Transcript from video:

Courtney Brooke: Here we are on the creek bank, of Earthaven EcoVillage, where there’s been some major erosion, since before we got here. The road before Earthaven was here was already very near the creek, which is understandable, but also a problem. So now there’s a solution.

Brandon: So, we put these concrete blocks into the edge of the creek, not really disturbing the creek too much. What we’re hoping is that on this outside bank and in flood conditions, sediment will get deposited on the edges of these blocks.
When the water is high, that there will be a bunch of turbulence and slowing down of the water, which will hopefully prevent the creek from eating in as it has been here in the past. That’s our hopes.

Courtney Brooke: So what are we going to do here? We’re going to spread cover crop?

Brandon: We’re going to spread some seeds, some annual rye grass and some rye grain to stabilize it temporarily. And then we’re going to plant some live stakes of a variety of different plants in there. It’s possible that we’re going to put some bamboo in this area to really stabilize the Creek so that we don’t lose any more sediment, which helps the Creek and helps us to protect the roads.

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(Transcript from video)

Courtney Brooke:  Hi there. Coming to you from the sauna at Earthaven EcoVillage. And the Sauna is right by the swimming hole, which is in the creek. The thing about that is that the Creek, when it floods, erodes away the bank. Then if it erodes away too much more than it will start to impact the sauna.

So we’ve been trying to come up with the plan to save the sauna and prevent some erosion from happening. We had a water expert come out, and he showed us how to put these big cement blocks in.

And so now the big cement blocks are getting placed.

So check it out…

We got Paul driving the excavator and Brandon helping out here.

The way that the blocks are placed, so that when the water comes, the water’s flowing this way. When the water comes in a big event, the sediment gets trapped behind that block, and then the water can keep going. So, it actually builds the bank.

It’s like a water bar, but it’s a sediment bar.

Ok, here it goes. Swinging it (the camera) around.

So that the part that’s in the Creek is facing upstream, at an angle….And they’re just lowering it down.

Brandon: Up again.

Paul: I think that’s sticking out too far.

Brandon: Ok. Wait a second.

Courtney Brooke: Alright. And so there’s going to be several more of these that are going along the bank here. Where we see that the erosion happens here.

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