As you can see in the picture below, we have some erosion problems. This site is on a light slope and heavy rains have washed the soil away and exposed the limestone, rocky gravel underneath. Nothing will grow here until I control some of the runoff from my property. I would like to eventually get some native grasses and wildflowers to grow so their roots might help hold the soil in place.But first I have to slow the water down to prevent it from rushing into the nearest drainage ditch and taking all the soil with it. It’s so much better for our ground water to let rain slowly percolate into the ground to eventually refill the aquifer below us, instead of just rushing down the gully and into the river carrying all the soil and pollution with it.

Here is my first attempt at creating a little berm to stop the water. Luckily I have NO shortage of rocks on my land and this took no time to build. Only a strong rainstorm will tell me if it was built sturdy enough to hold back a gush of water.