Landscape Architect Articles

Erosionand Drainage Control Can Be Both Beautiful And Functional02-01-89 | News

Erosionand Drainage Control
Can Be Both Beautiful And Functional

By Lance C. Friesz
Market/Design Coordinator
Rock & Waterscape Systems, Inc.

Aesthetic solutions to erosion control. Artificial rock is used to support the slope along this stairway to the beach.

Using replicas of natural rock and water features, landscape architects, engineers and contractors together can transform once unbuildable land, plagued by erosion and drainage problems, into functional and aesthetically beautiful environments.

Rock & Waterscape Systems Inc. in Irvine, California, expertly blends replicated rock and water features into the natural environment so well that the public is not aware that the rocks actually function as part of the drainage and erosion control.

An example of aesthetics and science working together is Huntington Falls in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Built in 1897, the Falls had eroded away over the years. An old method for erosion control was used – gabions – that date back to Roman times. Cobbles are placed in wire baskets and stacked like bales of hay to allow gradual drainage down the hillside. Rock & Waterscape Systems covered the gabion structures with simulated rock outcroppings to create a cascading waterfall that drops 100 feet below into Stow Lake.

The drainage channel at the Bayside Technology Center regularly flooded during the winter (see Page 26 for an aftershot of this project).

A similar problem with bluff erosion was tackled by landscape architect Robert Clark Graves, of NewportBeach, California, for a private seaside residence. He integrated a serviceable access down the 200' drop of the cliff, controlled the drainage, and maintained the natural look of the area.

The bluff erosion threatened the buildings above. The job of Rock & Waterscape Systems was to camouflage the retaining walls and to create a stairway connecting the bluff top to the beach below. The surrounding land drained in the direction of the new stairway making it function as a drainage channel. Drain lines were also embedded in the interior of the stairway to handle additional water seepage.

The stairway, meandering down the side of the cliff, appears to be curved from the rocky slope. Rock & Waterscape Systems stained the new rock to match that of the natural conglomerate of the bluff.

Another example is Bayside Technology Center in Fremont, California. Renco Properties hired Jones & Peterson of Mountain View to handle the two basic problems on the undeveloped property: (1) It flooded during the winter, making the property unbuildable and, (2) there was not an adequate source of water for fire protection throughout the year, making it uninsurable.

By creating a water feature and incorporating proper drainage, this project now can absorb the flood waters and also provide water for fire protection unavailable from city lines.

By building a system of streams and ponds, flooding was eliminated. A year-round water source is also now available for fire protection since fire trucks can directly pump from the lakes.

The property had only a 2' drop from the highest to lowest parts. Therefore, a series of weirs or gates were created along a meandering natural path that would collect water until it spilled over into the next collection area.

An extensive water circulation system was designed by Harlan Glenn & Associates that contained fountains along the water pathway interspersed with aerating bubblers.

A jogging path and pedestrian bridges crisscross the new flood control plain making it a usable recreation area for people.

Rock & Waterscape Systems, Inc. provides basic concepts, renderings, structural details and hydraulic requirements for any rock and water feature designed by landscape architects. Blending and camouflaging engineered structural components with replicas of the natural rock found in the environment is an erosion and drainage solution that is well worth consideration.