Dirt & Gravel Roads

Better Roads, Cleaner Streams

PA's Dirt Gravel and Low Volume Roads (DGLVR) Program provides local road-owning entities with grant funding for road and environmental improvements on unpaved and low-volume paved roads.

The purpose of the Program is “to fund safe, efficient, and environmentally sound maintenance” on dirt, gravel, and low-volume paved roads to reduce stream pollution caused by runoff and sediment. Through this program, the district provides grants and technical assistance to public agencies for work on their roads. Our partners in this program include: the SCC, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, and Penn State University’s Center for Dirt & Gravel Road Studies.
The program is designed to encourage municipalities and other agencies to implement environmentally sensitive road maintenance practices on roads in Sullivan County. Once an agency has completed the required training, they are eligible to apply to the district’s Quality Assurance Board for grants to fund environmentally sensitive road maintenance projects. Funding for this program is made available to districts through the State Conservation Commission.

The Dirt and Gravel Road Maintenance Program, through the Sullivan County Conservation District, has been helping Sullivan County municipalities improve their roads and maintain water quality in the County. Sullivan County is a rural county with over 90% of our streams being of EV/HQ, Cold Water. The SCCD is acutely aware of the need to limit the erosion and sedimentation that enters the county’s waterways. Working together with our municipalities we can achieve both road improvement and environmental benefit for years to come.
Key Program Facts
• Stresses site-specific, long-term solutions to prevent erosion and pollution, instead of "band-aid" fixes.
• Reduces pollution while promoting sustainable unpaved roads.
• Minimal administration; limited to 2% at the state level; limited to 10% at the local level.
• Emphasis on informed local control and environmental soundness puts decision-making at local level.
• Adherence to program values assured through central training, technical assistance, and quality control.
• Uses a computerized GIS system used for project tracking and central reporting with minimal paperwork.

Program Process Overview

Local municipalities and state agencies that maintain dirt and gravel roads are eligible to receive funding. However, to be eligible for the program, the participant must first attend a two-day training session for “Environmentally Sensitive Maintenance of Dirt and Gravel Roads”. To request funding, applicants submit a one-page application to the local Quality Assurance Board (QAB). The QAB, in turn, reviews the applications. To ensure equal access to the funds, the QAB establishes local priorities to prevent pollution. To be eligible, projects must employ “environmentally sound” maintenance (ESM) practices and products to correct pollution problems related to the roadway.

Once a grant has been awarded, the project participant is generally given 50% of the grant amount to begin the project. 50% of the grant moneys are held by the Conservation District and QAB until the QAB and/or Conservation District staff has conducted a final inspection of the project. Once the project is completed and the QAB and Conservation District has determined that the project was completed in an environmentally sound way and according the program guidelines, the remainder of the money is then awarded to the project participant.

Eligibility

Potential applications must meet certain eligibility requirements as follows:

Person in charge of the work plan development and project implementation for the applying entity must have attended ESM training*

*To see current the ESM certified personnel or for the 2021 training dates click the links below.

The road must be publicly owned, not just opened to the public.
In addition to being publicly owned, the road must be open to vehicle traffic a minimum of two consecutive weeks of out of the year
The project in the application must adequately address any environmental concern (stream impacts)

ESM Eligibility

ESM Trainings In-person

ESM Trainings Online

District Equipment

The Sullivan County Conservation District has purchased a Carbide Tipped Grader Blade and a Buffalo Turbine through Dirt, Gravel & Low Volume Roads Program funding. These pieces of equipment are FREE for municipalities that are currently ESM certified. In order to lease the equipment a simple agreement must be completed, see below. Leasing the equipment is on a first come, first serve basis so if you would like to use the equipment please contact us.