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Don’t let the slow arrival of winter rain catch you unprepared to address stormwater management and erosion control at your job sites. Doing so could significantly add to your labor, material, and equipment costs, and quite possibly result in fines levied by regulatory agencies for polluting local waterways.
Avoid unnecessary costs and be a Bay-Friendly landscape practitioner at the same time by including the use of compost socks, blankets, and berms in your winter project specifications. Forget about those straw waddles of yesteryear and think COMPOST!
A helpful and authoritative factsheet for professionals on the use of compost in stormwater management is available for download free of charge from the U.S. Composting Council.
If you need a more technical resource then I strongly recommend the Caltrans Erosion Control Toolbox. The toolbox is a free, easy-to-navigate, one-stop professional reference for erosion control standards and best management practices guidance. You can quickly generate a rough cost estimate using the website’s color-coded treatment overview table and compost application calculator.
Oh, and don’t forget to include the use of wood mulch and wood fines in heavy equipment and high traffic areas to minimize winter puddling and soil compaction.
Compost! Compost! Compost! Mulch! Mulch! Mulch!
Okay pros, I’ve pointed you in the right direction. Now get prepared, and think RAIN!
