There were good intentions 10yrs ago in planting bamboo in front of the drainage culvert- the previous owners were trying to prevent the river from eroding the land. However, the bamboo soon grew to be a 40+ foot tall water blockade for mountain runoff with an ensuing whirlpool.
Burned some of the bamboo and cut through the roots and bank. Here is our team fighting the rising river.
We made a cementious soil mix to strengthen the underlying clay, mitigating the shrink/swell potential and creating a strong base.
The cementious soil was an excellent alternative and cost savings, as opposed to using concrete and gravel. Apparently they use it as a base for concrete on modern airport runways!
The engineer!
20 Parts Soil
1 Part Cement
Dry Mixing
1 Part Water
Wet Mixing & Laying
Compacting
In the middle of the project, there was a major downpour. Looks like the cementious soil base held though!
Building a Bamboo Retaining Wall
This guy does not work for CalTrans; he was working too!
Using Local Methods with Bamboo to Stabilize the Soil
Filling with Gravel
13meter (40ft) Culvert Extension to River
The crew was so impressed with this technique, they said they would try this as a base for roads in their villages!
Project Complete!
