A new version of software that predicts soil loss and assesses control methods is out, and like its predecessors, it's free.

North American Green, an Evansville, Ind., maker of erosion control products, is distributing ECMDS 4.2 to drive sales, but users say it is so helpful that its value goes well beyond that. "It's giving you so much information about the site," says Joe Carmo, president, Carmo Environmental Systems Inc., East Meadow, N.Y. "I haven't seen anything to beat it in terms of a design tool for erosion control." See it at www.nagreen.com.