# Marking the toe of slope...



## ElIngeniero (Feb 7, 2008)

I'm building a 5 acre pit to pump marina dredge material into. Once the material dries, it is reusable sand. The dam around the pit is 8' tall and the inside slope is 2:1. Of course, once the dredge material is pumped into the pit, there will be no slope because the pit will be full. Other contractors will be hauling out of this pit so I'd like to mark the toe of the slope so they are aware of the digging limits. I want to install something that is relatively maintenance free that will last for a while. I have an idea of what I'd like to do but I'm curious to see how other contractors would do this.:jester:


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## ElIngeniero (Feb 7, 2008)

My basic idea is to use bury a treated 4x4 into the ground 4'. An 8' joint will leave 4' exposed and I think I will slide a stick of PVC over it and bolt it together. My main concern is that the pvc will get brittle and degrade within a few years.


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## TERM101 (Feb 14, 2007)

My thinking would be that they would be able to readily identify the difference in the soil when they reach the bottom of the sand, if the bottom of the dredged sand is going to be the digging limit. Please correct me if I misunderstood, but this is my opinion.


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

I would tell them to stay 10' away from the edge of the pit.


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## rino1494 (Jan 31, 2006)

Don't use a grade stake, we all know how operators and truck drivers like to rip them out.


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## Upchuck (Apr 7, 2009)

I thought stakes were used for target practice.


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## jonrpatrick (Feb 13, 2010)

My first thought was a offset stake at the top of the dam. 8' tall at 2:1 is a 16' offset.

I like the 4x4 idea better, but maybe you could consider PVC or metal rods as well?


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## ElIngeniero (Feb 7, 2008)

We thought about putting up offset staking on top of the dam. While I'm sure that would work for most contractors, once they put their operators in the pit for a few days without checking in on them, all bets are off as to where the operator decides to borrow dirt from. The dam material has been compacted and tested. If the dam is breeched, there will a pretty significant insurance claim to be paid.

After a bit more research, I actually decided on a 4" polymer coated wooden pole. At $68 each, they come with a 30 year warranty that will impress the owner. The treated 4x4 and pvc combo would have been almost as much and would need to be replaced in 10-15 years.


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## jonrpatrick (Feb 13, 2010)

Thanks for the update. Good info.
JP


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