What Are the Causes and Methods of Soil Erosion Prevention?

Natural Erosion

• Some of the most beautiful natural monuments in this country testify to the power of natural erosion: the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Carlsbad Caverns and the rock formations of Zion National Park. Less well known may be the gradually shifting path of the Platte River and the sedimentary islands and sandbars it contains. Shifts in sand dunes all the way up and down both coasts illustrate the effect of ocean tides. Natural erosion tends to be slow; some of its effects take eons to produce. Human response is needed only after human activity has drastically accelerated the pace of this process.

Direct Effects of Human Activity

• Logging and agriculture are two activities that can directly affect the condition and erosion of land. The legendary Dust Bowl of the 1930s came about when a drought resulted in dried-up crops and there was nothing to hold soil in place.Overcutting of timber leaves bare land susceptible to wind and rain. Fire, planned or unplanned, destroys soil-holding trees. Improper plowing and crop schedules can make land vulnerable to wind and water. Wholesale weed killing and land clearing can cause even more damage.

Indirect Effects

• More pernicious, perhaps because they are more widespread, are activities of which erosion is only one side effect. Paving, whether for roads, driveways or parking lots, narrows or completely covers natural watersheds. Less land stands open to absorb water runoff, which then can take soil with it, stripping land of topsoil and silting in lakes and streams. Aggressive home and resort building in fragile natural areas can upset entire ecosystems. Industry may bear greater burdens of pollution than erosion, but mining, the destruction of soil and water by chemical pollution, and increases in car and truck traffic all contribute to erosion.

Regulatory Prevention Methods

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issues best practices for nearly all large-scale human interaction with land. Adoption and expansion of these practices and enforcement of regulations devolve on state, regional and city agencies. Departmental responsibility, permit procedures and codes may differ from state to state and among communities as a result of different environmental priorities. Regulations govern tree replanting, land clearing and grading, building and other potentially damaging activities.

Mechanical Prevention Methods

• Replanting or improving the use of plants to hold soil is one of the primary mechanical strategies used to stem and prevent erosion. Increasingly combined with planting is a variety of woven and non-woven materials designed to prevent erosion. Generally known as geo-textiles, they can cover stream banks and hillsides, strengthen retaining walls and improve water drainage under pavement. Many geo-textiles can be planted over or otherwise integrated into existing landscape to enhance erosion-preventing planting.