Open runoff drainage ditch- Suggestions?

[Henro]

Seems like I have a little bit of everything on my property... /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

There was one area that was always real wet, not that large, maybe 50x80 feet but close to the house where I wanted a yard rather than a soggy spot. The property slopes gently downwards.

I could not find where the spring was coming up, digging by hand back then...so I ended up having a guy with a backhoe come in and dig a long trench about 2 feet deep, on the low side of the area, heading down hill, and then side trenches from it across the area, in a way that flow in the bottom of the trenchs would enter the first long trench, and come out at the bottom end, which I let flow into my pond for a while, until a muskrat or something got in there and the flow went somewhere else, maybe into my septic system (for lack of a better term for what is really there) for all I know...

My soil is clay. I dumped river gravel in the bottom of the trenches ( I think one of them actually crossed the spring that was putting the water on the ground, been a while) and backfilled over it, and it has been nice and dry ever since and the area is normal yard now. So some variation of this would likely work for you.

As far as rock lined ditches go, after the sewers went in behind my pond they "restored" my ditch, which was a simple clay eroded channel, by lining it with limestone rocks varying from 6 to 10" or so in diameter/lenght. I guess it did/does not look too bad, but it is not natural looking either.

But in any case, the stone is already disappearing...in the bottom is is covered with silt/sand carried by the rain water...and the sides are becoming somewhat green due to weeds growing...so if you are wanting to see those rocks in the future, you will have to pile them pretty deep, so there is nothing for plants to sink roots in, or you will have to do something to kill off whatever does take hold, from what I can see...

 

[DiskDoctr]

Herdfan,

How much is geotech fabric, and how does it hold up? I've been using landscape fabric (25year) and it is pretty pricey.

I haven't seen geotech.

I am new to using "fabric" of any kind. We always just dug, gravel, fill. Now that I am back on the family farm, we are redoing ditches, drains, etc.

Sort of like Henro said about the ditches filling up with silt. I guess you learn as you go /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Alternate (read: cheaper /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif ) materials that still hold up are very welcome. The fabric I have also is only 4' w x 100' long. Courtesy of Lowes.

Henro- Thanks for confirming my suspicions about open ditches. Covering one with fabric, then soil worries me that the fabric will eventually pull up from mowing, spinning, etc.

Too much soil may slow the drainage, but I guess it will certainly drain below the surface, so maybe it will be okay. It's not like a river or stream on the surface, just too much for the ground to absorb.

Thanks to all for the good info so far. Now if only Herdfan can hook me up with fabric about $.05/ft /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

-JC

 

[herdfan]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Thanks to all for the good info so far. Now if only Herdfan can hook me up with fabric about $.05/ft )</font>

That fabric is pretty expensive.
I paid 50 cents per sq yard.
I bought 2 rolls of 12.5' wide X 432' long for $600.
I mainly wanted it for my driveway to save on gravel expenses and trouble with asphalt in the future, but it also works well for the french drains.
You may want to check with some paving contractors - they may have some left over from a job that they will sell at a reduced rate.

Eric

 

[dummy]

<font color="blue">We would also like to raise the level of the ground on each side of the ditch to have a more flattened transition instead of looking like a sunken ditch.
</font> You could also create a wider, shallower swale that would give the impression of being "level". Instead of a 12-18" wide trench, a 3-5 ft. wide swale might work just as well and is easier on the eyes and lawnmower.

 

[herdfan]

Another thought -

How about just wrap the gravel in the fabric and lay some rip-rap on top of that? You would save on the perf pipe (although that's not too expensive), still have a nice drainage solution and the rip-rap would hold everything together and look good.

(Do you have a picture of the area?)