Dirt Road Rehabilitation

The Alliance, thanks to a grant from the Sierra Nevada Alliance and the State Water Resources Control Board and in partnership with the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve, has regraded and stabilized an eroding dirt road at the Reserve. Utilizing techniques developed for timberland roads, the road was reshaped to slow water and divert it off the road to vegetated areas. In addition to protecting the streams that receive the road runoff, these techniques also produce a stable road that is less likely to need costly maintenance. The Alliance, the Reserve and the Butte County Resource Conservation District will be sponsoring a field day at the Reserve on May 21 at 10:00 to look at the road improvements and discuss their installation. See Feet for the Creek above for directions.

If your dirt road is developing gullies and potholes, it is costing you money and sending sediment into our streams. You can protect our environment and save money by reshaping your dirt road. Crowned roads are typical in paved construction and this same technique is often used on dirt roads, with half of the road sloping into a ditch on the uphill side. Concentration of water in these ditches leads to erosion and road maintenance problems. By gently sloping the road out and slightly downhill (called "outsloping") you allow water to drain without concentrating to the downhill side. With outsloping, you can avoid uncontrolled runoff by dispersing the water. The road will need to be regraded less often and less sediment will enter our streams.

Road Erosion from Ditches

Outsloped Road

Sometimes you cannot avoid sloping the road into the hill and having a drainage ditch. In that case, providing frequent drainage across the road with protected outlets will reduce erosion and gullying. You can utilize a technique called "rolling dips" which capture water as it flows down the road and disperse it down the slope in a controlled manner. If constructed properly, these improvements are low maintenance and safe for traffic.

Rolling Dips to Manage Runoff

Cross Section of a Rolling Dip

Other drainage techniques may be appropriate for road, depending on your slope, soils and drainage.

If you want to regrade your dirt road, an excellent guide is Handbook for Forest and Ranch Roads. You can send $25 to:

Mendocino County RCD
405 S. Orchard Ave.
Ukiah, CA 95482

The Alliance, the Reserve and the Butte County Resource Conservation District have been doing presentations around the County about these techniques and are working together to develop a program for inventorying dirt roads, assessing their water quality impacts, and providing a cost-share program to help fix those with the greatest problems. We are currently seeking grant funding for this effort.

If you would like to participate in the program or would like a presentation on the techniques for your group, please contact the Alliance. The project partners are developing a list of interested landowners to contact once we obtain funding and a program is in place.

The Big Chico Creek Watershed Alliance is grateful to the Sierra Nevada Alliance for funding and support of this project. For more information on the Sierra Nevada Alliance, visit www.sierranevadaalliance.org.

Funding for this project has been provided in part by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to Assistance Agreement No. C9979204-02-0 and any amendments thereto which has been awarded to the State Water Resources Control Board for the implementation of California's Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the EPA or the SWRCB, nor does mention of any trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.