Practical civil engineering, in plain English.
Stormwater, grading, site planning, and land development engineering content for developers, architects, and landowners working in Minnesota and Colorado. Written by Paul Wallick, PE.
Stormwater Management: A Complete Guide for Land Developers
What stormwater management is, why it's required, what's in a stormwater plan, and the BMPs developers actually use. Plus cold-climate considerations for MN and CO.
Detention Pond vs Retention Pond: Practical Differences for Developers
Detention ponds hold stormwater temporarily; retention ponds hold it permanently. The real-world difference, when to use each, and what developers should know.
What Is a Grading Plan? A Plain-English Guide for Developers
A grading plan shows how a site will be reshaped through cut and fill, where finished elevations sit, and how water drains. What's on it, how to read it, and what it costs.
How to Read a Grading Plan: A Visual Guide for Developers
Contour lines, spot elevations, slope arrows, and red flags. A 5-step workflow for reading a grading plan without engineering training.
What Is a SWPPP? A Plain-English Guide for Land Developers
What's actually in a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan, who needs one, what BMPs do the work, and how SWPPPs get enforced in MN and CO.
Twin Cities Watershed Districts: A Developer's Guide
Watershed districts cover most of the Twin Cities metro and run a parallel permit track on top of city review. Here's what each one covers and what to plan for.
Civil Engineering Fees Explained: What Land Developers Should Expect to Pay
What drives the cost, how big firms and independent firms price differently, and how to evaluate a proposal.
MnDOT Driveway Access Permits for Land Development
If your project's driveway connects to a Minnesota state highway, MnDOT issues the access permit. Here's what's involved and how the timeline runs.
More land development engineering content on the way: mountain-terrain civil engineering, residential subdivision design, grading and drainage cost guides, and Twin Cities cold-climate stormwater.