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Gerber Legendary Blades
Streambank Stabilization Project • Portland, Oregon; Spring 2007
Problem
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Major storms in the Pacific Northwest in 2006 caused flashy stream flow
which eroded the banks of the stream undermining the parking lot
foundation, parking lot asphalt surface and even put the 40’ corporate
sign in jeopardy. |
Project background
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Gerber Legendary Blades, now a division of Fiskar’s, is a manufacturer
of jack-knives for outdoors enthusiasts. The Gerber corporate
headquarters was built in the late 1970’s near Portland, Oregon.
The parking lot was built an adequate distance from the stream running through the property, and paved with asphalt.
Continued
development of impervious surfaces up-stream and expansion of
Interstate 5 caused erosive conditions to worsen in the late 90’s.
Then in 2006, the result of major storms and very serious rain events,
ferocious stream flows were undermining the structure of the parking
lot located next to the stream.
Gerber attempted to repair the
damage using several different methods, including soil lifts wrapped in
geotextile. Back fill was found 10’ down from previous efforts to protect the site.
All efforts to repair the site failed and Gerber needed an environmentally-correct long term solution. |
Solution
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Installation
of Agrecol’s Envirolok Vegetated Retaining Wall System, distributed and
installed by Sunmark Environmental Services. Sunmark Environmental
Services has a long history of working with native vegetation for
erosion control, and is a Certified Installer of the Envirolok
Vegetated Retaining Wall System |
Permits - Engineering
Site Construction Supervision
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Provided
by PBS Environmental and KBH Consulting. PBS coordinated the
environmentally-sensitive solution by fast-tracking emergency erosion
control
permits from Oregon Dept. of State Lands, US Army Corps of Engineers and Clean Water Services.
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Environmental Review and Follow-up
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Gerber
Facility Manager’s reaction to the installed solution: “I can see why
this will be a permanent solution compared to what was tried in the
past. I love it!”
Agency reaction: State of Oregon’s Clean Water
Services has since reduced Gerber inspection period from once a quarter
to once a year and sampling from once a year to once every five years.
Oregon
Department of Transportation has also recognized a serious erosion
problem on the Interstate 5 streambank side of the property and has
retained PBS Environmental to expedite installation of the Envirolok
Vegetated Retaining Wall System on the I-5 streambank side.
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GerberKnives.pdf
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