The dirt on free dirt

By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Rural landowners are increasingly being offered free topsoil – but it can come at a price.

Urban growth west of Wheatland County has some developers offering free soil to rural landowners, explained Jason Wilson, Wheatland County Agricultural Service Board chair and Division 1 councillor.

“With the proximity to Calgary, in Rocky View (County) especially, we’re starting to see a lot of development companies trying to get rid of the excess topsoil – or what’s supposed to be topsoil – from developments after grading and scraping,” said Wilson. “They’re willing to take it to producers at no fee.”

But the practice can end up hurting rural landowners and their properties.

“Producers should have the ability to take good topsoil and add it to improve their land, but there are a lot of consequences if it’s done incorrectly,” said Wilson.

For instance, the soil can harbour weeds and pathogens. Weeds can cause economic losses and can be difficult to eradicate once established. Furthermore, species listed under the Weed Control Act are required to be controlled or destroyed (depending on their status).

One pathogen of particular concern is clubroot, a soil-borne disease affecting cruciferous plants, including canola, that can reduce yields and quality and is difficult to exterminate. Clubroot was identified in southeast Rocky View County in 2018 but has not yet been detected in Wheatland County.

The soil can also be of low quality.

“It might not be 100 per cent topsoil – you might see a lot of clay and rocky material in there,” said Wilson.

Imported soils may also have high salinity, low organic content or even contain garbage.

Producers may also face legal trouble if the added soil impacts drainage or water bodies. Displaced water can flood or damage other properties, and infilling of streams or wetlands could result in contraventions of the provincial Water Act.

In response to these possible troubles, the ASB passed a motion to start an information campaign to highlight potential consequences of accepting soil from sources outside the county, during its regular meeting on July 8.

The campaign aims to address the issue by focusing on education, rather than regulating the practice, explained Wilson. “Council decided it wasn’t in the government’s purview to restrict what landowners can do to their own land,” he said.

“So instead of requiring permits, soil sampling and seed analysis (to make sure the soil is weed-free), the county decided to leave it up to the producers – it’s putting the weight of the responsibility back on individuals themselves.”