Riprap
Riprap is like a big blanket made of rocks that cover and protect land from the power of water. You know how sometimes when it rains a lot, the water can make a big mess and take bits of land away? Well, riprap is like a shield that can stand up to the water's force and keep everything nice and safe.
Imagine that your backyard is a sloping hill that ends in a river. Water flows down from the hill and into the stream. However, sometimes this flowing water can cause erosion and wash away parts of the hill, causing damage. To prevent such things from occurring, experts can build riprap along the river's bank, in the form of a wall or a long strip, that is held in place with bigger rocks laid at the bottom and smaller rocks on top.
The larger stones, which are the bottom rocks, help to keep everything in place, while smaller rocks fill in the spaces between larger ones. The rocks are placed very carefully, so they form a strong barrier and do not create any spaces for water to pass through the riprap.
It's kind of like when you build a sandcastle at the beach; you pile up the sand and then use water to wet it down and make it stick together. This is the same way that riprap works; the rocks are placed properly, and the water can't move them or take away any part of the hill.
So, just like a tough blanket made of stones, riprap shields the land from the power of the water and keeps it intact.
Imagine that your backyard is a sloping hill that ends in a river. Water flows down from the hill and into the stream. However, sometimes this flowing water can cause erosion and wash away parts of the hill, causing damage. To prevent such things from occurring, experts can build riprap along the river's bank, in the form of a wall or a long strip, that is held in place with bigger rocks laid at the bottom and smaller rocks on top.
The larger stones, which are the bottom rocks, help to keep everything in place, while smaller rocks fill in the spaces between larger ones. The rocks are placed very carefully, so they form a strong barrier and do not create any spaces for water to pass through the riprap.
It's kind of like when you build a sandcastle at the beach; you pile up the sand and then use water to wet it down and make it stick together. This is the same way that riprap works; the rocks are placed properly, and the water can't move them or take away any part of the hill.
So, just like a tough blanket made of stones, riprap shields the land from the power of the water and keeps it intact.