2574Soil Preparation

2574.1DESCRIPTION

This Work consists of providing temporary shaping and grading, and preparing the soil for permanent turf establishment to reduce the risk of soil erosion . Temporary shaping and grading includes directing water flow and breaking up soil fine enough to install temporary erosion control Materials . Preparing the soil for permanent turf includes soil tilling and soil additives.

2574.2MATERIALS

2574.3CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

A General Prepare the soil to minimize soil erosion and to provide a media for plant and root establishment. Perform soil preparation operations for permanent seed and sod and for temporary conditions. A.1 Temporary Grading Shape embankment to remove clods of soil greater than 3 inches diameter and ruts, erosion rills, or washouts deeper than 3 inches prior to installing temporary erosion control Materials in locations where the final Grading Grade has not been established. A.2 Soil Tracking Perform soil tracking on embankments to create horizontal grooves on an exposed slope using a stair-stepping backhoe bucket procedure or run tracked construction Equipment up and down the slope. Perform the stair-stepping procedure parallel to the contour of the land. Perform subsoil tracking on slopes steeper that 1:2 (Vertical:Horizontal) to scarify the surface per 2106.3I “Finishing Operations” or for temporary grading operations. Perform topsoil tracking on topsoil for slopes steeper than 1:2 (Vertical:Horizontal) when placing topsoil in those areas. A.3 Soil Bed Preparation Prepare the soil surface to provide a smooth, moist, and evenly textured foundation before sowing seed or placing sod. Complete the tilling after applying soil amendments to the soil. Use cultivating Equipment such as discs, harrows, field diggers, or tillers capable of loosening the soil to a depth of at least 3 inches on all areas except for slopes steeper than 1:2 (Vertical:Horizontal). Till the soil surface to remove track imprints from wheeled or tracked Equipment. Operate cultivating Equipment on slopes at right angles to the direction of surface drainage. Soil clods, lumps, and tillage ridges 3 inches high or less may remain in place for seeding operations. Soil clods, lumps, and tillage ridges 1.5 inches high may remain in place for sodding operations. Multiple passes of the Equipment may be needed to meet these requirements. A.4 Subsoiling Deep rip soils before placing topsoil on areas where topsoil placement depth is greater than 6 inches otherwise after topsoil is placed in the following areas:

Subsoil infiltration basins before placing topsoil borrow Type G per 3877, “Topsoil Material.” Deep rip soil in in one direction on the contours perpendicular to the flow of water or as shown in the Plans. Use a multi-shanked, parallelogram or single tooth implement to create channels. Do not use disc cultivators, chisel plows, or spring-loaded Equipment to perform subsoiling. Space channels from 12 inches to 36 inches apart except as shown on the Plans.

Create channels to provide a depth from 16 inches to 20 inches or as shown on the Plans. For saturated soil, delay subsoiling operations until soil dries to at least field capacity. Observe a minimum setback as directed by the Engineer for the following subsoiling exceptions:

B Infiltration, Filtration, and Bioretention Areas Construct sites after stabilizing contributing drainage areas. Stabilize areas draining to infiltration sites. Prevent sediment laden runoff from entering infiltration site during construction. Use light tracked Equipment to excavate, grade, shape, and place soil loosely as shown on the P lans. Minimize tracking and compacting over the infiltration areas. Prevent excavated Material from reentering the basin during the Work. C Topsoil Place and shape topsoil to the depths as shown on the Plans. Remove all rocks and debris exceeding 3 inches on topsoil surface. Salvaged topsoil excavation Material per 2106 “Excavation and Embankment – Compacted Volume Method,” shall be stockpiled on the Project Site or at a suitable location approved by the Engineer. Test stockpiled topsoil in accordance with the testing procedures for soil fertility in 3877, “Topsoil Material.” Complete the testing at least 1 month before placement. Use these test results to determine pH adjustments and fertilizer, soil additives, and compost needs for plant establishment . The Engineer will determine adjustments to the existing topsoil for plant establishment based on the test results. Topsoil Material sources must be approved by the Engineer prior to blending and delivery . Before blending individual components to create a topsoil borrow, verify that each component meets the Specification requirements. D Applying Soil Amendments Do not place commercial fertilizer, liming Material, and soil additives on frozen ground or snow. Apply fertilizers after the runoff from spring snowmelt. Use mechanical spreading devices to uniformly apply fertilizers, compost, liming Materials , and additives at the rates required by the Contract before placing seed or sod. Till the soil at least once within 24 hours of placing fertilizer, compost, lime, or soil additives. Apply seed within 48 hours of fertilizing. The Department based the lime application rates on 1,000 pounds effective neutralizing power

rate. The Contractor may use Grade 1 compost instead of commercial fertilizer, as approved by the Engineer. Apply the compost at an equivalent nutrient application rate to the rate for commercial fertilizer shown on the Plans. E Acceptance of Work Notify the Engineer at least 24 hours before beginning and changing soil preparation operations. Till soil amendments into the soil before seeding operations. The Engineer will reject soil preparation not verified by inspection as unauthorized Work per 1512, “Unacceptable and Unauthorized Work.”

The Engineer will accept filter topsoil when placed in infiltration, filtration, or bioretention areas after an infiltration test demonstrates an acceptable infiltration rate per 3877, “Topsoil Material.” F Workmanship and Quality The Engineer may require corrective action for the conditions not meeting C ontract requirements to qualify for payment. Perform corrective actions when the quality and workmanship fails to meet the Material, installation, maintenance, or removal requirements.

2574.4METHOD OF MEASUREMENT

A Fertilizer The Engineer will measure fertilizer by the weight of each type applied . If the Contractor provides fertilizer with different type than as shown on the Plans, the Engineer will adjust the application rate of the fertilizer provided to meet the equivalent type proportions of the fertilizer shown on the P lans. B Lime The Engineer will measure agricultural Lime by weight applied. C Soil and Root Additives The Engineer will measure soil and root additives by the weight or volume applied. D Compost The Engineer will measure Grade 1 compost by weight applied. The Engineer will measure Grade 2 and Grade 3 compost by loose volume. E Topsoil Borrow The Engineer will measure topsoil borrow by loose volume as required by the C ontract. F Subsoiling The Engineer will measure Subsoiling by area successfully loosened. G Soil Tracking Topsoil tracking is included in soil preparation operations. Subsoil tracking is included in finishing operations per 2106, “Excavation and Embankment – Compacted Volume Method.” Measure tracking on slopes not part of soil preparation or finishing operations by the area. H Soil Bed Preparation The Engineer will measure soil bed preparation by area.

2574.5BASIS OF PAYMENT

The Contract Pay Items for soil preparation will include the Material and installation as required by the Contract to complete the Work. For items of Work not included in the schedule of Contract Pay Items, the Department will pay Unit Prices for the relevant items of Work. A Erodible Surface The Department shall withhold $3,500 per acre within the grading construction limits, excluding the Roadbed areas where clearing and grubbing operations expose soils to erosion. The Engineer will determine the areas open to erosion before approving each partial withholding release. The Engineer may divide the Project into separate control areas for release of the withholding. The Department may release the withholding for erodible surface area in accordance with Table 2574.5-1:

Table 2574.5-1 Partial Release Control Area Surface Condition Withholding Reduced Possible erosion damage or water pollution exists No release until fixed Rough grading completed and permanent topsoil placed 50 percent Permanent stabilization completed 25 percent Vegetation established and accepted 25 percent B Schedule The Department will pay for soil preparation on the basis of the following schedule: Item No. Item Unit

2574.505 Soil Bed Preparation acre

5 Soil Tracking acre

5 Subsoiling acre

6 Compost Tea gallon

6 Plant Hormones gallon

7 Compost Grade * cubic yard

7 ______ Topsoil Borrow cubic yard

8 Fertilizer Type ____ pound

8 Activated Charcoal pound

8 Hydrophilic Polymers pound

8 Iron Sulfate pound

8 Mycorrhizal Inoculum pound

8 Rhisobium Inoculum pound

9 Compost, Grade 1 ton

9 Lime ton

* Specify type 2 or 3 C Unit Prices In addition to soil preparation Pay Items included in the Plan, the Engineer may require the items listed below as site conditions warrant (provided the items listed below are not already included in the Plan). Payment for additional items as ordered by the Engineer will be made in accordance with the following schedule: Subsoiling ........................................................................................................ $300.00/acre Soil Bed Preparation........................................................................................ $350.00/acre Soil Tracking ................................................................................................. $2,500.00/acre