In 2018, our local medical clinic in Cascade contacted us with a problem. Their current parking lot couldn't handle the volume of clients and vehicles it was constructed for when they opened their doors in the late 90s, and their location atop a hill overlooking town lead to water runoff problems for neighboring properties. They knew it was time to make a change, and they knew our crew at Gravel Grading and Excavating was just the team to move the earth for them.

Our first step was to tear out the existing lot and regrade it at an appropriate slope so water would drain into storm sewers rather than neighboring properties.

Some of our favorite equipment to use in jobs like this is our laser grading equipment. Laser grading is a process by which a level or specified slope is attained by using laser attachments and tools. These attachments can easily be installed on a variety of our equipment from skid loaders to bulldozers to help us electronically check the grade as we work, making us more efficient and accurate in our job.

While we had the ground exposed, we also worked to curb the new lot and tie in existing sewer lines to the city's storm sewers. Once the initial ground work was completed, our friends at Kluesner Construction came in to pour the concrete and asphalt to give the lot a smooth, even finish.

At Medical Associates Cascade, the finished project is even better than expected. Patients no longer have to park in "no parking" zones for their appointments, and water drains to its designated location.

Sherry Kelchen, ARNP at the Cascade clinic said, "The crew at Gravel's was very quick and clean. They did their best to accommodate our staff and patients while they were working" and she was quite pleased with the outcome of the job.

Our thanks go out to the Medical Associates Clinic staff and their patients for choosing us to move the earth for them in this project and our friends at Kluesner for hopping on board to help us complete the project.

If we can help you on your next parking lot build or improvement, get in touch with our crew! Contact Terry at tgravel@netins.net or call 563-542-6610 to discuss your job at get on the remaining 2019 schedule.

In the midwest, crop land is one of the most valuable commodities available.
Agriculture and food production is the leading economic industry in Iowa, and Iowa leads the country in producing pork, soybeans, corn, and eggs. But to make a living in this industry, having land is key.

In the past 50 years, Iowa land values have skyrocketed. To purchase one acre of crop land in 1970, a farmer would pay $197. In 2000, that same acre would cost $1050, and by 2017, the USDA reports that Iowa averages were over $8000 per acre. Therefore owning and maintaining land in our state has become even more important to farmers dependent on the soil for their livelihood. 

In 2018, our crew at Gravel Grading & Excavating was contacted by an Eastern Iowa farmer in a desperate fight with Mother Nature to retain the crop ground he and his family owned. Over the past two decades they had lost acres and acres of farm ground due to erosion from the stream running along his property line. Each year, the stream carried away the soil, cutting away his cropland and thereby cutting away at his farm's income. Flood years were especially damaging, and aerial photos from 2000 to 2017 showed just how drastically his property line had shifted. 
Our crew at Gravel's was ready to help this farmer stabilize his streambank and reinforce the soil for years to come. Our first step was to engineer a solution with the Iowa Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Army Corps of Engineers. It was essential to have their cooperation and experience, so that we could design a new bank strong enough to last decades into the future to preserve the topsoil and retain water quality standards.
Once we had their approval, the earth moving could begin. Our first step was to dig back the dirt so we could get to a 2 to 1 slope. This degree of slope would allow us to slow down water runoff from the farm ground above the bank, and when combined with cement and stone rip rap, the new design would be strong enough to resist the strength of even rushing stream waters.

After cutting back the bank, we could then start backfilling to reach our desired 2-to-1 slope. We laid down 2 feet of Class B rip-rap weighing up to 650 lbs per piece, sure to hold this new stream bank in place. The rip-rap was then covered by a 9" layer of dirt so we could seed and lay straw mat to promote grass regrowth to further hold the soil in place and add to the natural aesthetic of the landscape.

We are happy to report that his 2019 crop is in and looking great this summer.

Thank you to our local farmer for calling our crew at Gravel Grading and Excavating to move the earth for him in this stream bank stabilization project. Our thanks also go out to the NRCS and the Army Corps of Engineers for their help in designing a plan that will help hold our farmer's ground in place for decades to come.

How can we move the earth for you?

Contact Terry at 563-542-6610 to discuss your next project and get on our schedule for 2019!