In response to the recent heavy rains and flooding which washed out many gravel driveways and private roads in Western Pennsylvania this week, the Westmoreland County Conservation District offered these timely tips to property owners from Rob Cronauer, Watershed Specialist--

-- Know where the flow is coming from…and take the necessary steps to get the water off your driveway or road. If water is running down your driveway or road, you can add waterbars to help direct the water off the road and into the nearby terrain. These mini “speed bumps” can be made of a variety of materials, in a variety of shapes and sizes, and then placed in a variety of orientations, depending on your particular conditions.

-- If water is running across your driveway or road, you can reduce it by adding pipe, clean stone, and fabric in a trench under the driving surface.

-- Replace the stone. Most driveway stone is one size – 2B. If you have a long driveway or access road (e.g., more than 200 feet long), you may want to consider using a custom mix of stones called Driving Surface Aggregate. Applying this aggregate requires specialized equipment to insure that its five different sizes of stone “lock together” when they’re compacted, and produce the most dense and durable surface possible.

-- A driveway or road that is well-designed and has the type of features described in this article to reduce the flow of water will require only minimal maintenance. Putting in a new driveway or access road? Don’t skimp on the prep work! Start by carefully evaluating the slope of the area where the road or driveway will be. Also look at the type of area around it (e.g., is it lawn or woods or paved?)…and of course, know what direction the water flows.

-- Be sure to grade your driveway or road in a way that will cause the water to run off of it and away from your home, business, or neighbor. If you can channel the water into a lawn or wooded area, so much the better. Add pipe underdrains, if needed. Compact the dirt surface so that it is solid. Add geotextile fabric to prevent the soil from mixing with the stone. Add waterbars, if needed. Add the driveway stone or, if appropriate, the driving surface aggregate (remember the latter requires that you have specialized equipment to install it).

Questions? Contact Rob Cronauer at Westmoreland Conservation District, 724-837-5271 or by sending email to: robcronauer@yahoo.com.

The Westmoreland Conservation District plans to offer a gravel driveway and road workshop in the near future. Watch the Conservation District website-- or call 724-837-5271 for more information.

Technical bulletins and information also are available from The Center for Dirt & Gravel Road Studies.