Arid Lands Project Profile: Baffin Wind Farm, Kenedy County, Texas, USA

The Baffin Windfarm, located just south of Sarita in Kenedy County, Texas, had been a challenge when it comes to erosion control and vegetation establishment on its tower footings. Previous attempts simply didn’t cut it, largely due to the area's harsh, hot, and dry conditions combined with poor soil fertility. To make matters even more challenging, the wind farm is also an active cattle ranch. This mix of factors made it clear why earlier efforts at revegetation were unsuccessful. Plus, to avoid entanglement risks, the property owner insisted on hydraulically applied erosion control solutions only—no erosion control blankets with netting. We also had to come up with a special blend of seed that could withstand grazing.

Issues

The project team faced quite a few hurdles:

- Poor Soil Fertility and Quality: The soil had less than 0.5% organic content, making it less than ideal for plant growth.

- No Supplemental Watering: There wasn’t any extra water available to help establish the vegetation.

- Livestock Presence: With cattle grazing on site, finding a seed blend that could handle the extra pressure was crucial.

- Erosion Control: It was vital to prevent erosion on the tower footings.

- Extremely Sandy Soils: The sandy nature of the soil made it difficult for plants to take root and thrive.

Problem

All these factors combined to make previous attempts at controlling erosion and establishing vegetation a failure. Hot, dry conditions, poor soil quality, and the presence of livestock were tough enough. Adding the restriction against using erosion control blankets with netting meant the team had to think outside the box. They needed a solution that was entirely hydraulically applied and could stand up to grazing.

Solution

Dustin Shafer CPESC, CESSWI from Diamond M Contracting and Joel Denofrio from Innovative Soil Solutions decided that the best approach would be to use a combination of Biotic Earth Biotic Soil Amendment and Flexterra Flexible Growth Medium. Here’s the plan they implemented:

- Biotic Earth: Applied at 3,500 lbs./AC to improve soil quality.

- Flexterra Flexible Growth Medium: Applied at 4,500 lbs./AC for effective hydraulic erosion control.

- Specialty Seed Mix: This included over 11 species such as Carrizo Little Bluestem, Nieces Sand Dropseed, Dilley Slender Grama, Alkali Sacaton, and Atascosa Texas, selected for their suitability to the conditions and resistance to grazing.

Results

And the results? Pretty impressive. After the application, they saw significant improvements in vegetation quality and soil stabilization. Even with the extreme summer temperatures, vegetation densities continued to improve. The client was thrilled with the initial results and optimistic about seeing even better outcomes in the seasons that followed.

This project is a testament to the power of tailored, hydraulically applied Biotic Earth Biotic Soil Amendment in tackling challenging environments.

Did we pique your curiosity? Now, if you want to discuss your project specifics to discover the best path forward with our erosion control solutions, book a call with one of our team to go over specifics to see if Verdyol Biotic Earth is right for your project.

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