Advice for controlling runoff on a sloped lot
David Renn
4 years ago
We have some sloped property we are preparing to build on. Last fall we had a house pad and driveway graded. Over the winter a natural gully formed on one side of the driveway which we expected. We are having the gully rocked.
My dilemma is what to do at the bottom as the water gets to the driveway culvert?
should I rock a gully all the way to the culvert of put some type of rock berm to slow the water.
Right now there are still a few straw bails to catch any silt that makes it past the silt fencing.
I attached some pictures. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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David Renn
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Treating MULCH to prevent Run-off
Comments (3)Here's an article kind of on-point Growing Greener Lawns Soil Scientists Stabilize Fire Ravaged Topsoil With New Technology July 1, 2008 Chemists and engineers designed a technology that protects soil. A polymer encased in recycled paper bonds to positive ions in soil to form clumps. These clods of dirt break up the hard surface that can form following a fire, promoting the absorption of water, which stops soil from being flushed away during a heavy rain. This process helps promote the plant growth that will keep the topsoil in place over the long term. Every summer, wildfires consume thousands of acres of vegetation, threaten wildlife and set the stage for mudslides that can wreak even more havoc. Now, scientists have developed a new kind of soil technology that could stabilize those areas and help them grow again. And now, there could be an added bonus for anyone trying to keep their lawn greener this summer. For homeowner David Feschuk the challenge is keeping his lawn green through a long drought. "I don't want the grass to die and at the same rate I want to be able to conserve water to not overwater the grass and have the water run off," said Feschuk. For the forest service, it's bringing back a scorched mountainside after a devastating wildfire. Now, a new kind of soil technology offers solutions for both. Now soil scientists in Wisconsin have developed a way to turn office waste into a product that can stabilize the soil Recycled paper is dried and combined with chemically made polymers and other ingredients. When mixed with soil, the ingredients are attracted together -- like a magnet -- creating a net. Industrial engineer Mike Krysiak, Industrial Engineer & President of ENCAP, calls it AST Â advanced soil technology. "Advanced soil technology is about engaging the soil to do the work -- stops erosion, helps with better water penetration," said Krysiak. Dropped by aircraft, the product, called Pam 12 is now being used by the forest service to stabilize burn areas. Researchers say that same technology is used in soil-binding lawn products that don't wash away, and won't damage the environment. They've even developed a new kind of seed watering technology that actually tells you when it needs watering. It's new technology designed to reduce paper waste, save water, restore burned hillsides and make your world a little greener. WHAT IS ADVANCED SOIL TECHNOLOGY? AST is the term used for the product that helps stabilize fire-ravaged soil against erosion. It consists of polymers encased in recycled paper which bond to positive ions in the soil. This process forms clumps, breaking up the hard surface that can form following a fire. This promotes the absorption of water, stopping rain from flushing away soil. This process promotes the plant growth that will hold topsoil in place for the long term. RUNNING WILD: Weather is a key factor in starting and spreading wildfires -- particularly drought, which dries out vegetation. Trees, underbrush, dry grassy fields, pine needles, dry leaves and twigs can all cause and spread forest fires because they burn faster, like kindling, than large logs or stumps. The more fuel that is present, the more intensely the fire will burn and the faster it will spread. When the fuel is very dry, such as after a long drought, it is consumed much faster, and the fire is much more difficult to contain. As the fire spreads, it generates heat that evaporates the moisture in potential fuel materials just beyond it, making it easier for those to ignite. Wind can also help spread a forest fire, and is the most unpredictable factor. Winds supply the fire with extra oxygen and push it across the land at a faster rate. Because the wind generally flows uphill, fires also travel faster up a slope than downhill. Wildfires can even generate their own winds, called fire whirls, which resemble tornados. They arise from the vortices created by the fire's heat, and can be so strong they have been known to hurl flaming logs and burning debris over long distances....See MoreProblem slope - need advice
Comments (12)Auburn, NH is near Manchester, in the southern third of the state, so is zone 5. In my experience, part of successful growing on a slope is having the right mulch - something with enough texture that it will stay put relatively well and slow down the runoff of what precipitation there is. (I use curly shavings from my husbands' wood lathe, so I can't make recommendations for a commercial mulch.) It's also important what the soil texture is - on a sandy slope in a sunny area it is much harder to get plants established than in areas like mine where there is a reasonable amount of fine particles - silt and clay - in the soil so it's a nice loam. Suggestions of checking out nurseries like High Country Gardens where they regularly stock plants that need low water is a good suggestion, since often winter damp is what kills off those plants, and your slope will prevent that problem. In one of my slope beds I planted a borderline hardy western Agastache and it is just finishing its third growing season and is blooming its heart out. Regardless, the suggestion of planning on using drip hoses the first year is a good one to get those plants established, since until a plant has good roots it will need supplemental water. I like the idea of a mixed shrub & perennial garden with drought tolerant plants. (Though I'm probably biased since I like mixed borders in many situations!) If you visit your local library and borrow perennial and shrub books (you can get them through interlibrary loan if you need to) many will have lists of plants for certain situations, including dry areas. Be sure to edge the garden so that grass doesn't grow into the desired plants - prevention is always better than trying to get rid of weeds. A layer of cardboard or several layers of newspaper under your mulch will help prevent unwanted volunteers, and if there is already something growing, however badly, on this slope, be sure to kill it off first, either with a short lived herbicide like Roundup, or with black plastic sealed at the edges covering the area for one growing season. A final thought - sometimes putting in a low wall and backfilling to reduce the slope will help whatever you decide to plant be more successful. Some other thoughts of plants that might work well: I have daylilies planted on a steep slope, with some shrubs along the bottom. I also have a part shade slope that I have planted with deciduous rhododendrons, but I don't think this would work in most cases. Rugosa roses might be a good idea unless the Japanese beetles are really bad in your area since they are quite hardy and tolerate beach sand as well as nicer soil. Groundcover Junipers will grow well once established, but will need extra water until then. To get more specific suggestions, could you give us more information on the amount of sun this area gets and what type of soil is there?...See MoreLots of Furnace Qs. Need advice
Comments (55)the guy who installed it appeared very competent. He said those slp98 furnaces did have lots of issues with sensors and condensation on heat exchanger that was fixed 1.5-2 years ago and now run pretty good... A guy will come and install a temp sensor for free tuesday (was on the original quote) and also install a 5" filter box. No returns yet, i will run for a while first and figure out the best place to add one. I could easily add a return right by the furnace in the basement but i dont think that would be a good idea as all it would do is suck air mostly from the basement not so much from the other 2 returns anymore ... I have the lennox icomfort controller. today it works again. it defaults to the load variable staging thing and in some of the menues the blower output was 970 cfm. this was factory default. not sure why this is, it should blow much harder, but my ducts should handle that well. What a saga this is. I wish there would be one competent guy who just gets it done right without having to be involved with this for months .......See MoreHow much does a sloped lot add to slab foundation cost?
Comments (4)There is allot of things must be taken into consideration before designing your foundation.i.e. What is your front,side and back setbacks? What is the width and the depth of your house? What type of a house is it? Is there a basement, if yes what is the desired ceiling height? What is the soil conditions.... is the region known to have a high water table? etc. With that being said, the foundation shouldn't add any additional costs... You would have a higher front elevation which is typical which will require steps, the amount of steps will depend how high you want the foundation to be out of the ground in the back and that would depend if you want to have windows along the back or not. Some houses designed with stepped foundations, split floor levels which control the amount of steps in the front and also designed to better fit on the sloped terrain. Most of the time when the house slopes from back to front, you can have full size windows in the front of the house (again depending on the home style and design) and have larger windows on the sides, and no windows along the back where usually you will have a deck or a patio. Most of the work will be grading and diverting water away from the house along the back wall which might require a retaining wall and some excavation depending on the size of the backyard area you prefer to have it flat. Your best bet is to talk to your architect he can give you a visual of the slope and your house being on it, some Architects have software to show you that in 3D. If not, you can message me your lot location and I can take that region location and convert to a 3D model and put your house on it so you can see exactly how it will look, but I would need a floor plan as a picture that shows dimensions, a plan or a PDF. Good luck...See MoreDavid Renn
4 years agoDavid Renn
4 years agoDavid Renn
4 years ago
Christopher CNC
4 years ago
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Christopher CNC