NRCS and Fort Jackson Team Up to Combat Soil Erosion

Results include improved water quality and enhanced training areas 

By Amy O. Maxwell, USDA-NRCS 
Public Affairs Specialist

The USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Columbia, SC, works side-by-side with troops at Fort Jackson. While NRCS conservationists aren’t carrying ammunition or perfecting their aim on the rifle range, they are making it easier for troops to navigate the sandy terrain. Many soldiers deployed to Iraq have received training at Fort Jackson, on this very same soil. The Army began partnering with NRCS (then the Soil Conservation Service) prior to World War II.

For over ten years, NRCS has worked with Fort Jackson to alleviate serious soil erosion problems. The current erosion control program at Fort Jackson began in 1991 with the initiation of an erosion control inventory, conducted by NRCS. This resource inventory identified over 80 sites with significant erosion and/or water quality problems. To date, more than 60 additional sites have been identified.

NRCS has completed 22 erosion control contracts for work to improve its training lands. 101 sites have been rehabilitated, 250 acres seeded to permanent vegetation, 10 miles of vegetated waterways installed, and a total of 6,00 tons of rip rap, and 100,000 square yards of erosion control blankets were employed to accomplish these efforts. Fort Jackson officials said working with the NRCS has been the key to the erosion-control program's success. NRCS provides a turnkey operation: from high quality technical assistance in design and construction to contract administration and payment certification.

Because of Fort Jackson’s location in the Sandhills of South Carolina, sandy soils mean highly erosive conditions. The types of sites that were restored included rifle ranges, unpaved roads, borrow pits, bare areas, and military training sites. Coupled with heavy foot and vehicle traffic, the poor soil conditions meant that some areas were quickly degrading and in many spots became dangerous for troops to cross, especially while carrying dangerous and explosive ammunition. Using a variety of geotextile materials and innovative designs, Fort Jackson and NRCS have come up with an excellent plan for slowing soil erosion, particularly at the heavily used Omaha Beach Firing Range. 

            NRCS Civil Engineering Technician Ricky Walker is stationed at Fort Jackson and has been a major player in the erosion control process. “In order to repair and enhance the training grounds at Omaha Beach, we used a variety of materials such as geotextile cloth, interlocking concrete blocks, mulch and vegetation to stabilize the highly erodible soils,” he explained.

NRCS Urban Conservationist Jim Wilson oversees project implementation at Fort Jackson and stated that the staff at the fort is extremely dedicated to conservation and doing things right the first time. “The environmental team at the fort are committed to protecting the natural resources, and have dedicated funding and staff time to ensure the work is permanent and not just a quick fix,” said Wilson. Currently, NRCS and Fort Jackson have established five contracts involving conservation work ranging from soil erosion, forestry, and wildlife conservation.

The work involved stabilizing roads with gravel, channel stabilization using erosion control blankets and planting vegetation such as Bermuda, Bahia, and Brown Top Millet. In addition, an excess of pine trees was causing pine straw to block drainage culverts therefore causing sediment to invade training fields. Cutting down some of the trees alleviated this problem. In addition, channel stabilization involved lining the bottom of the channel with geotextile cloth, then placing an interlocking cable concrete mat on top to provide stability and protection. This allows troops to cross the channels much quicker and safer than previously. Walker added, “This technique was a much better option than using traditional rip-rap, which is not aesthetic, or safe to maneuver across.” Furthermore, the work is permanent, and should require little if any maintenance.

The erosion control project at Omaha Beach began in April, and the vegetation that was planted then has benefited greatly from plentiful rains this spring and summer. This high traffic area is now protected from excessive erosion that was damaging it. “Looking at the big picture, not only is this firing range protected, rather, the entire surrounding watershed is safeguarded from nonpoint source pollution,” explained Wilson. “The project has a wide reaching effect in protecting nearby water sources which were previously affected by soil erosion from this area.”

NRCS also recommended a rotating land usage process in an effort to allow re-growth of vegetation. “Shooting lanes were seeing excessive use and had no time to repair or re-grow, so rotating the use of the lanes should improve them,” explained Walker. Troops were getting sand in their weapons because of the excessive erosion, and this was a definite safety hazard. The lanes were seeded and mulched, as well as fertilized and limed. “It’s important to rotate usage to allow for re-growth, much like a farmer will do for pasture management,” he said.

In another improvement at Omaha Beach, a berm containing no vegetation was reshaped and planted. “We put topsoil on it, seeded it, and stopped the erosion from the unprotected area from running off into the adjacent firing lanes,” said Walker. An added benefit is that wildlife species such as turkey and quail can feed off the grass.

The strong partnership between NRCS and Fort Jackson resulted in many improvements at the army installation, and soil and water resources for miles will be permanently protected. The conservation work implemented not only improved soil and water health in the impacted area, but also in the surrounding watershed. Conservationists are not planning to stop here. “This is just the beginning of the improvements we can make at the installation, and we plan to continue our conservation efforts for a long time to come,” concluded Walker. 

For more information, contact Jim Wilson at (803) 576-2084.