Understanding Your House Lot, cont.

Inlet and outlet protection for culverts: To ensure culvert stability and to prevent erosion, the use of stone for headwall protection is strongly recommended. Larger flat rocks are placed on top and to the side of the pipe, and smaller rocks are used to fill in open spaces. Where there is a drop of 6" or more between the base of the culvert and the bottom of the ditch, additional stone should be added to create a small apron. These practices will greatly lengthen the life of a culvert, and will decrease the frequency of maintenance. Detailed plans for culvert protection are included in the Camp Road Manual .

Water diversions for camp roads or driveways: Several types of diversions can be installed on roads to divert water and sediments into stable, vegetated areas. This will not only control erosion, but save on maintenance costs of your gravel driveway or camp road. These diversions include open-box culverts, "rubber razor" water bars, or broad-based drainage dips. Detailed plans for installing open-box culverts and the broad-based drainage dips are included in the Camp Road Manual published by the Kennebec County Soil & Water Conservation District. Plans for the "rubber razor" are available from Androscoggin Valley SWCD. All are inexpensive to install -- much less expensive than frequent resurfacing.