Driveway Erosion Control: How to Stop Erosion for Good (2024)

Filed under Permeable Driveway • 5 minute read

If you’ve ever had to deal with driveway erosion, you’re probably already well aware of the negative impact it can have on your driveway and even the health of your vehicles. Driveway erosion is one of the most common problems that homeowners encounter and it typically shows up near concrete or asphalt driveways. Impermeable materials like these are the most common reasons for driveway erosion because it’s their impermeability that actually creates the potential.

In case you’ve been dealing with this problem and you want some tips on driveway erosion control, let’s go over some of its most common causes and how you can implement a driveway erosion control strategy to solve your problems for good.

What Causes Driveway Erosion?

The most common cause of driveway erosion is flowing water. This usually comes from the downspouts on your home being directed to flow down the driveway into the street where stormwater can then flow into the sewer.

The problem with concrete and asphalt driveways is that the water tends to flow along the sides of the driveway. This flow creates a pool of water over time and eventually, the water begins to seep underneath the driveway. Once water gets underneath your driveway, big problems are coming. The sand or sediment is washed out from underneath the pavement and puddles and holes begin to develop.

Left unchecked, you could end up with a giant sinkhole beneath your driveway that could end up ruining the suspension (and more) on your vehicles if they happen to be parked when your driveway finally collapses.

How to Control Erosion Near a Concrete or Asphalt Driveway

If you want to prevent erosion near your driveway, direct any downspouts away from it. Of course, you could still end up with erosion from direct rainfall over time, which is why you’ll need to seal your concrete driveway with caulking to prevent water from leaking in.

Mudjacking is a process you could turn to if you already have a washed-out driveway, but it’s expensive and time-consuming.

The Best Driveway Erosion Solution

Driveway Erosion Control: How to Stop Erosion for Good (1)

The best driveway erosion control solution is to have a permeable paver driveway from TRUEGRID installed. The permeable paver system from TRUEGRID is completely impervious to driveway erosion because the pavers are 100% permeable and allow all water to pass right through and into the soil or a detention pond beneath.

Thanks to an ingenious layout that uses hard angular aggregate (like gravel) laid beneath the pavers and compacted into the top layer, the interlocking paver grids create a lightweight, easy-to-install erosion-proof driveway that is more durable than concrete or asphalt.

Driveway Erosion Control: How to Stop Erosion for Good (2)

A driveway created with TRUEGRID permeable pavers simply doesn’t experience washout or erosion because it provides a continuous, unblocked path for stormwater to pass through. The subgrade of your driveway will be excavated, and a cloth laid down to prevent the soil beneath from migrating upwards into the gravel. Then, the subgrade is filled in with gravel and compacted before the 100% recycled plastic pavers are laid over the top.

These pavers are versatile and can be easily trimmed to fit your driveway. Once they are set in place more gravel will be poured over the top and compacted into the pavers to create an even surface that can handle even the most frequent of driveway traffic with ease.

TRUEGRID Driveways Come in Many Shapes and Sizes

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One of the reasons why TRUEGRID pavers are a preferable alternative to other driveway erosion control methods is because they’re inexpensive, easily installed, eco-friendly and very customizable. It doesn’t matter what kind of driveway you had before, you can replace it with a permeable paver version of the same color and shape without sacrificing anything in terms of aesthetic appeal.

Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late

Driveway erosion control is essential to preventing catastrophic damage or injury to you and your property. Washouts beneath your driveway can ruin it or even collapse your driveway entirely. There are expensive, time-consuming ways to fix an eroded driveway, but they are more trouble than they’re worth most of the time. The smarter method of driveway erosion control would be to install a TRUEGRID permeable paver driveway instead.

Driveway Erosion Control: How to Stop Erosion for Good (4)

With a driveway built from permeable pavers and aggregate, you’ll never have to worry about driveway erosion, even if you have your downspouts directed down your driveway. Even the heaviest of rains will simply drain right through your driveway into the soil below, leaving you with a solid, sturdy, and reliable driveway.

Don’t put yourself or your vehicle at risk of suffering a washout. Instead, implement the smartest driveway erosion control solution out there by installing a permeable paver driveway from TRUEGRID.

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Driveway Erosion Control: How to Stop Erosion for Good (2024)

FAQs

How to stop a driveway from eroding? ›

If you want to prevent erosion near your driveway, direct any downspouts away from it. Of course, you could still end up with erosion from direct rainfall over time, which is why you'll need to seal your concrete driveway with caulking to prevent water from leaking in.

What is the most effective way to prevent erosion? ›

You can reduce soil erosion by:

Mulching. Planting a cover crop – such as winter rye in vegetable gardens. Includes annual grasses, small grains, legumes and other types of vegetation planted to provide a temporary vegetative cover. Cover crops are often tilled under serving also as a “green manure” crop.

What are the best erosion control ideas? ›

Many cover crops, such as rye and clover, create nets of roots that hold soil together and help reduce weeds. Ornamental ground cover, including ivy, creeping juniper and periwinkle, are also proven erosion control solutions. Many native grasses (depending on your zone and region) can also help.

How do I stop my driveway from crumbling? ›

The best way to prevent your driveway from cracking is to apply sealant. Even though it may seem like a no-brainer, a lot of homeowners don't do it and then have to deal with concrete issues down the road.

How do you fill erosion under a driveway? ›

The best way to fix erosion under concrete is to fill voids with material that's resistant to erosion. This is usually done with the slab jacking process. Scritchlow Concrete Lifting and Slab Jacking uses only crushed limestone and Portland cement which is not susceptible to erosion.

What are the inexpensive methods of erosion control? ›

Plants act as ground covers; whether they're vines, shrubs, trees or even grass. Almost every plant can be an agent to preventing soil erosion around them, but for best results, there should be a large number of plants in one place (or just one large tree) to hold the soil.

What is the best defense against erosion? ›

For areas with light erosion problems, replanting with vegetation and covering with mulch are good solutions. For erosion along footpaths, covering with mulch or stone is the best option. For heavy erosion in areas of concentrated flow, the most effective solutions are check dams or terraces.

What is the most effective erosion agent? ›

Water is the most efficient and effective agent for erosion. Erosion by water commonly occurs in two different geologic settings: 1. Coastlines – erosion that occurs on coastlines is due to the action of ocean currents, waves, and tides.

What is the best material to prevent soil erosion? ›

Organic mulches, such as straw and wood fiber, have been found to be very effective in preventing soil erosion.

What is the simplest way to prevent erosion? ›

When learning how to stop erosion on a hill, the simplest solution is to use plants. With the right choice of plantings, you can reduce runoff significantly. Cover crops are extremely effective in: Protecting from wind and water erosion.

What is the basic method of erosion control? ›

Plant Vegetation

Planting crops help prevent soil erosion by ensuring continuous ground cover, while leaving the field bare promotes erosive processes. Provide soil cover in between the growing season with crop rotation and cover crop practices.

Which is the most effective against of erosion? ›

The most effective way to control erosion is to maintain a permanent surface cover on the soil surface, such as pasture or meadow. Therefore, areas that are highly susceptible to water or wind erosion need to be considered for soil conservation programs.

Can you seal a crumbling driveway? ›

For minor cracks, you can use latex sealant on top of the cracks or other repairs that will cover up the cracked area. This can help keep water out and prevent moisture from causing more damage. Asphalt patching is also another quick fix for small leaks/cracks in repairing your driveway.

How to fix an erosion washout? ›

Fix washed out areas by replacing the soil and reseeding it with grass. If riprap has washed out of place, put it back in place, adding any rock that is needed.

How do you reinforce a driveway? ›

If needed, you can reinforce your driveway with steel so that it is fundamentally stronger, enabling it to handle heavier loads with ease. To do this, install reinforcing steel rebars in a grid pattern over your pour site. You can buy a dedicated concrete wire mesh for this purpose.

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