MS4 Basics for Highway Supers

What You Need to Know About Stormwater Regulations If you’ve been hearing more about “MS4” lately, you’re not alone. Across the country, more municipalities and highway departments are being pulled into MS4 permit programs. If you’re a highway superintendent, it pays to…continue

Slow It Down: Using Check Dams to Control Water Flow in Ditches

For any highway department, managing water flow in roadside ditches is a key part of keeping roads in good shape and protecting nearby land. One simple but powerful tool for the job? The check dam. Check dams are small structures, temporary or permanent, built across a ditch to slow water down, redu…continue

Simple Methods of Erosion Control in Stormwater Management

If your crew is responsible for any drainage work, or if you’re managing roads or ditches, you’re also in the erosion control business, whether you realize it or not. Left unchecked, erosion can turn small problems into big ones: clogged culverts, failing shoulders, sediment-laden stream…continue

Dam Beavers! A Road Superintendent’s Guide to Dealing with Nature’s Little Engineers

So you’re a highway superintendent just minding your business, sipping your burnt gas station coffee, when the phone rings: “There’s a pond forming on Maple Hollow Road and the water’s coming over the top!” That’s right. The beavers are back. Again. Welcome to the…continue

Don’t Fill That Sinkhole!

There you are, sipping your coffee, thinking the day might actually be calm, when suddenly the phone rings. A resident reports that “a chunk of the road just collapsed under my Subaru.” You head out to investigate and sure enough, there it is: a small blacktop crater that looks like the …continue

Why Mowing Road Shoulders Matters

If you run a highway department, mowing the shoulders of your roads isn’t just about keeping things looking tidy, though that’s a nice side benefit. Regular shoulder mowing plays a critical role in both road safety and environmental responsibility. Let’s break it down. 1. Sight Dis…continue