Excavating, Erosion Control and Retaining Walls in Martinsville, Indiana
Morgan County has more relief in it than the flat counties north of Indianapolis, and slope is what changes the excavation problem in and around Martinsville.
Slope, banks and moving water in Morgan County
Ground with fall to it behaves differently from the level till farther north. Cuts have to be shaped so they will stand, fill has to be placed so it will not slide, and anything holding back soil is fighting both the weight of that soil and the water inside it. A wall that is not drained is a dam, and a dam is not what anybody ordered.
The regional soils are still clay heavy, and clay on a slope is a particular combination. It sheds water at the surface, which sends more runoff downhill, and it holds water once it takes any in, which adds weight behind a wall or a bank. Both halves of that have to be handled in the same design or the fix is temporary.
Wharff Excavating serves Martinsville from Lebanon, Indiana, where one family has run the company since 1964. Sloping ground drives the work here: holding a bank in place, building a wall that will stay straight, sizing the culverts a lane needs, and getting water off a property in a controlled way instead of letting it cut its own route.
Water on a slope has energy, and energy is what moves soil. On flat ground water sits and waits; on a grade it picks up speed, takes material with it and concentrates into a channel that gets deeper every storm. Once a gully has started it will not repair itself, and the longer it runs the more of the hillside is involved in the fix.
That is what erosion control is actually for. Slowing water down, spreading it out, giving it a hard surface where it has to be concentrated, and stabilizing the ground that is exposed. It is unglamorous work and it is far cheaper than rebuilding the bank, the lane or the wall that the water eventually took out.
Work we do on Martinsville ground
These are the jobs that come with property that is not flat. They tend to arrive together, since a bank that is washing, a lane that is rutting and a wall that is leaning are usually three symptoms of the same water taking the same route.
What Morgan County Property Owners Ask
My creek bank is cutting into the property. What can be done?
Bank stabilization is erosion control work, and the approach depends on how fast the water runs, how high the bank is and what is above it. The principle is the same in every case: reduce the energy hitting the bank and armor the places where energy cannot be reduced. It is site specific enough that it has to be looked at before anything is quoted.
How long should a retaining wall last?
Longer than it usually does, and what shortens it is almost always water or a base that settles. Drainage behind the wall relieves the pressure that pushes it over, and a properly prepared base keeps it from tipping as the ground beneath it moves. Those are the two things we spend the effort on, because they are what fails.
Is a culvert on a sloped lane different from one on flat ground?
The sizing is the same idea and the setting is harder. On a grade the water arrives faster and leaves faster, so inlet and outlet both need protection or the pipe will undercut itself at one end. Getting the elevation right matters more too, since there is less margin before water goes over the lane instead of under it.
Asking about a Martinsville property
Call the office at (317) 892-0074 or email [email protected]. On sloped ground the useful details are where the water starts, where it goes, and what it has already damaged. We will come look at the site and follow it with a written estimate.
Tell Us About the Job
A Customer in Morgan County
From our Google profile, in their words.
“Wharff Excavating did an excellent job fixing a downspout issue that had been causing serious flooding in my yard. Casey and his crew were quick to respond, professional, and clearly experienced. They found the problem right away, rerouted the drainage properly, and made sure everything was working before they left. Since the work was done, I haven’t had a single issue, even after heavy rain. I’m really grateful for their help and recommend them to anyone dealing with drainage problems!”
Other Towns We Serve Near Martinsville
Martinsville sits at the south end of a service area that includes these towns.