Bioengineering Techniques Adopted for Controlling Riverbanks’ Superficial Erosion of the Simplício Hydroelectric Power Plant, Brazil

Controlling and preventing soil erosion on slope surfaces is a pressing concern worldwide, and at the same time, there is a growing need to incorporate sustainability into our engineering works. This study evaluates the efficiency of bioengineering techniques in the development of vegetation in soil slopes located near a hydroelectric power plant in Brazil. For this purpose, twelve different bioengineering techniques were evaluated, in isolation and in combination, in the slopes (10 m high) of two experimental units (approximately 70 m long each) located next to the Paraiba do Sul riverbanks, in Brazil. High-resolution images of the slopes’ frontal view were taken in 15-day interval visits in all units for the first 90 days after implantation, followed by monthly visits up to 27 months after the works were finished. The images were treated and analyzed in a computer algorithm that, based on three-color bands (red–green–blue scale), helps to assess the temporal evolution of the vegetative cover index for each technique adopted. The results showed that most of the solutions showed a deficiency in vegetation establishment and were sensitive to climatological conditions, which induced changes in the vegetation phytosanitary aspects. Techniques which provided a satisfactory vegetative cover index throughout the investigated period are pointed out.