Gravel, Fill, Topsoil and Mulch Delivery in Augusta, GA

Chewacla Soil on River-Laid Sediment

The USDA soil survey maps the Chewacla-Chastain association at the center point of ZIP 30901. Chewacla is the lead soil, making up 60 percent of that map unit, and its top mineral layer is fine sandy loam.^[1]

Surveyors rate Chewacla somewhat poorly drained. Its hydrologic rating is B/D: it behaves like a D soil, shedding water, while the water table is high, and like a moderately soaking B soil once drained. That points to ground that is damp for part of the year, with a water table that can rise close to the surface after long rains. The shrink-swell rating is low, at 1.5 percent, so the soil itself does not heave much.^[1]

The state geologic map shows Quaternary stream alluvium under the center point, made of fine alluvium. Soil built from material that moving water dropped tends to vary in layers, with sandier bands beside siltier ones. The USGS puts the center point 110 feet above sea level.^[2],[3]

Gauge Readings at Bush Field

Augusta Bush FLD AP, GA, the NOAA normals station about 4 miles from the center point, averages 44.1 inches of precipitation in a year. Snowfall there comes to 0.8 inches on average, enough for a rare dusting and little more.^[4]

Cold nights come more often than snow. The station counts 51 days a year when the low hits 32 F or colder. The median last spring freeze lands on March 23, and the median first fall freeze on November 9.^[4]

Damp soil plus regular frost makes for a surface that can soften and lift in late winter. Ice forms in wet ground overnight and melts by afternoon, and each cycle loosens stone that sits on a poorly drained base. Gravel work in this part of the city succeeds when the base stays drier than the soil around it.^[1],[4]

Timing helps on this ground. Late winter, when frost and rain overlap, is the softest stretch of the year, and heavy trucks or loaders can rut a wet yard badly. Spring and fall dry spells give firmer footing for grading, trenching and spreading base.^[1],[4]

A Driveway That Rides Above Damp Ground

On somewhat poorly drained fine sandy loam, the best driveway sits a little higher than the yard. Strip turf and dark topsoil, compact the subgrade and lay a woven fabric across it. The fabric stops the finer soil from working up into the stone when the water table rises.^[1]

Build the drive with compacted lifts of Road Base, adding enough to lift the surface above the lawn. Crushed Concrete makes a solid substitute that packs just as hard. Top it with 3/4" Crushed Stone or Driveway Gravel and shape a crown so rain runs to both edges.^[1]

For the stone layer under its own pavements, the Georgia transportation department writes the rules in Section 310, titled Graded Aggregate, of the Standard Specifications Construction of Transportation Systems (2021).^[5]

Along the low edge of the drive, a trench of #57 Crushed Stone catches runoff and lets it soak in away from the base. Clean the leaves out of it each fall so it keeps working.^[4]

French Drains and Dry Wells for Wet Yards

A yard that stays soggy days after rain is the most common complaint on B/D soil. A French drain lowers the water near the surface. Dig a trench with a steady fall toward the street or a lower corner, line it with filter fabric, set a perforated pipe on a bed of Drain Rock and fill around it with more stone.^[1]

Where there is no low spot to drain to, a dry well can help. It is a pit filled with Drain Rock that holds runoff from a downspout and lets it seep out slowly. On ground that stays damp for long stretches, a dry well works best during the drier months and as a buffer for short storms.^[1],[4]

Finish the top of a drain with River Rock if it runs through a bed, or fold the fabric over and bring Topsoil back for grass.^[1]

#4 Stone or #57 Stone for Drainage Work

Clean crushed stone is the heart of any drain, and size changes how it behaves. #4 Crushed Stone is large and very open. It moves a lot of water fast and does not clog easily, which suits a big trench, a culvert outlet or the bottom layer under a heavy-use parking area.^[4]

#57 Crushed Stone is smaller and easier to spread and level. It still drains freely and packs a little firmer, so it works well in French drains, behind small walls and as a driveway top. For a typical yard drain on fine sandy loam, #57 is the handier choice. For a large channel carrying storm flow, #4 holds up better.^[1]

Beds, Borders and Shade Gardens

Fine sandy loam grows plants well once its wet spells are handled. Raised beds filled with Garden Soil lift roots above the dampest layer. For in-ground beds, mix Compost into the top of the native soil to add air spaces and help it dry after a soaking.^[1]

Plant tender annuals after the median last spring freeze of March 23. Spread Brown Shredded Mulch, Black Shredded Mulch or Red Mulch after planting to keep the surface from crusting and hold moisture in summer heat.^[4]

Shade beds under big trees do well with a cover of Wood Chips, which break down slowly and feed the soil. Keep mulch a few fingers away from trunks so bark stays dry.^[1]

Sand and Fill for Patios, Play Areas and Low Spots

Fill Sand suits the pad under a shed, a slab or a paver patio on damp ground. It drains well, compacts firmly in wetted layers and lifts the finished surface above the wettest soil. Fill Dirt holds a shape better for building up a lawn grade or shaping a berm that turns water away from a building.^[1]

Concrete Sand forms the leveling bed under pavers, and Mason Sand fills the joints and goes into mortar. Playground Sand, washed and soft, belongs in sandboxes. On fine sandy loam that stays damp, set a sandbox on a layer of Drain Rock with fabric over it so the sand dries out between storms.^[1]

Raise low spots a little at a time with Topsoil so grass can grow up through each layer, and aim every new grade away from the house.^[1]

Housing in ZIP 30901

The Census Bureau counts 8,824 housing units in ZIP 30901. Detached single-family houses make up 44 percent of them. The median home was built in 1962. Owners occupy 24 percent of the lived-in homes.^[6]

Augusta as a whole has 91,432 housing units in the same survey, 58 percent of them detached houses, and a citywide median build year of 1980.^[6]

Gravel Valet delivers driveway stone, drain rock, fill and mulch to homes, rental properties and businesses across the city.^[6]