Check around your home during a heavy rainfall to observe water's activities. Wait until the ground is soaked and water has saturated the soil and leaf cover to get a good idea of how water moves on your property. Raindrops can have a big influence on erosion. Like tiny bombs, raindrops fall onto the soil suface, often displacing soil particles great distances. This is the first step in erosion.
Water always runs downhill, causing rill erosion.
Look for areas where water is collecting into miniature gullies, called rills. Trace the water channel back up-hill and scrutinize drainage patterns on your land. Use this checklist below to uncover erosion problems on your land.