Page 273 - Moving the Earth_ The Workbook of Excavation

PONDS AND EARTH DAMS

PONDS AND EARTH DAMS 6.9

FIGURE 6.7 Working from top of pile.

sold. Under some circumstances, the entire cost of making the pond may be repaid by the sale of
the spoil.
Selling Spoil. Materials that might be sold out of a swamp include the organic earths, such as
topsoil, muck, and peat (humus); and inorganic subsoils such as sand, gravel, clay, and loam.
Frequently, the values of these materials are destroyed if they are mixed together, as the presence
of organic matter makes subsoil undesirable or useless as a structural fill; topsoil or other organ-
ic earths are not salable if coarsely mixed with subsoil.
Swamp topsoil and mucks are generally too heavy in texture for use in lawns or gardens, but
may improve greatly if left in piles for a year or two, or if mixed with sand or light loam. Nearly