     
|
Prevent Soil Erosion and Sedimentation
Minimizing Impacts at the Local or Site Level
Minimizing impact of any development begins by adoption of control measures at site level. Controlling erosion, runoff, and natural habitat destruction on a site-to-site basis adds up in minimizing the overall impact at watershed level. These are essential parts of planning for a whole community and for single home plots.Erosion and sediment transport caused by development result in pollutants such as heavy metals, nutrients, bacteria and viruses being transported into water bodies and other such sources through which they eventually come in contact with humans resulting in harmful consequences.
Erosion and sedimentation also result in increased costs to homeowners such as replacement of topsoil, property damage, taxes for removal of sediments from streets, sewers and detention ponds. Addressing the cause of the problem and not the symptoms leads to significant time and financial savings.
In general some of the factors that should be considered for soil erosion and sedimentation protection are:
- Maintain the natural vegetation wherever possible
- Stabilize disturbed areas as soon as possible
- Stockpile topsoil for use during final grading operations
- Protect sloping areas. Steep slopes need special protection
- Divert runoff away from steep slopes under development
- Design waterways to keep runoff velocities low
- Install storm sewer system and construct roads in the early phase of construction
- Stabilize streambank escarpments
- Keep all sediments on the construction site as far as possible
- Utilize specific measures for erosion and sediment control
