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Soil erosion is a danger to the environment anywhere it happens. Activities specific to construction sites, such as grading and filling, can significantly reduce soil quality. Such degradation may spread to the surrounding environment over time. Indeed, as the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency points out, the erosion can lead to sediment accumulating in nearby rivers.

For that reason, responsible construction companies often hire commercial erosion control services. Below are some of the ways they can manage soil erosion on their construction sites.

1. Phased Construction Activity

The best method for controlling soil erosion is to disturb it as little as possible. To that end, construction managers should only disturb the ground on which they're directly working. They can achieve this goal by dividing the project into phases. In that way, they don't have to break ground until they're ready to work in that area. This process allows the natural vegetation to stay in place.

2. Articulated Concrete Blocks

Construction workers are going to disturb surrounding soil as part of their jobs. So, to protect the disturbed soil from becoming sediment, they could lay articulated concrete block mats. These revetment systems consist of a grid of interconnected concrete blocks. When laid over exposed soil, they provide an erosion-resistant overly, a kind of blanket to keep the soil in place.

3. Erosion Control Matting

Similarly, they can also use erosion control mats, which is a good step for near the end of the project. The mats consist of biodegradable blankets that stabilize the soil. Because they're biodegradable, the mats act like reinforced mulch. They're useful for the end of the project when project managers want to encourage vegetation to grow again because they can hold seeds, too.

4. Soil Nails

When working with a slope, construction managers may implement a system of soil nails. As the name suggests, this method involves inserting nails, in this case, steel bars, into the soil. They must first drill the holes deep into the ground. The steel bars provide a resisting force to the gravity that causes slope failure. In extreme cases, they may need to grout the nails.

5. Hydraulic Mulch

Another method for preventing soil erosion on a slope is to apply hydraulic mulch. This mulch consists of wood fibers, often dyed green for aesthetics, and a tackifier to keep it in place. The erosion specialist uses hydroseeding equipment to spray the mulch onto the slope. The tackifier keeps it from running off, which also keeps the underlying soil from eroding.

Contact a commercial erosion control service, such as Holleman Hydroseeding & Erosion Control LLC, when you're ready for your next construction project.