How to Stop Erosion

Erosion occurs when rain, wind and other weathering wears soil away. The most common problem for the home owner is rain that channels down exposed soil causing gullies and undercutting land. Erosion can be dangerous as well as ugly. If you have erosion problems on your property, here are some suggestions to deal with the problem.

Instructions

1. Identify the source of your water problem. Does heavy rain water stream down a hillside? Is there standing water that doesn't drain? Is there a constant leakage somewhere? Is rain washing off of flat areas creating gullies? Is there another source of water that is not rain yet needs to be channeled safely away?

2. If flat surfaces are building up water, then you can alleviate some of the problem by using permeable paving; materials that will absorb water rather than wash it overboard. If a slope is bare, planting hillsides is a solution to bind soil with roots while making it attractive. If you have a stream that swells too high, consider using bales of hay or other erosion products as well as building up the sides of the stream to solve overflow problems.

3. If these actions are not enough and water still builds up, you will need to conduct that water safely away so it doesn't undermine land quality or the safety of structures. This will require building some kind of channel to conduct water down a controlled path.

4. You can cement a V ditch, create a catch basin and drain it away with pipes, build a French drain or make something ornamental like a dry river bed. Your drainage line can be hidden underground or incorporated artistically into the landscape design.

5. Finally, you will want to make sure the water drains out to a safe place. Make sure you are not conducting your water problem onto your neighbor's territory. This not only tends to ruin neighborly relationships, but it could land you in a law suit.

6. If you find the project bigger than you feel comfortable handling, call in a landscape engineer, a drainage expert or a good contractor. Drainage and erosion are very important issues that should never be ignored. They could cost you far too much in the future!

Resources

• Gates & Croft Horticultural Design info & ideas
• How to build drainage
• How to design permeable and porus paving