and bolts, pins, crimps, and any other fastening means known in the art. A plurality of fasteners  310  affix the side walls  210 ,  211  of adjacent water flow restrictors  200 ,  201  to each other. By repeating this sequence with additional water flow restrictors  200 ,  201  the velocity reduction wall  300  is formed. 
         [0033]    The length of each velocity reduction wall  300  can be arranged to conform to the unique topography of the terrain. For example, for more expansive areas, a larger number of water flow restrictors  200 ,  201  can be used. However, the structure of the water flow restrictors  200 ,  201  as illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , lend themselves to customization and topography-specific orientations for the velocity reduction wall  300 . 
       The Receptacle 
       [0034]      FIG. 1  and  FIG. 5  illustrate, by way of example, one embodiment of the receptacle  400 . As shown, the receptacle  400  forms a perimeter around the velocity reduction wall  300  having a substantially open top region from where the velocity reduction wall  300  protrudes. In one embodiment, the receptacle  400  has a floor region  410 . The receptacle  400  can be approximately round, approximately oval, approximately square, approximately rectangular or approximately polygonal. While both  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 5  suggest a rectangular arrangement, the invention contemplates any shape and configuration capable of maintaining the water flow restrictor wall  300 . 
         [0035]    The receptacle  400  illustrated in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 5  is textileated from any variety of materials known in the art. However, in a preferred embodiment the receptacle  400  is made of hardware cloth or steel rebar. However, the receptacle  400  can also be made of a plastic or composite material. 
         [0036]    In one embodiment, the receptacle is lined with a textile  420  for the purpose of additional filtration of silt and sediment from the assembly  100  and reduces clogging of the assembly  100 . Such textile  420  helps ensure that media  500  does not become dislodged or and removed from the erosion reduction assembly  100  due to water run-off. 
         [0037]    In a preferred embodiment of textile  420  placement, the textile  420  follows the perimeter formed by the receptacle  400 . The porosity of the textile  420  is chosen based on the size of silt and sediment proximate the assembly  100 . For example, without limitation, nonwoven geotextile textile weighing about 2.5 to 20 oz/yd 2  having an apparent opening size of about 30 to 120 US Sieve and a water flow rate of about 10 to 200 g/min/ft 2  is utilized. The textile  420  is either woven or nonwoven. 
         [0038]    Turning again to  FIGS. 1-3  and  5 , one embodiment of the invention comprises textile liners  430 ,  431  that are placed in the flow restrictor inner cavities  210 ,  211 . The porosity of the textile liners  430 ,  431  are chosen based on the size of silt and sediment proximate the assembly  100 . For example, without limitation, nonwoven geotextile textile weighing about 2.5 to 20 oz/yd 2  having an apparent opening size of about 30 to 120 US Sieve and a water flow rate of about 10 to 200 g/min/ft 2  is utilized. The textile liners  430 ,  431  are either woven or nonwoven. The textile liners  430 ,  431  are held in place with fasteners, adhesive, or merely by being held in place by the weight media  500 . 
       The Media 
       [0039]      FIG. 1  offers, by way of example, one embodiment of the erosion reduction assembly  100  comprising aggregate filter media  500 . Such media  500  can be any loose rock roughly between about 0.5 to about 12 inches in diameter. The media  500  is preferably local to the area in order to reduce logistical costs. Alternatively, such media could be made from a polymer, polystyrene, composite, brick, concrete, rubber, and any other media known in the art. 
         [0040]    The media  500  has two primary functions within the erosion reduction assembly  100 . First, the media  500  is placed over a portion of each water flow restrictor  200 ,  201  to secure and anchor the water velocity reduction wall  300 . The portion of the water velocity reduction wall  300  covered by media  500  is referred to as the non-exposed portion, and the portion of the water velocity reduction wall  300  not covered by media  500  is referred to as the exposed portion. The weight of the media  500  stabilizes the water flow restrictor wall  300  within the receptacle  400 .  FIG. 5  illustrate the position of the water velocity reduction wall  300  positioned in the receptacle  400  in the absence of any media  500 . 
         [0041]    The second function of the media  500  is to act as a filtration layer. Such a filtering layer helps to create a sufficient number of pathways and obstacles for water run-off to slow down to reduce both sheet and rill erosion. The slowed run-off is then capable of passing through the various perforations  240 ,  241  of the water flow restrictors  200 ,  201 . 
         [0042]    Referring again to  FIGS. 1 and 5 , to aid in draining water from the media  500 , a drain pipe  510  is placed under the media  500 . The drain pipe  510  is made of metal, plastic, PVC, or any other material known in the art. The pipe  510  defines a plurality of drainage holes or slits to allow water to enter the pipe  510 . In a preferred embodiment, at least one pipe is placed under the media  500  approximately parallel to the long axis of the assembly  100 . The diameter of the pipe is between about 2 inches and 18 inches. The pipe  510  protrudes through holes in the receptacle  400  of a size and dimension to accommodate the pipe  510 . In a similar embodiment, the pipe  510  abuts the receptacle  400 , but does not protrude outside the receptacle  400 . 
         [0000]    Positioning of the Erosion reduction Assembly 
         [0043]    The invention further contemplates a method of reducing erosion through the positioning of a plurality of erosion reduction assemblies  100  to form an erosion reduction system  600 .  FIG. 6  offers, by way of example, a contemplated arrangement of the various erosion reduction assemblies  100  over terrain. As shown, it is preferable to place several erosion reduction assemblies  100  in a row, but in order to maximize the effectiveness of the system, secondary rows  610  are staggered behind the primary row  620 . This helps increase the effectiveness of all of the erosion reduction assemblies  100 , and such positioning helps to prevent sheet erosion by reducing the velocity of flowing water and reducing the volume of particulates eroded. 
         [0044]    Now referring to  FIG. 7 , in one embodiment of the method to reduce erosion, additional erosion reduction assemblies  630  are placed on or near an existing erosion reduction system  600 . In particular, silt and sediment accumulate, over time, on and around the erosion reduction assemblies  100  of the erosion reduction system  600 . However, as the silt and sediment accumulate, erosion reduction assemblies  100  may be obstructed or even totally buried. Therefore, the erosion reduction system  600  is augmented with additional erosion reduction assemblies  630  by positioning these assemblies  630  proximate obstructed or buried erosion reduction assemblies  100 . 
         [0045]    Turning again to  FIG. 1 , the erosion reduction assembly  100  is preferably situated in an orientation wherein water flows in a direction toward the flow restrictor inner cavities  210  as indicated by the direction indicated by water flow arrows  110 . The velocity of the water that exits the assembly  100  is reduced relative to the velocity of the water entering the assembly  100 . 
         [0046]    In the specification set forth above there have been disclosed typical preferred embodiments of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, the terms are used in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. The invention has been described in some detail, but it will be apparent that various modifications and changes can be made within the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the foregoing specification and as defined in the appended claims.