Compost helps soil soak up stormwater long after construction
Islam MM, McLaughlin RA, Heitman JL
Composting
If you've ever watched rain pool and run off a newly landscaped yard instead of sinking in, working compost into that compacted soil at a generous rate is a fix backed by six months of real data.
Construction often leaves soil squashed and hard, so rain just runs off instead of soaking in. Researchers mixed different amounts of compost into two soil types and tested how fast water infiltrated over six months. They found that mixing in at least 30% compost by volume made a lasting difference, letting water soak in up to 10 times faster than untreated soil, and the improvement held up for months rather than fading quickly.
Key Findings
Compost incorporation at 30% and 50% rates (by volume) significantly increased porosity, field capacity, and plant-available water while decreasing bulk and particle density.
Infiltration rates were about 10x, 5x, and 1.5x higher than untreated soil for 50%, 30%, and 15% compost rates respectively.
Infiltration improvements stabilized after about two months but remained sustained for the full six-month study; compost type (woodchip-food waste vs. poultry manure-food waste) had no significant effect.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Mixing a good amount of compost into disturbed, compacted soil can help rainwater soak in up to 10 times faster, which could help cities manage stormwater and reduce flooding after construction projects.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
A potential stormwater management intervention: Compost incorporation improves infiltration rate and associated soil hydro-physical properties.
Urbanization associated construction operations, while necessary for infrastructure development, can result in highly disturbed and intentionally, or inadvertently, compacted soils. Compost incorpo...
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