(Conservation Currents,
Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District, Jan
2003)
Soil erosion is the process of detachment
and transportation of soil materials by water, wind, ice, and
gravity. While “geologic” erosion naturally produces
about 30 percent of the total sediment in the United States,
“accelerated” soil erosion from human’s use of
land accounts for the remaining 70 percent. Surface mining,
forestry, agriculture, and construction are the major activities
that cause accelerated erosion. Although construction by volume
does not cause most sediment pollution, it is the most evident
and damaging because of the rate at which it occurs. Erosion
associated with construction activities can be 200 times greater
than that from cropland and 2,000 times greater than that naturally
occurring in woodlands.
When natural landscape is converted to accommodate
houses, subdivisions, shopping centers, and roads in rural areas,
or development and redevelopment within cities and towns, these
land use conversions are collectively referred to as urbanization.
Water-generated accelerated erosion is unquestionably
the most severe erosion in areas undergoing urbanization.
Erosion problems associated with construction activities include
water pollution, flooding, stream channel damage, decreased
groundwater storage, slope failures, damage to adjacent and/or
downstream properties, and the time and costs associated with
addressing these issues. Successful minimization of these
impacts can be achieved by implementing erosion and sediment
control (ESC) measures on construction sites to prevent
soil movement/loss in the first place, enhance project aesthetics,
reduce complaints, and most importantly, eliminate appreciable
damage to off-site receiving channels, property, and natural
resources.
Virginia was among the first states to
specifically address ESC from construction sites nearly 30 years
ago.
Source: Virginia Dept. of Conservation
& Recreation
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