The Challenge
When a local construction company began plans to build a residential development in an old gravel pit, they were faced with two critical challenges: very poor soils and very steep slopes. The steep slopes were challenging because it required the construction of an access road that had slopes on either side. The base soil material available for all the work was essentially sand. The Village at Old Mill could not become a reality until both a solution to the threat of erosion and a source for high quality topsoil could be found.
The RMI Solution
RMI’s Heart & Soil® products Paper Fiber, Biosolids and Engineered Topsoil were used to address the site challenges at the Village at Old Mill. Paper Fiber, a great source of organic matter, was used with the slow-release Biosolids fertilizer to create a topsoil blend called Engineered Topsoil.
Engineered Topsoil was a perfect solution to both the low quality soils and the steep slopes, as well as erosion concerns. Engineered Topsoil has a very high water holding capacity and is extremely erosion resistant due to the inclusion of Paper Fiber in the soil. The use of a slow-release fertilizer like Biosolids ensures that the grass comes in and creates a lush vegetative cover over time that requires minimal maintenance.