Gravel, Stone and Soil Delivery in Elizabeth City, NC

Low, flat ground near sea level

ZIP 27909 lies in Pasquotank County. The ground at its center point stands about 10 feet above sea level, which is close to the height of nearby tidal water. On a site that low, there is little room to send water downhill.^[1]

The USDA soil survey maps Gertie silt loam, 0 to 2 percent slopes, at that point. The Gertie series fills 80 percent of the map unit. Slopes of 0 to 2 percent are close to flat, so rain spreads out and soaks in slowly rather than running off to a ditch.^[2]

The geologic map shows Surficial Deposits, Undivided, of Quaternary age. Its listed sediments are sand, clay, gravel and peat, laid down in layers. A test hole on ground like this can pass from sand to a tight clay band to dark organic soil in a short depth.^[3]

Gertie silt loam holds water

Gertie is rated poorly drained. Its hydrologic group is C/D, meaning group D while the water table is high and group C where the land has been drained. Many fields and lots on the coastal plain carry ditches for exactly this reason.^[2]

The top mineral layer is silt loam. Silt particles are small and smooth, so they pack tight and let water through slowly. When wet, silt loam turns soft and slick, and a loaded truck can rut it quickly. When dry, it can crust.^[2]

Shrink-swell in the top 100 cm is moderate, at 4.5 percent. The soil gains a little volume when soaked and loses it as it dries. A thick, well compacted stone base rides over that movement better than a thin one.^[2]

For any gravel job on Gertie silt loam, plan the water route first. Raise the work a few inches above the yard, give it a gentle crown, and lead the runoff into a swale or ditch. Stone set flat into wet silt will sink and mix with mud.^[2]

Rain totals at the Elizabeth City gauge

The NOAA normals station at Elizabeth City, NC, about 4 miles away, averages 51.3 inches of precipitation a year. That is a wet total, and on poorly drained silt loam it keeps the ground damp for long stretches.^[4]

Snow barely registers at that gauge, with a yearly average of 0.2 inches. Plowing is rarely part of planning a drive here, but standing water after a storm is.^[4]

The station records 58 days a year with a low at or below 32 F. Wet silt that freezes can lift a little, so the base under a drive or a walk should be stone that drains, not soil.^[4]

At the same gauge the median last spring freeze is March 27, and the median first fall freeze is November 17. Spring bed work can begin once the soil has drained enough to crumble, and fall mulch goes down before the November date.^[4]

A raised gravel drive for wet silt

Start by cutting out the soft topsoil and any dark organic layer under the drive. Lay a heavy fabric on the silt loam. The fabric is the most useful single item on this ground, since it stops wet silt from rising into the stone and turning the base to mud.^[2],[3]

Build up a thick layer of 1-1/2" Crushed Gravel or #4 Crushed Stone first. Large, open stone bridges soft spots and lets water move sideways out of the base. Over it, place Road Base in thin lifts and compact each one.^[2]

Finish with Driveway Gravel or #57 Crushed Stone, shaped with a crown so rain runs to both edges. Along the edges, a ditch or a French drain filled with Drain Rock carries the water off. With 51.3 inches of yearly precipitation at the local gauge, the edges do as much work as the surface.^[4]

Crushed Concrete makes a firm, angular base layer too, and it packs well under a parking pad. Riprap can armor the outlet of a ditch where fast water would cut into the bank.^[2]

Drain Rock or Pea Gravel for a soggy yard

Two stones come up most often when a yard on poorly drained silt loam needs help. Drain Rock is washed, angular and open. Pea Gravel is small and round. They behave very differently once they are buried in a trench or spread on a path.^[2]

Drain Rock is the choice for anything that must move water underground, such as a French drain, a dry well or the bed under a downspout outlet. Its sharp faces lock in place, and the gaps between pieces stay open. Wrap it in fabric so silt from the Gertie soil cannot wash in and fill the voids over time.^[2]

Pea Gravel is softer to walk on and looks finished, so it suits a path, a patio between pavers or the top of a drain where people will see it. Round stones roll under foot and under tires, though, and on a slope they migrate. Keep Pea Gravel inside a firm edge and over a compacted base, and it will stay where it was spread for many seasons.^[2]

On flat, wet ground the two often work together. A trench filled with Drain Rock does the hidden work, and a thin cap of Pea Gravel or River Rock makes it look tidy. The C/D group means the water table can rise close to the surface, so give the trench a slight fall toward a ditch or a lower outlet.^[2]

Beds, lawns and homes in ZIP 27909

Raised beds suit poorly drained ground well. Fill them with Garden Soil or a blend of Topsoil and Compost so roots sit above the wet layer. Top them with Black Shredded Mulch or Red Mulch to slow weeds and crusting.^[2]

Where a lawn stays soggy, a thin top dressing of Topsoil mixed with Concrete Sand can lift and loosen the surface over a few seasons. Low spots that hold a puddle for days are better served by a drain than by more soil.^[2]

The Census counts 17,740 housing units in ZIP 27909, about twice the 8,689 units inside the city limits. Detached single-family houses make up 71 percent of homes in the ZIP and 61 percent in the city.^[5]

The median home in the ZIP was built in 1988, while the median inside the city is 1970. Owners live in 68 percent of occupied homes in ZIP 27909.^[5]

The North Carolina Department of Transportation sets its own rule for the stone under state roads, Aggregate Base Course, Section 520, in the Standard Specifications for Roads and Structures (January 2024).^[6]