Participants in a recent Oklahoma conference on soil erosion and sediment control got a “full-scale interactive experience” instead of classroom lectures, an Oklahoma State University news release reports.
Organizers of this year’s Construction Contractor Compliance Conference (C4) gave attendees the opportunity to “explore and interact closely with demonstrations” of different methods of soil stabilization, erosion mitigation, and stormwater management. Vendors of Oklahoma DOT-approved products contributed by conducting field demonstrations that simulated stormwater runoff flow events, “allowing participants to see how each solution holds up in real-life conditions.”
The annual conference, organized by ODOT, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Oklahoma Association of General Contractors, was staged at a USDA Agricultural Research Services facility. Kathryn Thomsen, an ODOT stormwater coordinator, commented, “This event has become a very unique opportunity for the transportation industry to get various parties in the room (contractors, DOT, regulators, research community, consultants and vendors) and discuss environmental compliance. The effort to expand our [best management practices] toolbox is an ongoing and large undertaking of our agency; opportunities like this will only aid us in the success of that.”