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Soft Shoreline Stabilization Options

Cost Estimates

Basis of Estimates

Preliminary design and specifications

Quantity takeoffs for major


construction items

Construction industry cost data:


z
z

RS Means Cost Data


Vendor quotes for soft engineering
materials such as live or dormant cuttings
and fascines

Preliminary Design

Select stabilization technique

Identify site access (land or water)

Define construction staging area

Evaluate construction methods


z
z
z

Cofferdam and dewatering needs


Water work (boats, barges, and divers)
Mechanical equipment or manual labor

Quantity Takeoffs

Access road
z
z

Clearing & grubbing


Gravel

Demolition (concrete, stone, sheetpile,


sheetpile,
timber)

Excavation and fill (gravel, stone riprap)

Stabilizing materials (stone, timber,


geogrid,
geogrid, etc.)

Plantings

Direct Costs

Labor and materials

Line item costs for known quantities


z
z

Published cost data (RS Means)


Vendor quotations

Construction duration (multiple


season)
z
z

Mobilization and demobilization


Winter shutdown

Labor

Brush Mattress Installation


Source, Allen and Fischenich 2000

Joint Planting Installation


Source, GSWCC 2000

Labor Rates?

Source, Muhlberg and Moore 2005

Labor Data
Source, Allen and Fischenich 2000
Activity

Labor Required

Wattling

2-5 m/hr

Brush Layering

2-5 m/hr

Dormant Posts

0.2 - 1.0 m2/hr

Willow Cuttings

45 - 50 cuttings/hr

Plant Roll

6 m/hr

Coconut Fiber Roll

1.5 m/hr

Sprig Planting

4.0 - 20 m2/hr

Seedling Planting

30 - 120 plants/hr

Ball and Burlap Shrubs

10 - 25 plants/hr

Containerized Plants

20 - 40 plants/hr

Vegetative Geogrids

0.2 - 0.4 m/hr

Seeding

0.02 - 0.2 ha/hr

Hydroseeding

0.05 - 0.15 ha/hr

Construction Techniques

Dormant post planting in existing riprap


Source, C. Hoag 2000
Source: Muhlberg and Moore
2005

Construction Techniques

Materials Cost Data


Vendor Prices, the following is an excerpt from Ernst Conservation Seeds
http://www.ernstseed.com/Pricelist/Bio%20Engineering.htm
BRUSH MATTRESSING

Live, woody material 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter and random lengths. This material is placed 4 to 6 inches deep on sloped
areas. Generally starting at the bottom of the slope, they are laid in a crisscross pattern protecting 6 or more feet of slope. They
are held in place with wedge-like dead stakes and secured with string or wire. Four inches of loose soil is placed on top to
sufficiently cover the majority of the branches. The brush mattressing will act as an immediate sediment trap and grows into a
shrubby carpet-like protective barrier. Effective on slopes with 2:1 ratio or flatter.
Order material on a square footage basis of coverage area.
1 to 2 branches thick
3 to 4 branches thick

$1.00 per square foot


$2.00 per square foot

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LIVE CUTTINGS

LIVE CUTTINGS are living plant material of un-rooted, woody stems that will root and establish shrubs in wet, fertile conditions.
They are ideal for planting in mass where erosion control and bank stability are an immediate concern.
Length
Diameter
Cost
LIVE CUTTINGS
6 inches to 12 inches
3/8 inch to 1 inch
$.25 each

Other Costs

Contractor distributable costs


z
z
z

NonNon-manual supervision
Temporary facilities (office trailer)
Equipment rental

Indirect costs (engineering and design)

Allowance for indeterminants (Items not


included in quantity takeoff)

Contingency (difficulties that can not be


forecasted)

Other Cost Considerations

Laboratory and field studies


z
z

Topographic and property surveys


Subsurface investigations

Hazardous and nonnon-hazardous materials


disposal

Administration by project sponsor

Escalation to time of construction

Permitting

Questions?
References
Allen, H.H., and Fischenich, J.C. 2000. Brush mattress for streambank erosion control,
control,
EMRRP Technical Notes Collection. U.S. Army Engineer Research and
and Development
Center, Vicksburg, MS. www.wes.army.mil/el/emrrp
GSWCC. 2000. Guidelines for Streambank Restoration. (Revised March/2000). Georgia
Soil and Water Conservation Commission.
Hoag, J.C. 2001. Costs and Considerations of Streambank Bioengineering Treatments.
Riparian/Wetland Project Information Series No. 15. USDA Natural
Natural Resources
Conservation Service, Aberdeen, ID. July 2000.
Mulberg,
Mulberg, G. and Moore, N.J. 2005. Streambank Revegetation and Protection, A Guide for
Alaska, revised 2005,
2005, Technical Report No. 9898-3. Alaska Department of Fish and Game,
Division of Sport Fish. April 2005.

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