Embankment Erosion Protection Solutions
With HYDROTEX, embankment slope protection is permanent and easy.
HYDROTEX fabric-formed concrete is the leading embankment protection method for rivers, locks, coasts, harbors, and more. Simply lay out the geosynthetic panels, pump with fine aggregate concrete, and see your custom-manufactured mattress rise to its designed thickness.
Though typically not used as a soil stabilization product, HYDROTEX can help stabilize the embankment and provide an extra layer of protection against hydraulic and environmental forces.
How is HYDROTEX used at embankments?
The Problem
Unprotected embankments can erode and cause the soil to recede under roads, infrastructure, and valuable property, leading to the catastrophic collapse of these structures.
How? Left exposed, embankments can erode due to waves, flowing water, or underwater ship thrusters. The optimal embankment protection solution will therefore accommodate different conditions and protect the embankment decades after installation.
The Solution: HYDROTEX Fabric Forms for the In-Situ Casting of Concrete
HYDROTEX fabric formworks are the best way to cast a concrete mattress that effectively prevents the soil from eroding and keeps the embankment intact.
With HYDROTEX, you can take care of any design requirements. For example, you can choose a product that relieves hydrostatic pressure, decreases water velocity, reduces wave run-up, or provides an impermeable liner.
Best HYDROTEX Fabric Forms for Permanent Embankment Erosion Control
HYDROTEX® Articulating Block
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HYDROTEX in Action at Embankments
Embankment Protection for Locks and Dams
Just like any other inland waterway, locks and dams have embankments that need to be protected from erosion.
HYDROTEX fabric-formed concrete is the best solution for this application. A HYDROTEX fabric-formed concrete mat can withstand the hydraulic forces present at dams and prevent soil loss at these fragile areas.
Embankment erosion control services are typically applicable for:
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Heather Heydet
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Heather Heydet2019-11-14 08:12:122022-02-04 07:27:38Erosion Control for Locks & Dams
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Heather Heydet
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Heather Heydet2019-11-14 07:12:212022-02-04 07:28:47Marine & Coastal Erosion Control
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Heather Heydet
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Heather Heydet2019-11-14 06:12:362022-02-04 07:29:52Erosion Control for Mines
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Heather Heydet
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Heather Heydet2019-11-14 05:12:422022-02-04 07:30:42Municipal Water & Wastewater Erosion Control
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Heather Heydet
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Heather Heydet2019-11-14 04:12:582022-02-04 07:31:31Ports & Harbors Scour Protection
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Heather Heydet
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Heather Heydet2019-11-14 03:13:052022-02-04 07:32:24River and Canal Erosion Control
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Heather Heydet
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Heather Heydet2019-11-14 02:13:172022-02-04 07:33:44Roads, Highways, & Airports Erosion Control
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Heather Heydet
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Heather Heydet2019-11-14 01:13:252022-02-04 07:34:40Sediment RemediationCoastal Embankment Protection
Coasts are subject to erosion because of their constant contact with the ocean’s waves. Protect the coast near or around your facility with a HYDROTEX fabric-formed concrete mattress. Our customized fabric formworks can help you cast a mattress of any thickness and configuration.
For example, two different formworks can be sown together, with an impermeable concrete mattress on one end and a permeable concrete mat on the other.
HYDROTEX can also be used as a shoreline revetment product.
River and Canal Embankment Protection
Preventing embankment failure should be a priority for municipal and regional authorities trying to maintain the well-being of bodies of water in their districts. HYDROTEX fabric-formed concrete is the best erosion protection measure at river embankments, providing far superior protection than geocells (cellular confinement), matting, rip rap, and prefabricated concrete blocks.
Embankment Protection at Bridges, Highways, & Railways
Embankment failure is a concern for DOT authorities looking to ensure the sustainability of their municipality’s rivers, canals, and other inland bodies of water. Ensure river embankments are protected by armoring them with HYDROTEX fabric-formed concrete.
Permanent and simple to install, a concrete mattress will relieve hydrostatic pressure and keep the soil protected underneath.
Who is Synthetex?
We are the manufacturer of HYDROTEX® geosynthetic fabric formwork used for the in-situ casting of concrete.
We are not an engineering firm, subcontractor, concrete supplier, or fabriform installer. We are a manufacturer.
As your manufacturer, we work with each of those entities to deliver cost-effective solutions at every stage of your project. Our team will also assist with cost analyses, train installation teams, provide technical assistance, and assist with design and hydraulics.
We’re not just a one-time supplier—we’re your strategic partner for your current project and beyond.
HYDROTEX® Articulating Block
Articulating Block (AB) Concrete Linings
Articulating Block Mats form cable-reinforced concrete block mattresses that resist erosive forces. They are often constructed where a revetment is exposed to frontal attack by wave action.
AB Mats are typically used to protect coastlines, canals, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, underwater pipelines, bridge piers, and other marine structures from propeller wash, ship wakes, wind waves, currents, and high velocity flows. They are also used in environmental construction for landfill caps, down chutes, and collector channels.
The AB fabric form consists of a series of compartments linked by an interwoven perimeter. Grout ducts interconnect the compartments, and high-strength revetment cables are installed between and through the compartments and grout ducts.
Once filled, the AB Mats become a mattress of pillow-shaped, rectangular concrete blocks. The interwoven perimeters between the blocks serve as hinges to permit articulation. The cables remain embedded in the concrete blocks to link the blocks together and facilitate articulation.
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Submit a Request for an Articulating Block Specification
We’ll get back to you within 1-2 business days. All specifications are available in both nylon and polyester configurations.
Submit a request for a technical specification
We’ll get back to you within 1-2 business days. All specifications are available in both nylon and polyester configurations.
HYDROTEX® Filter Point
HYDROTEX Articulating Block
HYDROTEX Uniform Section
HYDROTEX Filter Band
HYDROTEX Enviromat
Port Canaveral Cruise Terminal Berth1
Port Canaveral Cruise Terminal Berth1
Brevard County, Florida, USA
When Port Canaveral, the second busiest cruise embarkation port in the world, undertook the significant expansion of its complex of terminals with a new Terminal 1, the Port Canaveral Authority hired CH2M Hill for the design of waterfront berth. The new cruise terminal complex handles the largest cruise ships currently sailing as well as the 6000-passenger vessels in design.
Orion Marine Construction was awarded the $31.4 million contract for the construction of the 1400 ft long berth in February 2014. Synthetex HYDROTEX® Articulating Block (AB) and Uniform Section (US) fabric formed concrete scour protection mattresses were selected and installed for the waterfront construction of Terminal Berth 1.
| Owner: | Canaveral Port Authority |
| Engineer: | CH2M Hill |
| Contractor: | Orion Marine Construction |
| Installation: | 2015 |
| Products: | HYDROTEX Articulating Block 1000 (AB1000) HYDROTEX Articulating Block 1200 (AB1200) HYDROTEX Uniform Section 1200 (US1200) |
Save money, resources, and time on your next erosion control project. Get a project estimate:
Southwest Florida International Airport
Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW)
Fort Myers, Florida, USA
For this project, AECOM and Reynolds, Smith & Hills Co. (RS&H) collaborated with the Lee County Port Authority to develop a plan for the Midfield Terminal Apron Expansion and Associated Taxiways Project of Southwest Florida International Airport. The project was aimed at providing:
- More space for aircraft taxiing between the runway and terminal gates
- Additional paved areas for overnight and diverted aircraft parking
- A long-term, cross-field taxiway system linking the existing runway to the future parallel runway
- A stormwater detention facility
The total project budget was $39.4 million with financing from grants from the Florida Department of Transportation and Lee County Port Authority funds.
AECOM / RS&H specified a 6 in thick HYDROTEX® Filter Point 600 (FP600) fabric-formed concrete revetment for the protection of the inside slopes of the new South Stormwater Detention Facility.
The project contract was awarded to Manhattan (Florida) Construction. Among other contract tasks Manhattan converted the existing retention wet ponds to a modern stormwater detention facility in less than three months.
The Florida Department of Transportation honored Manhattan Construction, Lee County Port Authority, and AECOM Technology Corp. with the 2014 Commercial Service Airport Project award for their work on this project.
| Owner: | Lee County Port Authority |
| Engineer: | AECOM / Reynolds, Smith & Hills, Co. |
| Contractor: | Manhattan (Florida) Construction |
| Installation: | 2013 |
| Products: | HYDROTEX Filter Point 600 (FP600) |
Save money, resources, and time on your next erosion control project. Get a project estimate:
Ben Schoeman Quay
Ben Schoeman Quay
Port of Cape Town, Republic of South Africa
The Port of Cape Town has two major docks and a total of 34 berths. Ben Schoeman Dock is the larger outer dock and houses the container terminal. The depth of the entrance channel to Ben Schoeman Dock is 14 m deep. The water depth within Ben Schoeman Dock varies between 9 m and 13.9 m.
The Cape Town Container Terminal (CTCT) was expanded to berth larger vessels. When completed in 2012, the R5.4bn ($780 million) project increased the terminal capacity twofold and transformed the port into a regional shipping hub.
Design work began in December 2007 and the project broke ground in January 2008. ZAA Engineering Projects and Naval Architecture was subcontracted by the WBHO – Stefanutti Stocks Marine joint venture to furnish an alternative design for the extension to berths 601, 602, 603 and 604. ZAA selected HYDROTEX® Articulating Block (AB) concrete mattresses for the required scour protection for the berths.
| Owner: | City of Cape Town |
| Engineer: | ZAA Engineering Projects and Naval Architecture (Pvt) Ltd. |
| Contractor: | WBHO—Stefanutti Stocks Marine |
| Installation: | 2012 |
| Products: | HYDROTEX Articulating Block 1000 (AB1000) HYDROTEX Articulating Block 1200 (AB1200) |
Save money, resources, and time on your next erosion control project. Get a project estimate:
Long-Term Control Plans I.E.P.A. Project No. L172560 – Stormwater Management Basin
Long-term Control Plans I.E.P.A. Project No. L172560 – Stormwater Management Basin
City of Belleville, Illinois, USA
Thouvenot, Wade & Moerchen, Inc. (TWM) collaborated with the city of Belleville to develop a Long-Term Control Plan for Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO), as required by the state of Illinois and U.S. EPA. The initial and most significant stage included expanding and modifying the existing Water Reclamation Facility. The objective was to improve water quality by lessening issues with the city’s CSO. Throughout the project, TWM used energy-efficient technologies to greatly decrease the environmental impact of the city’s effluent.
TWM also focused on cost savings while implementing solutions to minimize the user charge increase. TWM engineers re-purposed existing components, such as converting existing sludge lagoons to CSO management basins, instead of resorting to all new construction, which decreased the overall impact on sewer rates. Four-inch thick grout mattresses were specified for the inside slopes of the new management basins.
The project contract was awarded to Korte & Luitjohan Contractors, Inc. (K&L). Among other contract tasks K&L converted the existing lagoons to stormwater management basins lined with HYDROTEX® Filter Point (FP400) fabric formed concrete.
For its innovative and complex design to modify and expand the City of Belleville Water Reclamation Facility, TWM received the 2015 Engineering Excellence Honor Award in Waste and Storm Water from the American Council of Engineering Companies – Illinois.
| Owner: | City of Belleville, Illinois |
| Engineer: | Thouvenot, Wade & Moerchen, Inc. |
| Contractor: | Korte & Luitjohan Contractors, Inc. |
| Installation: | 2012 |
| Products: | HYDROTEX Filter Point 400 (FP400) |
Save money, resources, and time on your next erosion control project. Get a project estimate:
Reconstruction of Berth Quay Slope Protection
Reconstruction of Berth Quay Slope Protection
Port of Durban, Republic of South Africa
Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) was awarded an R760-million contract to reconstruct the sheet-pile quay walls at Maydon Wharf at the Port of Durban to the joint venture consortium of Stefanutti Stocks and Axsys Projects.
The first phase of the project began in July 2011 with the reconstruction of berth 12 which ended in November 2012. A 2007 feasibility study concluded the quay walls had deteriorated and that the 60-year-old steel sheet pile quays were failing.
The new quay walls and deepened berths accommodate fixed quayside loading and unloading equipment. They also ensure flexibility to accommodate future changes in various types of cargo handled in the precinct including containers. Among other things, the scope of work involved the demolition of existing quay walls, construction of new steel sheet piled quay walls and scour protection, and demolition of concrete plinths and foundations. Maydon Wharf is the largest break-bulk and dry-bulk handling precinct in the Port of Durban. It covers approximately 120 hectares of port land and consists of 15 berths that handle more than 7 million tons of cargo per annum.
As with other major projects, Stefanutti selected HYDROTEX® Articulating Block (AB) concrete mattresses for scour protection of the berths.
| Owner: | City of Durban |
| Engineer: | WML Coast (Pvt) Ltd. |
| Contractor: | Stefanutti Stocks Marine |
| Installation: | 2012 |
| Products: | HYDROTEX Articulating Block 800 (AB800) |
Save money, resources, and time on your next erosion control project. Get a project estimate:
Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station (Units 3 and 4)
Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station (Units 3 and 4)
Homestead, Florida, USA
Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station is owned by Florida Power & Light Co. (FP&L). In addition to the two nuclear pressurized water units (Units 3 and 4) Turkey Point operates two 400-megawatt oil/natural gas-fired generation units (Units 1 and 2). Units 3 and 4 each supply steam to one high-pressure and two low-pressure turbines with a power output rated at 693 MW for each unit. In 2007, Turkey Point added the 1150 MW combined-cycle gas-fired Unit 5.
Turkey Point serves the entire southern portion of Florida. With a combined capacity of 3330 MW, the site is the largest generating station in Florida and is the sixth largest power plant in the United States.
In 2010, Florida Power & Light received regulatory approval for the storage of spent fuel cells in dry casks. FP&L designed a 125000 ft² elevated storage area to be protected by a HYDROTEX® 12 in Articulating Block (AB1200) fabric formed concrete perimeter revetment.
| Owner: | Florida Light & Power Co. |
| Engineer: | Florida Light & Power Co. |
| Contractor: | Dickerson Construction, LLC |
| Installation: | 2011 |
| Products: | HYDROTEX Articulating Block (AB1200) |
Save money, resources, and time on your next erosion control project. Get a project estimate:
Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton
Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton
Oceanside, California, USA
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps. It is located north of San Diego, California, and is a United States Marine Corps airfield.
Camp Pendleton was commissioned in 1942 and is currently home to Marine Aircraft Group 39. The base’s diverse geography and more than 125000 acres (506 km²) serve as the location for year-round training for Marines and other branches of the U.S. military. The base’s 17 mi (27 km) of coastline offers ample opportunities for amphibious and sea-to-shore training.
In 1998, more than $100 million in damage from flooding occurred when a levee burst, sending a 6 ft wall of water onto the airfield.
The Department of the Navy commissioned Winzler & Kelly to design the 9559 ft long levee repair at MCAS airfield. The project specifications called for a 6 in thick fabric formed concrete erosion protection for the levee’s 1h:1v side slope. Reyes Construction, the project’s general contractor, selected HYDROTEX® Uniform Section US600 for the protective cover.
| Owner: | Department of the Navy |
| Engineer: | Winzler & Kelly |
| Contractor: | Reyes Construction |
| Installation: | 2009 |
| Products: | HYDROTEX Uniform Section US600 |
Save money, resources, and time on your next erosion control project. Get a project estimate:
Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) State Road 70
Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) State Road 70
Okeechobee, Florida, USA
The Florida Department of Transportation was having problems with surface rutting and erosion of a 0.7h:1v geogrid reinforced slope supporting State Road 70 near Okeechobee, Florida. The slope was originally designed and built in 2002 using geogrids for stability, as well as a turf reinforcement mat (TRM) on the face of the slope to establish vegetation. While the geogrid reinforcement within the slope was performing as designed, the face of the slope was experiencing surface erosion and rutting from rainwater runoff.
Due to the steepness of the slope, establishment and maintenance of vegetation was simply not working as planned. Therefore, our HYDROTEX® Uniform Section US400 was selected to solve the problem.
The TRM was removed and the slope smoothed. The US400 lining was placed on the slope by the contractor. Within the US400 lining, 0.25 in (6.35 mm) diameter high-strength polyester cables were placed up and down the slope on 2 ft (0.6 m) spacing. These cables have a breaking strength of 3700 lbf (16.5 kN) and were used as tensile reinforcement within the concrete lining. Weep tubes were placed on centers within the US400 near the toe of the slope to allow for hydrostatic pressure relief and drainage through the lining. This replacement lining was successfully completed in 2004.
| Owner: | Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) |
| Installation: | 2004 |
| Products: | HYDROTEX Uniform Section 400 (US400) |