Page 4 - USDA Compost sock use

• slope interruption practice used to reduce sheet fow velocities and prevent rill and gully erosion • energy dissipation of sheet and concentrated stormwater fow, thereby reducing soil erosion and habitat destruction

• use on paved, compacted, frozen, or tree-rooted areas where trenching is not possible or is unde-sirable

• treatment of polluted effuents, pump water, wash water, sediment dredge, lagoon water, pond water, manures, and slurries

• in-situ biofltration and bioremediation of storm-water pollutants

• capture irrigation-induced sediment from food and sprinkler irrigation systems • use RUSLE 2 for design applications • use in low impact development (LID), green infrastructure, and green building programs • protection of sensitive wildlife habitat, wetlands, water bodies, and ecosystems

Compost flter socks provide many benefts when used as a stormwater management practice. Advantages include:

• No trenching is required, thereby no soil, plant, or root disturbance; and can be installed on severely compacted or frozen soils and paved surfaces.

• Compost flter socks are made from bio-based, recycled, and locally available materials. • Typically composed of plant materials indigenous to the bioregion (native or adapted) in which it will be used, these compost materials enrich the biolog-ical production process of soils, thereby increasing the stability and services of the soil ecosystem. • Filter socks can be spread or incorporated into existing soil, increasing soil organic matter, improving soil quality, and reducing waste and disposal costs.

• Sediment, nutrients, harmful bacteria, heavy met-als, and petroleum hydrocarbons are reduced in stormwater runoff.

• Soil erosion on hill slopes, slows fow velocity in swales and ditches are reduced, and energy of sheet and concentrated fows are reduced. • Filter socks are easily designed and customized for a variety of land-based fltration and pollutant removal applications.

• Compost flter socks can be used for biofltration, as a LID integrated management practice, and in green building programs such as the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™.

• Microorganisms in compost materials can natu-rally bioremediate trapped pollutants in-situ . • Compost flter socks may be seeded at the time of installation to increase pollution fltration, wildlife habitat, and ecosystem restoration at-tributes.

Although compost flter socks are quite versatile, this management practice does have limitations. If the compost quality is not maintained, particularly for biological stability and particle size distribution, performance may be severely diminished. If the land surface is not prepared correctly, the compost flter sock may not make suffcient ground contact. This condition may allow untreated stormwater to fow under the treatment. Compost flter socks should not be placed in perennial waterways or streams. Heavy equipment moving over compost flter socks may dam-age or greatly diminish their feld performance and capacity. Although not required, compost flter socks