dirt, gravel and low volume roads program
Sediment is the largest pollutant by volume to the waters of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 20,000 miles of unpaved roads provide local service to Pennsylvania's rural residents and the major enterprises of agriculture, tourism, mining/mineral industries, and forest products. Although they are inexpensive to maintain, loss of fine materials from the roads and their drainage areas creates dust and sediment and act as collectors for runoff and sediment from adjacent land uses.
Dirt roads that are not properly maintained become large providers of dust and sediment. Traditional practice in road maintenance has been to convey water along roads and deposit it into streams by the quickest means possible.
Dirt roads that are not properly maintained become large providers of dust and sediment. Traditional practice in road maintenance has been to convey water along roads and deposit it into streams by the quickest means possible.
This practice results in increased flood flows in streams and transports sediment and a host of other pollutant into local waterways. Runoff in our waterways depletes the oxygen levels, smothering aquatic life that supports our fisheries.
The Dirt and Gravel Roads Program, now known as the Dirt, Gravel and Low Volume Roads Program (DGLVR), was created to help maintain dirt and gravel roads and reduce pollution in our streams and waterways. The DGLVR Program follows a few key concepts including
- local control over projects and decision making
- education and training to local stakeholders
- simplified grant applications
- implementing long term road and environmental improvements
program timeline
The Program came into being in response to concerns voiced by members of Pennsylvania Trout (a council of "Trout Unlimited") over problems caused by sediment pollution from unpaved roads in the state's premier trout streams. Subsequent follow-up efforts included creation of a Task Force on Dirt & Gravel Roads that was a cooperative working group consisting of state department personnel, sportsmen, environmental resource agency officials, local government representatives, private companies, Penn State researchers, legislative staff, and citizen environmental group members. Both Pennsylvania Trout and the Task Force recommended a locally based, locally controlled, cooperative approach to eliminate non-point source pollution occurring along these rural roadways.
- 1997: Act 3 of 1997 (Section 9106 of the PA Vehicle Code) is enacted establishing the Pennsylvania Dirt and Gravel Road Maintenance Program. $5 million annually earmarked for Dirt and Gravel Roads Maintenance. $4 million goes directly to the State Conservation Commission while the remaining $1 million goes to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Pennsylvania county conservation districts administer local maintenance projects utilizing State Conservation Commission funds.
- 1998: First funding available under Dirt and Gravel Roads Program. Projects begin on 900 pollution sites, or worksites, identified in protected watersheds statewide.
- 2000: Conservation districts complete assessment of all watersheds, identifying over 12,000 pollution sites statewide. 2
- 2001: Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies formally created at Penn State University to handle the training, outreach, and technical assistance aspects of the Program.
- 2003: Conservation districts complete the 1,000th funded worksite through the Program.
- 2008: A second statewide assessment of unpaved roads in all watersheds increases the inventory to over 16,500 pollution sites statewide.
- 2009: Conservation districts complete the 2,000th funded worksite through the Program.
- 2013: Act 89 of 2013 is enacted, effectively increasing the funding for the Program from $5 million to $35 million annually in 2014-15. The Act dedicates $28 million of this to the State Conservation Commission, and also mandates that $8 million of that money be used for the maintenance of low-volume paved roads with less than 500 vehicles per day.
center for dirt & gravel road studies
In January 2001, the Center for Dirt & Gravel Road Studies was established at Penn State University. The Center works closely with the State Conservation Commission, Conservation Districts, Quality Assurance Boards, and local municipalities to research improved maintenance techniques, provide “hands-on” technical assistance & training, appropriate maintenance practices and products, and broaden the impact of this pollution prevention effort.
For more information on the Center for Dirt & Gravel Road Studies, visit their website at www.dirtandgravel.psu.edu
For more information on the Center for Dirt & Gravel Road Studies, visit their website at www.dirtandgravel.psu.edu
grant fund allocation
The State Conservation Commission apportions Dirt, Gravel and Low Volume Road Maintenance funds to the County Conservation Districts. A Quality Assurance Board (QAB) has been created in Columbia County by the Columbia County Conservation District to establish and administer the grant program. The QAB is responsible to encourage local cooperation with environmental quality goals, to provide adequate opportunity for public input, and to ensure participation among a wide spectrum of environmental expertise at all levels of government.
The four-member QAB is comprised of:
-- A non-voting chairman appointed by the Columbia Conservation District Directors
-- One local representative appointed by each of the following entities:
To ensure equal access to the funds, the QAB establishes local priorities to prevent pollution as ranking criteria. To be eligible, projects must employ “environmentally sound” maintenance practices and products to correct pollution problems related to the roadway. The QAB reviews and ranks the applications to allocate funding.
Click here to review the Columbia County QAB ranking criteria.
The QAB has established the following local policies.
Once a grant has been awarded, the project participant is eligible to receive 50% of the grant amount to begin the project. 50% of the grant moneys are held by the Conservation District and QAB until the QAB and/or Conservation District staff has conducted a final inspection of the project. Once the project is completed and the QAB and Conservation District has determined that the project was completed in an environmentally sound way and according the program guidelines, the remainder of the money is then awarded to the project participant.
The four-member QAB is comprised of:
-- A non-voting chairman appointed by the Columbia Conservation District Directors
-- One local representative appointed by each of the following entities:
- The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (federal)
- The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (state)
- The Columbia Conservation District (local)
To ensure equal access to the funds, the QAB establishes local priorities to prevent pollution as ranking criteria. To be eligible, projects must employ “environmentally sound” maintenance practices and products to correct pollution problems related to the roadway. The QAB reviews and ranks the applications to allocate funding.
Click here to review the Columbia County QAB ranking criteria.
The QAB has established the following local policies.
Once a grant has been awarded, the project participant is eligible to receive 50% of the grant amount to begin the project. 50% of the grant moneys are held by the Conservation District and QAB until the QAB and/or Conservation District staff has conducted a final inspection of the project. Once the project is completed and the QAB and Conservation District has determined that the project was completed in an environmentally sound way and according the program guidelines, the remainder of the money is then awarded to the project participant.
grant eligibility
Local municipalities and state agencies that maintain dirt, gravel and low volume roads are eligible to receive funding. However, to be eligible for the program, the participant must first attend a two-day training session for "Environmentally Sensitive Maintenance (ESM) of Dirt and Gravel Roads”. The training is valid for five years. Information about ESM trainings being offered can be found on the Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies website: www.dirtandgravel.psu.edu
Once ESM training has been completed, applicants may submit an application package to the Columbia County Quality Assurance Board (QAB) at the District office to request funding.
Once ESM training has been completed, applicants may submit an application package to the Columbia County Quality Assurance Board (QAB) at the District office to request funding.
grant application package
Grant Application Package links for the Columbia County Conservation District's Dirt, Gravel and Low Volume Road Maintenance Program are listed below:
1. Attachment A: Grant Application
2. Attachment A1: Grant Requested Fund Expenses
3. Attachment A2: In-Kind Fund Expenses
4. Attachment B: Project Work Plan
5. Instructions: Grant Application/Project Work Plan
Please contact Alan at 570.317.9478 with questions or for more information.
1. Attachment A: Grant Application
2. Attachment A1: Grant Requested Fund Expenses
3. Attachment A2: In-Kind Fund Expenses
4. Attachment B: Project Work Plan
5. Instructions: Grant Application/Project Work Plan
Please contact Alan at 570.317.9478 with questions or for more information.