Creek under road. Pipe clogs with branches & leaves, then overflows.

[coffeeman]

just posted about about swale at top of drive. Further down road creek crosses 2 places I originally had two big old concrete pipes, about 24 inch diameter. NO problems for years.
then gas drillers made driveway wider. DEP plans called for 2 pipes on each crossing. (DEP or other government) Required them to take out my pipe and put 2
smaller plastic pipes 18in diameter. I questioned gas guys. why not leave bigger pipe in & add 1 smaller. "Gotta follow their plan. The clogging started. I put piece steel fence in front of pipes to catch branches. Had to clean fence couple times a year. Put another fence further up stream.. Helped more. This year biggest storm in many yrs. Totally clogged with rocks mud driveway gravel etc. I ask my self, why would Government watchers not consider branches & leaves clogging pipes. I don't think U have to be an engineer to consider creek running through woods would create a problem with branches & leaves.

Any ideas how I can limit my yearly job of cleaning up the clogs??

Cheers....I hope you all had GREAT holiday. Coffeeman

 

[rustyshakelford]

Replace one of the smaller ones with the larger one?

Brett

 

[Jstpssng]

just posted about about swale at top of drive. Further down road creek crosses 2 places I originally had two big old concrete pipes, about 24 inch diameter. NO problems for years.
then gas drillers made driveway wider. DEP plans called for 2 pipes on each crossing. (DEP or other government) Required them to take out my pipe and put 2
smaller plastic pipes 18in diameter. I questioned gas guys. why not leave bigger pipe in & add 1 smaller. "Gotta follow their plan. The clogging started. I put piece steel fence in front of pipes to catch branches. Had to clean fence couple times a year. Put another fence further up stream.. Helped more. This year biggest storm in many yrs. Totally clogged with rocks mud driveway gravel etc. I ask my self, why would Government watchers not consider branches & leaves clogging pipes. I don't think U have to be an engineer to consider creek running through woods would create a problem with branches & leaves.

Any ideas how I can limit my yearly job of cleaning up the clogs??

Cheers....I hope you all had GREAT holiday. Coffeeman

Call a different government branch. What kind of stream is it, intermittent or year round? There are specs for the latter (actually for both).
If what you had worked and the "improvement" doesn't then you need a new plan, which somebody else needs to pay for.

 

[Streetcar]

The drillers plans probably showed 2 smaller pipes and government approved them. Multiple smaller pipes have capacity but will clog. Put larger pipe back in.

 

[oosik]

Up the county road about mile and a half - local drainage creek crosses under the county road. Flows like a wild mustang during spring melt and runoff. Local beaver dammed the upstream side of the culvert and the entire county road washed out before the maintenance crew could get there. Created the biggest highway reconstruction project in these parts in the last thirty years.

The reconstruction included a bigger culvert. Didn't solve the root of the problem - beaver are still there.

 

[mcfarmall]

Stinkin' beavers. They do a lot of damage..."but they're soooo cute!"

 

[Clint S]

The problem is some engineers do not have real world experience. They just see 2 16 inch pipes =32. 32 is bigger then 24 so its better. Sometimes a college education only goes so far

 

[coffeeman]

The problem is some engineers do not have real world experience. They just see 2 16 inch pipes =32. 32 is bigger then 24 so its better. Sometimes a college education only goes so far

Exactly. Sometime I am amazed at on off ramps on highways. In heavy traffic so hard to navigate. Sometime I think the engineer draws the
interchange to have a pretty drawing. Experience is key. However, some folks never learn. Sometime, I have also been accused of a slow learning curve. And...I'm an old guy.

So. Watcha ya gonna do??? Cheers...coffeeman.

 

[CincyFlyer]

The problem is some engineers do not have real world experience. They just see 2 16 inch pipes =32. 32 is bigger then 24 so its better. Sometimes a college education only goes so far

One would hope that they wouldn't figure that way! The two 16" pipes don't even equal the area of a single 24".

 

[RedNeckRacin]

The problem is some engineers do not have real world experience. They just see 2 16 inch pipes =32. 32 is bigger then 24 so its better. Sometimes a college education only goes so far

Personally, I'd be helping back up the pipes and letting them washout. (Lowest cost option to yourself) Once they wash out a couple times give the DEP WQS a call everytime and tell them the road failed. They will be issuing NOV's because of the E&S issues the washed out pipes created. Someone didn't do their homework for the drainage area and SWAG'd a pair of pipes in based on the company footing the bill. Id be willing to bet its a small time operator as well.