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Benefits of using compost and organic soil mulches instead of more conventional methods of erosion and sediment control are numerous. Probably the two greatest benefits of using compost as soil mulch in erosion control is its immediate impact and ability to bind and degrade specific contaminants. Since the soil mulches are applied at significant rates and in a way which completely covers the soil surface, it has immediate impact on the reduction of soil movement and an effectiveness of nearly 100 precent. The key factors relating to its effectiveness are its ability to absorb the energy of raindrops and its ability to disperse water, thereby improving its percolation rate into the soil. Since organic soil mulches are applied at significant rates, most rainfall occurrences will have little effect on their overall movement.
Enviromental Benefits of Erosion Control with a Compost/Organic Soil Mulch
Organic Soil Mulches
Compost Filter Berms Composts, which are stable in nature, possessing significant amounts of humic acids, have the ability to bind nutrients and heavy metals as moisture passes through the product layer. This ability to bind contaminants can also be exhibited to some extent when using organic soil mulches in the construction of filter berms. The organic nature of the product also improves the cation exchange capacity of the soil, increasing sites in which nutrients can be bound, as well as provides a home for microorganisms to proliferate. Organisms found within compost have the ability to degrade organic contaminants such as hydrocarbons found in petroleum based materials. Aside from its effectiveness, another excellent benefit of using compost in sediment control instead of silt fencing is that in many instances it does not have to be removed from the site after the job is completed. The filter can be left to degrade over time, it can simply be knocked down or spread out, or it can be vegetated for long-term impact. Outside its primary role in erosion and sediment control, these soil mulches also provide some horticultural benefits such as weed control, moisture conservation, etc. which may be significant depending upon your specific application. The various other benefits of using organic soil mulches in erosion and sediment control can be found in the table below. Even though composts and other organic soil mulches provide several significant benefits and are extremely effective, certain realities do exist pertaining to their use in the field. The most significant reality and impediment to the use of these newer technologies is the fact that most decision makers and regulatory bodies are unfamiliar with both the techniques and their effectiveness. Obviously, the education of perspective end users and specifying agencies can overcome this impediment. It will be particularly important to provide specifying and regulatory agencies with standardized specifications on how to use these products as well as technical backup providing that they are effective. The other reality relates to the economics of using these materials over current erosion control techniques. It is difficult to compare the use of compost and other organic soil mulches to hydroseeding and straw blowing on a purely economic basis. This is because it is simply not an "apples-to apples" comparison because of the many additional benefits provided by organic soil mulches. However, there are many instances where the severity of the slope, the poor quality of the soil, and the environmental sensitivity of the area warrant the use of more effective and less conventional techniques. In these instances, the uses of soil mulches can effectively compete economically. One excellent opportunity for the use of organic soil mulches is on buffer areas which lead from roadsides to surface water resources such as streams and lakes and in other environmentally sensitive areas. In either case, the organic product's ability to immediately reduce soil movement as well as act as a "water filler" is extremely significant.
Additional Benefits of Some Compost/Organic Soil Mulches Used in Erosion Control | |||||
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