Page 309 - Moving the Earth_ The Workbook of Excavation

LANDSCAPING AND AGRICULTURAL GRADING

LANDSCAPING AND AGRICULTURAL GRADING 7.3

FIGURE 7.1 View downslope.

Shade. Shading a building and grounds from full sunlight is desirable, but too heavy shade will
cause excessive trouble with rot and mildew and create unhealthy conditions, particularly for asthma
and arthritis sufferers. Such trouble may be reduced by building in the open, by high trimming of
branches of existing trees to permit full air circulation, and by use of discretion in planting.
Noise. If noise from a highway or railroad is of critical importance in determining building loca-
tion, it should be remembered that noise travels chiefly upward, partly because of reflection from
the pavement or roadbed. Even hundreds of feet up a hillside will not reduce it substantially if the
source remains within sight.
If the river in Fig. 7.1 were a noisy highway, the construction which is wrong from a scenic
standpoint would become right when noise only is considered. An earth berm or bank is a more
effective sound deflector than a hedge or other planting.
Water Well Drilling. A substantial portion of both home and industrial building is in areas not
reached by water mains. Most farms depend on groundwater for domestic use, and many use it for
irrigation also. Factories, theaters, and other large users of water may find that they need a supply
in addition to city water. Under such circumstances, the only method of getting a dependable sup-
ply of safe water may be to drill for it.
In sandy or gravelly soils, surface water outcrops, such as ponds and springs, give a rather
good indication of the level and abundance of subsurface water. However, a well should go sub-
stantially deeper than this level, both for purity and for protection against unusual dry spells.
Where possible, it is best to get water from rock, or deep down in sandy soil. Danger of cont-
amination is then negligible. Casing is driven down at least far enough to keep surface water and
loose soil out of the hole.
Wells are usually located for convenience, on the first try at least, as prediction of underground
water may be highly uncertain. This is particularly so when the soil is too shallow to provide safe
supplies and water must be obtained from a rock formation.
Divining rods of various kinds are used in many sections to locate water. In tests these “dipsticks”
have shown a somewhat better record than random drilling, but the difference can usually be
accounted for by the good judgment of the experienced person who carries it.