Many of us have varying degrees of dirt and gravel laneways and yards. Dust can be an issue especially close to the house, so Small Farm Canada looked at some options for dust control.
We found an easy one to implement, but not so easy to enforce -- reduce the laneway speed limit. Reducing traffic is another suggested option, but as we open after a year and a half, I long for a little dust flying on the drive and you may too. Here are some more serious options to consider as you seek to reduce the dust flying your way.
Good Drainage
There is no solution like a well-engineered road for dust control. Good road drainage can reduce dust. If a road has poor drainage, standing water enables ‘fines’ to float to the surface from the soil beneath. The addition of culverts can help to eliminate standing water next to a road. A saturated roadbed can result in potholes and another source of dust. This is the ultimate solution and that is reflected in the cost and effort required.
Windbreaks
Dust is dampened by installing windbreaks like trees, hedges, plants, fences, or berms. Windbreaks reduce the occurrence of wind that is strong enough to carry soil away and the loss of soil moisture that binds particles preventing them from being blown away. The downside to windbreaks is the time it takes to get them established making it a medium-term strategy for dust control. But one with attractive options such as using fruit trees and bushes as windbreaks.
Covering Unpaved Road Surface Soils with Gravel
Applying gravel to a dirt road surface can reduce dust, especially with a good road base of crushed aggregate. Gravel provides a hard surface protecting soils from vehicle wheels. Without a good road base of crushed aggregate, vehicles will push surface gravel down into the ground, especially when the road is wet. With sufficient fine material as a base to cement the surface gravel in place, aggregate will stay in place in the driving lanes for many seasons.
Watering the Road
When water is applied alone, it provides a short- term reduction in dust. Regular, light watering is better than less frequent, heavy watering. Equipment is available (or like Small Farm Canada’s Dan Kerr you can make your own) for spreading water from a backpack, a trailer behind a four-wheeler or from the back of a pickup truck.
Water with Chemistry
A commonly used dust control measure and a by-product of paper manufacturing, lignosulfonate (from wood lignin) is a natural polymer and can bind soil particles together. It works best with fine dusts such as clay particles and when combined with calcium carbonate to off-set lignosulfonate’s corrosive effect on metal. Please note there are some environmental concerns associated with this method of dust control.
This article will continue to grow as we discover new and novel options for controlling dust on the farm. Also stay-tuned for a future feature on controlling weeds in the laneway where we ask, are the weeds really doing any harm?