Erosion and sedimentation control in regional and site planning

Excerpt

CONSTRUCTION activity can increase an area's sediment yield by as much as 40,000 times the yield under natural conditions (12). Land clearing, earth moving, and other forms of soil disturbance expose soil to erosion, increase and concentrate runoff, and alter slopes. The subsequent threats to downstream properties, water resources, aquatic life, drainage structures, and even the construction area itself force many communities to require erosion and sedimentation control on construction sites.

My objective here is to review methods available to regional and site planners for minimizing erosion and sedimentation on construction sites in developing regions. The illustrations are of small hypothetical sites so the concepts involved are easily understood. It does not take a great deal of imagination to extend these same concepts to larger regions.

The physical planning vacuum

Regional and site planners generally concern themselves with the location, density, and general arrangement of buildings, roads, utilities, public facilities, and land uses. They attempt to arrange structures and land uses with respect to the site, to each other, and to surrounding land uses. Development of the plan normally includes site analysis, facility analysis, allocation of land use areas, and arrangement of facilities within these areas. …