Representative Geoffrey C. Smith
Ohio House of Representatives
August 25, 2002
Geoffrey Smith
Subject: Topsoil Theft and Water Shortages
Dear Representative Smith,
I remember reading once that lawn topsoil is replenished through decomposition at a rate of one millimeter per year. At that rate, the topsoil in my yard should totally replenish itself by in another 139 years. See, my house is already 11 years old and I believe there are normally about six inches of topsoil. Before the builder built my home, there used to be plenty of topsoil. Builders typically scrape this off and sell it to sod companies. We then get about a half an inch back when they buy sod for the yard. By some estimates, soils contain up to 12 inches of topsoil. At that rate, I'd have to wait 289 years to replenish the topsoil.
The reason I'm telling you this is because there are serious consequences to the common practice of scraping topsoil. During our drought of 1999, I tried to hold off as long as possible before watering my lawn. Only when I saw that it was severely stressed did I start watering. Some of the residents in my neighborhood gambled and didn't water at all. Their lawns totally died and they had to spend much money to replace them.
Both my parents and my in-laws have rural properties. Therefore, developers never stole their topsoil. During 1999's drought, they never watered their lawns at all. They didn't during the 1988 or 1990 droughts either. And you know what? Their lawns still looked almost perfect. In fact, my in-laws don't even fertilize and they buzz their grass down to about an inch high and they still had a great lawn. Well, having their topsoil intact is the reason. Topsoil holds moisture much better than clay during droughts. And it holds vital nutrients for the grass. Take a drive through the country and look at rural lots during a drought. You won't see any stressed out lawns when you do. And you won't see any sprinklers either. They don't need them.
There's talk around about outsiders tapping into our Great Lakes and shipping the water to far off places. We might have a more serious problem at home. My summer water bill can be twice what my winter water bill is. The only extra use of water in the summer is lawn watering. Just think about this. If every home built in my county (Franklin) had its topsoil intact, we could have avoided half of our water infrastructure. And look at all the new homes going in. Look also at the large piles of topsoil in developments under construction that are as long as 300 feet and as tall as 25 feet.
But don't expect zero resistance to doing away from topsoil scraping. Lots of people benefit from this. There are the people laying sod instead of sprinkling cheaper seed over fecund ground. There are the sod farms throughout the area. But most of all, there are the city water departments that make money from selling water and from sewer fees. (Your sewer fees are based on the water you use, even though it doesn't all go down the drain for
treatment.)
Expect all of them to lobby hard against this. But their complaints cannot stack up against the cost to the homeowner and, more importantly, the environment.
It's time to do away with the practice of scraping topsoil from people's future homes. Let's end this wasteful practice once and for all. Please support legislation that will do away with topsoil scraping at housing developments and any kind of development for that matter.
Your attention to this matter is greatly appreciated.
