Administrative Guidance Manual - Center for Dirt and Gravel Road ...

Introduction
The objective of the Dirt and Gravel Road Maintenance Program is to achieve
environmental improvement through environmentally sound road maintenance practices.
In Pennsylvania more than 25,000 miles of unpaved roads of which about 17,500 are
owned by local municipalities provide access for the state’s agriculture, mining, forestry,
and tourism industries as well as over 3.6 million residents. According to the
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), non-point source pollution
is responsible for 88% of all impaired stream miles in Pennsylvania. Traditionally, dirt
and gravel roads have historically been large contributors of non-point source pollution,
both in terms of sediment and dust.
Signed into law in April 1997 as Section 9106 of the PA Motor Vehicle Code (§9106),
the Dirt and Gravel Road Maintenance Program is based on the principle that informed
and empowered local control is the most effective way to stop pollution from dirt and
gravel roads.
The law created a dedicated, non-lapsing fund to provide money and training to local
communities for local road maintenance. The funds are distributed by the State
Conservation Commission to 65 county conservation districts in Pennsylvania (out of 67
counties) that participate in the Dirt and Gravel Road Maintenance Program.
Initially more than 900 worksites were identified from the data collected by Trout
Unlimited volunteers. The original allocation of funds and distribution to the districts
was based on this assessment. In 2000 the conservation districts were asked to re-assess
their counties and based on that evaluation, the number of worksites for each county was
adjusted accordingly and a revised allocation formula was developed. The current
formula that is used for determining the annual allocation and is based on the sites
identified in the 2000 survey may be found in Appendix E.
During the first three years of the program, county allocations were based almost
exclusively on the number of pollution causing worksites identified within protected
watersheds. In FY 2000-01 a re-assessment of all dirt and gravel roads was conducted
and the program began to phase in statewide weighting factors for allocating funds. In
FY 2003-04 the transition was completed.
By providing financial incentives for local officials, the Dirt and Gravel Road
Maintenance Program seeks to prevent several forms of non-point source pollution
including sediment in streams, airborne pollutants and chemicals. Environmentally
sensitive maintenance practices have been developed to provide road maintenance
techniques that address the impacts of roads on streams.
A major feature of the Dirt and Gravel Road Maintenance Program is to ensure that
environmentally sound maintenance projects that are consistent with the law and
6 Version 6.00 March 3, 2005