Walkerton Fire Department Ground Reinforcement
Case Study
Client
Walkerton Fire Department Ground Reinforcement
Sector
Municipal
Location
Walkerton, ON, CA
Before
The Walkerton Fire Hall community garden also doubles as a rain garden. Due to stormwater runoff and excess mud, the garden was virtually inaccessible, unless you were wearing rubber boots! Heavy foot traffic and poor ground drainage left the hiking trails full of mud. Volunteers were using wood chips for mud control and to absorb the extra water, but this ground reinforcement method wasn’t proving very effective. The space was in obvious need of mud control grids, improved stormwater management, and ground stabilization to achieve a municipal garden accessible to all.
Preparation
To prepare for the Ecoraster permeable paver installation, the garden was completely cleared out and the ground was excavated down to a level clay subbase. A 6” paver base of ¾” Clearstone/type 57 gravel was then installed and leveled.
Installation
The Ecoraster E40 paver grid system was selected for this project. Ecoraster permeable pavement was installed directly on the Clearston base. The paver installation process was so quick and easy that even their youngest volunteers were able to help on a rainy day. Once the mud management grid was down volunteers, used wheelbarrows to infill the grid with ¼” pea gravel.
After
Ecoraster has improved stormwater management, allowing rainwater to easily be absorbed into the ground and making this community garden mud-free! In addition to the new eco-friendly walkways, Walkerton then moved into phase 2 of this project and installed raised planting beds and ground-level beds. Thanks to the new ground stabilization grid, this community garden is now accessible, even for those in wheelchairs who could not use the areas before the mud control mats were installed.
Project Gallery
Explore the photos below that highlight how Ecoraster products were installed, as well as the results we were able to achieve for the park.