8.6.2.4. Balanced Earthwork The longitudinal section of a channel should be such that it results in balanced earthwork which means that the amount of excavated soil is fully utilised in fillings. This will minimise the necessity of borrowpits (from where the extra earth needed for filling will be taken) and spoil banks (where the extra earth from excavation will be deposited). The earthwork is paid for on the basis of either the excavation or the filling in embankments, whichever is more. A channel in balanced earthwork will, therefore, reduce the cost of the project. For the small length of a channel in the vicinity of a fall there is always an unbalanced earthwork which should be kept minimum for obvious economic reasons.
