Three-dimensional woven geotextiles for containment dike construction

Every year, approximately 300 million m(3) (400 million yd(3)) of sediment is dredged from the United States' waterways (Fairweather, 1995). Although the primary purpose is to increase navigational capacities of channels, engineers are constantly seeking more effective and environmentally acceptable disposal methods for dredged materials. When the Port of Houston Authority faced this challenge, the Beneficial Uses Group (BUG) decided to utilize dredged material from the Houston Ship Channel to construct over 1720 hectares (4250 acres) of intertidal salt marshes. Starting in February 1994, three geosynthetic materials were installed along 1000 m (3300 ft) of dredged material containment levee at a demonstration marsh built on the east side of Atkinson Island. Proposed as possible cost-effective alternatives to conventional riprap, the three materials chosen included a cellular confinement system, fabricated geotextile tubes, and a three-dimensional woven geotextile for the shoreline protection. The three-dimensional woven geotextile was installed on 2H:1V slopes and secured using anchor trenches, hairpin-shaped reinforcing steel bar and duckbill anchors. To date, the product has helped to maintain a stable, nonerosive levee and promoted diversified aquatic vegetation (Anonymous, 1994). The project continues to be closely monitored by the Port of Houston Authority, the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Resources Conservation Services and a host of other agencies. This paper describes the background, selection, installation, and performance of the three-dimensional woven geotextile used for erosion protection along 122 m (400 ft) of levee on this demonstration project. Chronological data, field observations and photographs are included to compliment the observations and conclusions made by the authors, and others, from the time of installation to present. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd