Penn State Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies — ESM Training

Free training for road maintenance crews, township officials, watershed groups, and conservation districts on Environmentally Sensitive Maintenance (ESM) of dirt and gravel roads — a top sediment source in PA streams.

The Penn State Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies, in partnership with the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission, runs the country's only state-funded dedicated program for environmentally sensitive maintenance of unpaved roads. Sediment runoff from dirt and gravel roads is among the largest unaddressed nonpoint source pollution problems in Pennsylvania — many headwater streams in SW PA carry impairment listings driven by road sediment.The Center delivers free Environmentally Sensitive Maintenance (ESM) training for township road crews, conservation district staff, watershed groups, and consultants. The standard two-day course covers drainage design, road surface aggregate selection, ditch and culvert maintenance, stream crossing best practices, and the engineering rationale behind each practice. There is also a low-volume road version, an online refresher series, and an annual statewide field training event.For watershed groups, the Center is also the gateway to the Pennsylvania Dirt, Gravel, and Low Volume Road Maintenance Program — a state-funded grant program that pays townships and other road owners to implement ESM practices on priority road segments. Watershed groups can identify problem segments, build relationships with townships, and connect them to the funding pipeline. It's one of the highest-leverage interventions for headwater stream protection in the state.