Hydraulic Erosion Control Products (HECPs)

Over the past 50 years, hydraulic seeding/planting equipment, hydraulic mulches, and performance-enhancing additives have shown continuous evolution and improvement, resulting in equipment and materials that offer enhanced performance and greater productivity over many traditional methods of controlling erosion and establishing vegetation. Traditionally, the colored slurries have been applied on areas such as steep slopes, commercial and residential properties, golf courses, and athletic facilities. To an untrained eye, the materials exiting the hydraulic mulching equipment appear nondescript. However, contained within these slurries are a growing family of refined fiber matrices, tackifiers, super-absorbents, flocculating agents, man-made fibers, plant biostimulants, and other performance-enhancing additives.

The two primary goals when using Hydraulic Erosion Control Products (HECPs) are erosion control and vegetation establishment. HECPs can provide immediate erosion protection while creating an environment that assists in accelerating vegetative establishment. Vegetation then provides the long term erosion protection while improving site aesthetics and acting as a filter to remove sediment and other undesirable stormwater constituents from entering receiving water bodies. The following properties are most relevant when attempting to achieve these goals:

• Functional Longevity
• Erosion Control Effectiveness
• Vegetation Establishment