Build a grassed waterway along the FM 2111 road shoulder, segment 5, public FM 2111 road shoulder right of way near its Colorado River crossing, northwest of Ballinger, TX 76821 (public right of way, Runnels County)

Cropland sheet-flow runoff sheds straight off this public road shoulder toward the Colorado River crossing with no vegetated treatment, carrying topsoil off Concho Valley cropland with every storm. Standard: USDA NRCS Soil Health assessment and restoration practice (infiltration, aggregate stability, organic matter, native root structure), applied here to the semiarid mixed-grass and mesquite savanna and cropland-edge erosion around Ballinger City Lake and FM 2111 in the Concho Valley upper Colorado River country of Runnels County, Texas. SDG 15.3 land degradation neutrality. Proof: before/after photos plus swale-dimension record plus native-plant list plus infiltration water-test plus GPS Method (USDA NRCS Soil Health assessment and restoration practice (infiltration, aggregate stability, organic matter, native root structure), applied here to the semiarid mixed-grass and mesquite savanna and cropland-edge erosion around Ballinger City Lake and FM 2111 in the Concho Valley upper Colorado River country of Runnels County, Texas. SDG 15.3 land degradation neutrality.): 1. 1. Call 811 and confirm the treatment segment with the county road authority, then photograph the flat, untreated road shoulder segment before starting. 2. 2. Hand-shape a shallow, gently sloped grassed waterway swale set back from the road edge, hand tools only, no power digging equipment. 3. 3. Plant native, water-tolerant grasses along the swale bed at the design spacing to intercept and filter cropland sheet-flow runoff. 4. 4. Water in the planting and photograph the finished waterway from the matching before vantage, recording the plant list and swale dimensions. Done when: before/after photos plus swale-dimension record plus native-plant list plus infiltration water-test plus GPS

Where

public FM 2111 road shoulder right of way near its Colorado River crossing, northwest of Ballinger, TX 76821 (public right of way, Runnels County)

Pay

$250 proposed

This packet is not funded yet, so this figure is a proposed price and not money waiting in escrow. If a buyer funds it, approved proof settles that price onchain. If nobody funds it, approved proof earns provable credit toward the work instead of cash. You see which before you claim, never after.

Proof

before/after photos plus swale-dimension record plus native-plant list plus infiltration water-test plus GPS

This is exactly what gets it approved. Nothing settles without it.

Level

intermediate

Open until

2026-09-11

How this work is done

A documented method, so this packet comes out the same whoever does it. Typically 45–90 minutes. Method of record: USDA-NRCS soil-health in-situ assessment

Bring

• soil auger or trowel
• infiltration ring + measured water + timer
• penetrometer (if compaction in scope)
• clean bucket
• sample bags + labels
• gloves
• GPS phone
• camera

Steps

1. 1. Navigate to the plot; record GPS; sketch the sampling layout.
2. 2. Photograph each sampling station.
3. 3. Run the infiltration ring; record time to infiltrate 1 inch.
4. 4. Assess aggregate stability and note visible organic matter, roots, and biology.
5. 5. If compaction is in scope, record penetrometer resistance by depth.
6. 6. Collect 0-15 cm cores if a lab subsample is specified; bag, label, complete COC.
7. 7. Enter all measurements with units + depth, GPS, photos into the proof record; sign.

If it does not match the plan

• Infiltration > 30 min/inch or high penetrometer resistance -> flag compaction; recommend cover crop / reduced traffic.
• Very low organic matter / no visible biology -> flag degraded; recommend amendment plan.

What counts as done

• Infiltration time recorded
• Aggregate stability + organic-matter observation recorded
• Each in-scope measurement recorded with units and depth
• GPS waypoint + station photos + site sketch

Proof is measured against these, not judged by taste.