Sediment is the number one pollutant of water resources even though erosion control best management practices (BMPs) are now commonly used in many parts of the world. While a large amount of information on types of storm water BMPs, including Erosion Control Products (ECP), exists, quantitative information on performance effectiveness is difficult to find and not well documented. In order to help protect water quality as it relates to sediments, regulatory agencies and site designers are increasingly responsible for determining how well specific BMPs will perform, quantitatively, relative to alternatives. Standardized test methods provide testing labs with clear protocols so that future testing of ECPs can be easily reproduced and compared to the results of existing tests. Thus, it is desirable that all testing conform to existing standardized procedures, or be clear, easily implemented applications of those procedures. This paper will present commonly used large-scale standardized performance tests and review the results of independent large-scale tests performed on a range of rolled erosion control products (RECPs) and hydraulically-applied erosion control products (HECPs). These large-scale tests were performed under the auspices of the National Transportation Product Evaluation Program (NTPEP). Additionally, recommendations will be made on the appropriate use of large-scale tests in specifications for erosion control products.
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