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Recycling is part of Lake Michigan ravine restoration
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal ‐ american water works association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.466
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1551-8833
pISSN - 0003-150X
DOI - 10.1002/j.1551-8833.2007.tb07876.x
Subject(s) - ravine , demolition , archaeology , channel (broadcasting) , national park , erosion , restoration ecology , hydrology (agriculture) , environmental science , mining engineering , geography , engineering , geology , ecology , geotechnical engineering , paleontology , electrical engineering , biology
This article reports on an extensive restoration project by Applied Ecological Services Inc. (AES) of a ravine near the Lake Michigan coastline under a plan that incorporated recycled materials from an old military base nearby. The project was located in the Fort Sheridan neighborhood in Highland Park, Illinois, which borders Lake Michigan. Rather than simply disposing of all the materials from the demolition, AES also recycled approximately 700 tons of rock from the foundations of demolished buildings by breaking it down and using it to armor the channel being restored. AES also recycled approximately 2,000 ft of telephone poles by using them to stabilize the ravine walls. AES was chosen for the restoration project because of the extreme degradation of the ravines that separate property lines and drain water into Lake Michigan. Severe down‐cutting (extreme erosion from increased water volume) of the channel floor had caused major bank destabilization along the walls of the ravine. The article describes the process by which AES corrected and restored the ravine, and its five‐year maintenance program to ensure the success of the project.