Erosion control apparatus and method

An erosion control device comprising:

• a plurality of rigid blocks, each block having a face and base forming a first pair of opposed surfaces, a top and bottom forming a second pair of opposed surfaces and first and second opposed ends;
• each block having a pair of parallel slots extending the full length of said base from said top to said bottom and extending into said block from said base to a slot base located at a depth intermediate said base and said face, the spacing between said slots being constant throughout the full depth of said slots;
• at least a portion of the length of each slot having a width, measured transversely to said length, which is narrower at said block base than at said slot base;
• a plurality of elongated support members having a transverse width less than said width of said slots at said block base so that a support member is receivable in the slots of adjacent aligned blocks, each elongated support member having a plurality of sleeves thereon which surround said member and freely slide along the length thereof, each sleeve having an external transverse dimension which is greater than the width of said slots at said block base but which is receivable within the wider portion of said slots located at said slot base when inserted by being slid along the length of its associated support member;
• said device being held together by the reception of said elongated support members in said slots, each member extending through the aligned slots of a plurality of blocks to form a grid-like assembly, one of said sleeves being slid along the length of its associated member and into said wider portion of said slot of each block after insertion of said member therein, said sleeve-surrounding member being thereafter prevented from removal from said slots in a direction perpendicular to the length of said members by the inability of said sleeves to pass through the restricted width of said slots at said block base;
• and
• each block being pivotable about the axis of an elongated support member located within a slot of said block.