Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
soil may need to be transported from
an off-site location to supplement areas
where additional fill is needed. Both dis-
posing of and purchasing material will
add to the project budget. The process of
moving and shifting earth around a site
involves cutting and filling. Cutting away
a portion of a hill slope to create a gently
sloping area and placing the cut material
at another area on the site is common.
However, the goal is to balance cut and
fill whenever feasible to minimize costs
of taking away or importing material.
Figure 15.1 should help viewers visu-
alize the concept of cutting a slope in one
area then moving the earth to another
area. Cutting and filling creates a level
area to build a structure such as a house,
picnic shelter, or playing field.
The Figures 15.2-A and 15.2-B visually
represent the concept of cut and fill by
modifying or changing contours on a site.
Notice that when contours are adjusted
in an uphill direction, as in Figure 15.2-A,
one is creating cut. The dashed lines are
existing contours, and the solid lines are
the same contours in their new position
as shown in the site plan prepared by
the designer. Notice the lower contours
moved uphill with—for instance—the 104
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7
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1
Cut
Fil
Figure 15.1
Section of a slope showing area of cut and area
of fill. The dashed line represents existing slope and the solid
line the proposed newly created shape or section of the
modified slope.
contour was repositioned to cover the 105 and 106 contours. Conversely,
by adjusting the contours downhill, as in Figure 15.2-B, one is filling. In
Figure 15.2-B, the higher-elevation contours are moved to cover over the
lower-elevation contours. For instance, the 106 contour was repositioned
to fill over (or raise the elevation of) the old 105 and 104 contours.
