Hydraulic and earth engineering – Fluid control – treatment – or containment – Flow control
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-25
2001-11-27
Bagnell, David (Department: 3673)
Hydraulic and earth engineering
Fluid control, treatment, or containment
Flow control
C405S107000, C405S015000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06322289
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The Silt terrace erosion prevention invention, called STEP, is a low cost process to stop gully erosion by the creation of a series of silt filled terraces over a period of time to provide at maturity, a permanent land bridge of grass strip vegetation across what previously was an uncrossable ditch barricade to contour farming.
Erosion control on tillable fields has been a long standing concern of farmers. In areas where storms and intermittent water run off have created gully erosion, various methods have been employed to counteract the loss of valuable soil and disruption of agricultural pursuits, especially for contour farming. The known methods of erosion control in prior art are expensive and cause major topsoil loss and disruption and/or are temporary. Few have provided long range satisfaction to the farm operator.
Technology now provides rugged, durable, woven plastic sacks, which can be filled with dirt dug at the site of STEP. These, when placed in the specific V-shaped arrangement in the streambed form structural STEP dam terraces. The process for which this patent is claimed causes sediment to be impounded and concentrates water flows in the center of the stream thus protecting the gully terrace from washout and side banks from further erosion.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention comprises a series of structures formed with a number of earth filled plastic sacks in a V-shaped formation, pointing upstream, from bank to bank across the gully bed. The specific formation slows an oncoming stream of water causing it to pool and trap sediment while the water flow is channeled to the center of the structure and directed away from undercutting the side banks of the gully. In the event of heavy flow of stream water, the stream is expected to cascade over the top center of the structure without washing it out and to be channeled to the structure further downstream for a similar slowing effect, trapping silt in each case. A series of structures may be constructed in various places along the length of the gully. It is an object that this invention over a period of time, the silt thus retained, when seeded with a water tolerant grass cover, will provide terraces and eventually a permanent grass strip at farm field level which can be utilized for farm machinery crossings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1026616 (1912-05-01), Stratton
patent: 3957098 (1976-05-01), Hepworth et al.
patent: 4405257 (1983-09-01), Nielsen
patent: 4449847 (1984-05-01), Scales et al.
patent: 4486121 (1984-12-01), Thompson et al.
patent: 4521131 (1985-06-01), Nandlal
patent: 4650368 (1987-03-01), Bayer
patent: 4693632 (1987-09-01), Ingersoll
patent: 5584599 (1996-12-01), Knittel
patent: 5595458 (1997-01-01), Grabhorn
patent: 133204 (1987-06-01), None
Bagnell David
Lagman Frederick L.
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