Estimation of erosion risk of soils and lands is necessary to predict their possible degradation and develop measures to prevent erosion. Such an assessment is important for solving the problems of the restoration of eroded soils, since it is necessary to provide for the potential energy of erosion processes, which can be manifested even in the presence of erosion control measures and in the remediated areas. This article discusses approaches to assessing the dangers of linear and planar soil erosion on the ordinary chernozem. The article deals with the issues of understanding the structure of soil erosion processes and formulas for calculating the velocity of water currents in artificial drain basins and their erosion-safe directions on the natural relief. The main principles for calculating the velocities of water currents in artificial drain basins and their erosion-safe directions are given. This article presents the synthesis of the information from published sources regarding the peculiarities of the soil cover and the erosion process on the ordinary chernozems.