Today in class we began solidifying our ideas on our final product for this project. We have decided to present many options to our partners in Cape Verde in a written report. In said final report, we are going to list all of the techniques we considered to combat soil erosion, and describe why or why not we recommend each one, in varying depth. We will focus on terracing and vegetation (including planting techniques such as a brush mattress and mats) for the majority of the slope, and rock riprap + joint planting for the toe of the slope. We find these methods to be the best solutions to the issue of soil erosion at the Poilao Dam.
Below see pictures of terracing and rock riprap:
For the section of the report on vegetation, we will focus on identifying a number of solid options for trees, shrubs, and ground-cover to plant on the slope. This section will also include the criteria (for example root depth and rapid growth) that we used for identifying effective plants.
During our meeting with Amy we also decided on how to approach our discussion of the costs of each technique. Instead of making assumptions about the Cape Verdean government's budget for the Poilao Dam, we will provide the broad cost information for each technique we're suggesting for implementation. That way the appropriate people can decide on the best option based on a host of information we do not have access to.
Lastly, we are trying to make contact with some science professors at the University of Cape Verde to get some information about what kind of vegetation is present on the island of Santiago.
Check back for more on our research!
I think you guys made the right choice in deciding to provide broad cost options -- not only will this present more choices for the government, it will also help you guys consider what aspects of the plan should be prioritized.
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