The Butler County Conservation District staff reviews construction plans for potential environmental problems on the site.

When earthmoving occurs and precious soil is exposed to rainfall, soil erosion can create problems. Land under development for nonfarm uses erodes during construction and causes widespread damage to the site and other areas.

Studies show erosion per acre on land going into use for highways, houses or shopping centers is about 10 times greater than on land in cultivated row crops, 200 times greater than on land in pasture and 2,000 times greater than on land in timber.

Damage to the land does not come from erosion alone. The increased runoff erodes stream banks and channels and causes flooding below the construction site.

Sediment pollutes streams, lakes and reservoirs and damages the area where it comes to rest.

Erosion-control methods used successfully on farms can be adapted to urban problems. In many situations, an urban problem might be more severe, and the methods used must be applied more intensively than on farmland.

By following some basic principles, erosion on the site can be controlled and the cost can be kept reasonable. Carefully selecting the building site and using soils that are suitable for development will avoid many problems.

Other suggestions include:

• Leaving the soil bare for the shortest time possible,

• Grading at a minimum and removing only undesirable trees whenever possible,

• Using mechanical methods to control water runoff and conveying it to storm sewers or other outlets so it does not erode the land,

• Protecting critical areas during construction with mulch or temporary cover crops,

• Constructing sediment basins to derail runoff and trap sediment during construction,

• Establishing permanent vegetation and installing erosion-control structures as soon as possible.

According to the Clean Streams Law of Pennsylvania, all earthmoving activities must have an erosion and sedimentation pollution control plan.

Construction plans are reviewed and inspected by conservation district staff to ensure proper conservation practices are present and being implemented on the land.

In selecting the building site and in adapting the project to the site, information about soils is necessary. Soil surveys describe the characteristics and give the limitations of the soils for various uses.

No construction should be planned without a study of the soil survey at the site of earthmoving. Soil survey books are available from the Conservation District office at Building 8, Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

Ron Fodor is district manager of the Butler County Conservation District.