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Propex GeoSolutions received the Sustainability Project of the Year Award for its Mountain Creek Streambank Stabilization project from Building Recognition in Chattanooga (BRIC). This award recognizes projects that are significant to the Tennessee Valley and address the triple bottom line of sustainability. Additionally, Propex was awarded Innovative Collaboration of the Year.
“We are honored to receive these awards for the Mountain Creek Project,” said Mike Gorey, CEO of Propex GeoSolutions. “This project illustrates how utilizing reinforced vegetated technologies, instead of traditional armoring methods like rock riprap, enabled both economic and environmental benefits.”
Propex worked with a Chattanooga nonprofit, Waterways, to design and restore a severely eroded section of the creek that was jeopardizing the structural stability of an access road and outdoor classroom at a nearby elementary school. The solution was a combination of Propex’s SCOURLOK® and ARMORMAX® systems. Since completion, the bank is stabilized and the stream has restored itself to its original channel depth, resulting in pools and riffles that have brought several fish species to this section of the stream.
Most importantly, the leaders of this project saw an opportunity to engage students. Students worked alongside engineers, contractors and community organizers to help solve a problem with a sustainable solution, giving students real-world experience of applying science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills.
“This project addressed the triple bottom line of sustainability in meaningful ways, and its legacy will benefit the community for years to come,” said Gorey.
Building Recognition in Chattanooga, known as the B.R.I.C. Awards, was started in 2016 to recognize the best of the best in the construction, architecture, engineering and sustainability fields across Chattanooga, Tenn.