Case Study 1
How well has the Point Drainage & Erosion (PDE) system worked?
The answer comes from PDE Client 1. Although “PDE Client One” may not realize the significance of what he said, this is what happened.
Members of PDE visited the “PDE Client One’s” property in July of 2013, as we were in the neighborhood on another job. We stopped by to see how our system was performing. “PDE Client One” was home. He remembered us. We talked about his system. He let us take pictures. The pictures we took are the AFTER photos included here.
We asked PDE Client 1 how his system was performing. He said he was completely satisfied with one big caveat. I asked about the caveat. PDE Client 1 reminded us that there had been many heavy rainfalls on his property prior to the PDE system being installed. It was the damage and problems from these heavy rainfalls that drove him to call PDE in the first place. He then told me that since the system had been installed it had worked great. But…it had really not been tested yet. PDE Client 1 wanted to wait for a really big rainstorm before he would completely endorse our system.
I was eager to test PDE Client 1 perception of recent rain events. We installed PDE Client 1 in April of 2010. Tropical Storm Debby, hit the Tampa Bay area in June of 2012. (Given our line of work, how could I ever forget it?)
When I returned to our office, I went to the USGS NWIS web site data base, and found data for their monitoring station #0230732. This monitoring station is located on Double Branch, with direct access from Countryway Boulevard. This monitoring station is literally less than 1.5 miles from the PDE Client 1 property.
Tropical Storm Debby did indeed strike the PDE Client 1 property in June of 2012. In one 24-hour period over 8 inches of rain was recorded at the referenced monitoring station. The total storm dropped over 12 inches of rain in less than 96 hours at this location. That was a record rain event for this monitoring station and for the PDE Client 1 property. For PDE Client 1 to think that his system has not truly been tested yet is, as can be seen, quite a testimonial to how well his system is actually performing!
Before PDE Client 1
During PDE Client 1
This picture tells a very important story. This French Drain trench was cut in April of 2010, the middle of the dry season. The standing water seen in the trench is the level of the groundwater. It is within 6 inches of the surface. This is April! If the ground is nearly saturated in April, the very peak of the dry season, it is certain that it is oversaturated through the entire rainy season. No wonder no grass would grow. No wonder the shrubs were dead or dying. No wonder there was such severe erosion!
• Clean cutting sod for preservation and reuse
This picture also shows how PDE does its work. We clean cut the sod and the trench when the sod and the soils will support a clean cut. We keep the sod on site and replace it as quickly as possible, right back where it came from. If additional sod is needed that will become part of the contract.
