AUTEC
This US Navy facility is located on Andros Island, Bahamas. Island soils consist of fossilized coral rock, with little fine particle content and extremely low fertility. During an extensive road repair project on base, USEPS was contracted by J2 Engineering, Inc. (design and construction) to establish roadside vegetation in early 2006.
At AUTEC, the traditional method for grassing had been to barge Pensacola Bahia sod over from Florida. This method was rarely successful due to the length of time for military shipment and harsh soil conditions. USEPS established vegetation by hydromulching. H2OLD ® was applied during soil preparation, when the top layer was “crushed” to create as much fine soil material as possible. The pictures show areas before and after (4-wk) seeding.
AUTEC Experimental Plots
During the roadside project, USEPS established experimental plots on a manmade slope at the Grounds Facility. The purpose was to evaluate erosion, runoff pollutants, and vegetation establishment parameters during germination in this particular soil type.
The results demonstrated that the plot with H2OLD ® soil amendment and a hydromulch seeding application had better vegetation establishment and growth compared to plots with seeding only and no seed (control). Nitrogen and sediment were reduced in stormwater runoff. Phosphorus was not reduced, but values indicate that P was present only where fertilizer was applied and not in the existing soil.
Results of this research were presented at the Joint Services Environmental Management (JSEM) Conference, Denver CO, Mar 2006.
