Virginia Erosion and Sediment Control
Inspector Exam UPDATED ACTUAL
Questions and CORRECT Answers
Erosion Impact Area - CORRECT ANSWER- area of land NOT ASSOCIATED with a
current land- disturbing activity but contributing to sedimentation
How much more soil loss occurs from construction sites versus natural soil erosion rates?
Agricultural land? - CORRECT ANSWER- 1000 times more than the average natural soil
erosion rate.
20 times more than agricultural land.
What are 4 erosive forces? - CORRECT ANSWER- wind
water
ice
gravity
Name and define 5 stages of soil erosion. - CORRECT ANSWER- Raindrop- 90% of total
soil erosion
Sheet- the soils ability to infiltrate water is exceeded and it runs in sheet flow (about 100 ft
before concentrating), how sediment gets transported
Rill- when sheet flow begins to concentrate, velocity and turbulence increase, but easily repaired
Gully-when rills converge, larger than rill and usually requires heavy equipment to repair
Channel- large volume of water increases the gully, vertical sides are observed or for an existing
streambed when structural integrity is destroyed
What are the factors of rainfall impact? - CORRECT ANSWER- Kinetic energy is
dependent on rainfall amount/intensity, raindrop diameter, and raindrop velocity
, What are two damaging effects of rainfall impact? - CORRECT ANSWER- Causes soil
compression which reduces infiltration
Mainly occurs in May-Sept which is when disturbance is most active
4 factors influencing erosion - CORRECT ANSWER- climate
groundcover (influenced by humans)
soil properties
topography (influenced by humans)
What percent reduction occurs from vegetative cover? - CORRECT ANSWER- 90-99%
What are soil properties? - CORRECT ANSWER- Structure (particles adhere)
Texture (size)
Bulk density (how tightly packed)
% organic matter
infiltration (into soil)
permeability (through soil)
What is K factor? - CORRECT ANSWER- the susceptibility of a particular soil to erosion
developed by permeability, soil texture, soil structure, and organic matter content
low K factor is low erodibility (0-0.23), and high is (0.37 +)
What is a variance? - CORRECT ANSWER- granted by the VESCP authority to waive or
modify a requirement if it is too restrictive
can request during plan submission or during construction. if no reply after 10 days, then denied.
Inspector Exam UPDATED ACTUAL
Questions and CORRECT Answers
Erosion Impact Area - CORRECT ANSWER- area of land NOT ASSOCIATED with a
current land- disturbing activity but contributing to sedimentation
How much more soil loss occurs from construction sites versus natural soil erosion rates?
Agricultural land? - CORRECT ANSWER- 1000 times more than the average natural soil
erosion rate.
20 times more than agricultural land.
What are 4 erosive forces? - CORRECT ANSWER- wind
water
ice
gravity
Name and define 5 stages of soil erosion. - CORRECT ANSWER- Raindrop- 90% of total
soil erosion
Sheet- the soils ability to infiltrate water is exceeded and it runs in sheet flow (about 100 ft
before concentrating), how sediment gets transported
Rill- when sheet flow begins to concentrate, velocity and turbulence increase, but easily repaired
Gully-when rills converge, larger than rill and usually requires heavy equipment to repair
Channel- large volume of water increases the gully, vertical sides are observed or for an existing
streambed when structural integrity is destroyed
What are the factors of rainfall impact? - CORRECT ANSWER- Kinetic energy is
dependent on rainfall amount/intensity, raindrop diameter, and raindrop velocity
, What are two damaging effects of rainfall impact? - CORRECT ANSWER- Causes soil
compression which reduces infiltration
Mainly occurs in May-Sept which is when disturbance is most active
4 factors influencing erosion - CORRECT ANSWER- climate
groundcover (influenced by humans)
soil properties
topography (influenced by humans)
What percent reduction occurs from vegetative cover? - CORRECT ANSWER- 90-99%
What are soil properties? - CORRECT ANSWER- Structure (particles adhere)
Texture (size)
Bulk density (how tightly packed)
% organic matter
infiltration (into soil)
permeability (through soil)
What is K factor? - CORRECT ANSWER- the susceptibility of a particular soil to erosion
developed by permeability, soil texture, soil structure, and organic matter content
low K factor is low erodibility (0-0.23), and high is (0.37 +)
What is a variance? - CORRECT ANSWER- granted by the VESCP authority to waive or
modify a requirement if it is too restrictive
can request during plan submission or during construction. if no reply after 10 days, then denied.
