How can erosion be reduced

With a focus on industry applications and research, the online program is designed with maximum flexibility for today's working professionals. Skip to main content. Figure 1. Planting down the old row and leaving the residue attached can help reduce the potential for wind erosion. Residue movers should not be used as they detach residue, allowing it to be moved by wind or water.

May 11, Paul Jasa - Extension Engineer. Share Tweet Email. These conditions exist when the soil is loose, dry, and finely granulated; the soil surface is reasonably smooth and vegetative cover is nonexistent or sparse; there are large fields with no obstructions to reduce the force of the wind; and the wind is sufficiently strong to initiate soil movement Beasley, et. Practices not recommended to abate erosion from wind: Figure 1. Historically, tillage was performed to roughen the soil surface to reduce soil particle detachment by wind.

While effective for a short time, the tillage destroyed aggregate stability, dried the soil, and actually made the soil more susceptible to wind erosion as the roughened surface broke down.

Figure 2. Vertical tillage implements detach the crop residue, making it susceptible to movement by wind and water. Online Master of Science in Agronomy With a focus on industry applications and research, the online program is designed with maximum flexibility for today's working professionals.

Learn More. A variety of landscaping materials including coir fiber biologs, stone or wood can be used to create terraces. It is important to have a good drainage system gravel or gravel with perforated pipes installed behind your terrace retaining wall.

Please note that or steeper slopes may call for the use of tiered walls, which requires professional engineering and a building permit. Terraces taller than two feet may require a County permit. Please see: Building Permits - Retaining Walls.

Build Check Dams If erosion is occurring within an existing swale, channel, or a narrow flow path, a series of check dams can slow down surface runoff. Arrange the pile so that the lowest elevation at the top of the stones is at the center and both ends are highest. The stones should be large enough that they will not be displaced during heavy flows.

Finer stones should be placed on the upstream side and larger ones on the downstream end of the check dam. If the slope of the swale is steep, check dams should be closer together. Coir fiber biologs are an environmentally friendly alternative. Over time, they will break down, giving vegetation a chance to become established first. Inspect and maintain gutters Protect the pipe outlet with a splashguard or stone Reroute the discharge point using downspout extensions Protect the drip line with gravel or vegetation.

Find the source of sediment, protect the eroding area Redirect or capture runoff. Remove or cut obstruction, fill depression Less preferred: Protect the eroding area with stone or riprap.

Translate Awards Site Feedback. Site Tools Site Tools. Support Support. Additional Resources Additional Resources. Channel How can I definitively determine slope erosion is occuring? I saw what a I believe is evidence of erosion on a completely barren slope behind my property in Corona, CA HOA maintained slope , so asked them to add ground cover. They sent a vendor to look out who denies there is any erosion. I simply want to avoid future problems.

I live in Jonesboro, Georgia a surburb of Atlanta, Georgia. I am looking for a landscape specialist to discuss an erosion problem in my backyard. My lot is downhill from my next door neighbor and the run off water from rain is washing a trench in my yard.

Thanks for any help. All the best! Hi Stan, we work in southern British Columbia. Take care. They allow vegetations to grow in the area to keep the soil from washing away. My grandpa would be thankful for this information because he has a four-hectare land with a dangerous slope that could use erosion control fabric. Thanks for this.

Great Post! Got to know such useful information, especially about erosion control blankets. Surface cover is the key to erosion control in grazing lands. It prevents erosion by maintaining the soil so it can absorb rainfall. A well-managed pasture with good cover will ensure that runoff spreads rather than concentrates. Bore drains, tracks, roads, cattle pads and fences concentrate runoff, so careful planning is required to ensure that property improvements are located where they will not contribute to erosion.

Ideally, this level of cover will exist at the beginning of the summer storm season. The ideal stocking rate is flexible, and stock numbers should match available feed. Regular monitoring of pastures is necessary to achieve this. Long-term weather forecasting, using predictive tools such as the Southern Oscillation Index SOI , has improved the options available for predicting droughts.

Opportunistic spelling should also be part of a grazing strategy. A total spell in a good year may be required to allow desirable grasses to recover from past grazing. Grazing pressure can also be managed by locating watering points away from areas vulnerable to erosion. Fire is useful for controlling woody weeds but it needs to be managed carefully. Regular burning of pastures will further reduce ground cover and promote runoff and erosion.

Home Environment, land and water Land, housing and property Land and vegetation management Soil management Erosion Preventing and managing erosion. Print Preventing and managing erosion Programs to control erosion in Queensland began in the s and have been very successful.

The 3 main principles to control erosion are to: use land according to its capability protect the soil surface with some form of cover control runoff before it develops into an erosive force. Land capability Soil erosion can be avoided by using land within its capability.