Updating An Underperforming Channel At Blossom Park With HydroTurf®

Blossom Park in the City of San Antonio, Texas was experiencing drainage challenges. Unfortunately, storm events and new nearby developments changed how the area drained. In addition, it produced more runoff than the existing earthen channel could manage. Because of the mismanaged drainage, water spilled from the channel and rose above its slopes. The channel’s volume capability needed to be more profound. Furthermore, the side slopes/channels required reinforcement.

With limited space, the city decided to resolve the stormwater management issues by upgrading to a concrete drainage channel.

The goal was to provide a low-maintenance, flexible concrete drainage channel. In addition, the upgraded channel needed to be aesthetically pleasing. Limited site access in the existing neighborhood and limitations to expanding the width of the channel both contributed to a challenging pilot project for the City of San Antonio.

After reviewing the project specifics, the team agreed that HydroTurf was a strong solution. Not only does HydroTurf increase hydraulic capacity, but also it provides excellent visual appeal. In addition, the combination of our competitive pricing and the low maintenance of this hard armor solution extended the city’s budget.

Quick construction, minimized excavation, and no need for heavy equipment eliminated rework after storms.

The successful installation of HydroTurf resulted in channel armoring blended into the natural environment. Farther up the side slopes, the HydroTurf® transitioned into a reinforced, vegetated solution via the utilization of a high-performance turf reinforcement mat. This area required a different roughness value, and rather than leaving the upper end of the channel undone, a vegetated HPTRM was installed to protect the top of the channel against future storm events while allowing the City to remain within budget.

This project called for a combination of technologies in order to meet the customer’s needs. Because our product specialists have vast experience with unique stormwater management projects, we provide strategic-multifaceted drainage solutions.

Our Approach

Firstly, we distributed HydroTurf as the hard armor lining the primary footprint of the channel. This is where the lion’s share of high flow velocities would need to be endured. Then, a high-performance turf reinforcement mat was installed along the perimeter of the channel. By doing so, it both maintained green aesthetics and also provided adequate reinforcement for the occasional heavy storm event when drastic changes in stormwater elevation could threaten the side slopes. Lastly, a concrete toe was poured at the transition between materials within the channel and along the side slope transitions in order to prevent a high-flow event from undermining the HydroTurf system. The slopes are expected to face low flow topping and runoff, however, it is only a minor concern to the high-performance capabilities of the HPTRM. This medley of solutions produced a long-term, high-performance channel meanwhile ensuring the client remains within budget.

Client Testimonial

“Numerous engineers have visited the site and have been blown away at how natural it looks. They can’t believe it’s concrete, and now they want to figure out where they want to use it/how they want to use it on their projects.”