Help-Paddock Drainage

[Rusty]

I need some advice on a do-it-yourself project. I want to quickly remove storm water from two paddocks (for horses) and the area around my barn. The area to be drained is essentially flat and is primarily clay. We get about 6" of mud in the spring and during other rainy spells. During dry weather, the paddocks become like concrete. The total area to be drained will be somewhat less than one acre. How do I size the pump and sump? Any brand or model pumps that are especially good or bad? I intend to install 4" diameter perforated plastic tile on 25' centers (OK?) for the runs. The mains may be 6" or 4" depending on the capacity of the trencher that I can rent. I also intend to tie four gutter downspouts from the barn and multiple surface catch basins into the tile. I would like the runs receiving the downspouts and surface drains to be 6" (again dependent on the trencher). The runs will probably start at an invert depth of 2-1/2' and drop by 2" every 100'. Would I gain much in water removal, if I back filled the trenches with pea stone, rather than the native clay (except for the top 1')? The longest run will be about 370'. The main(s) will run to a pump station that I will need to install. A typical pump station around here consists of a concrete manhole with a submersible pump (I can run 120 or 240 V from the barn). I would probably have to hire the excavation and setting of a concrete pump station. Does anyone have experience with a less expensive or easier to install pump station? Could a large diameter plastic or metallic pipe (such as for a culvert) be used? If so, are there any special ways that it has to be installed to prevent "floating" or other problems? Any idea on material cost? Thanks in advance for any help!!!

 

[wroughtn_harv]

How about a picture Rusty? More would be better.

At the house where I'm rebuilding the fountain we had a similar problem. The area we changed from a thicket--swamp into the ultimate adult-child playground was the low point for four properties.

We couldn't just raise the elevation because in that neighborhood everyone has at least six attorneys just waiting for an excuse to justify their retainer.

So we put in subsoil and surface drains from the house and including the whole backyard. Two five hundred gallon tanks were installed with an automatic pump system. When activated the water is fed four hundred feet to the street through a four inch pipe. At the street is encounters a really trick defuser to keep it from taking an unsuspecting pedestrian or bicyclist off their feet.

The tanks, pump, and evacuation line with defuser was over ten grand installed. That doesn't include all the drain work.

 

[Rusty]

wroughtn harv - Thanks for the response! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif I don't currently have the ability to post pictures. Our 12 acres is also the low parcel in the neighborhood, however, we do have a storm water drainage ditch nearby to pump to. Could you provide more info. on the tanks that you used. Are they plastic, concrete, or what? How are they anchored into the ground? How was your pump sized? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif Thanks for taking the time to respond! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[wroughtn_harv]

The tanks are concrete. Don't get me lying about the pump capacity etc. The contractor who figured that all out and set up is an engineering company in Plano, TX. I do know they have a maintenance contract to service the tanks etc.

I'm not sure how they're anchored.

If that's an issue with you then we know you're definitely in the low part of the neighborhood. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Instead of lowering the bridge have you considered raising the road?

Around here we have clay from, well, it's warmer there than most anyplace else. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif In fact if you plant a tree or bush and the clay is just wrong in moisture you can seal the sides of your hole with your shovel while digging the hole and end up with a clay pot. That guarantees the plant will die of root rot even though the surrounding soil is dry comparatively.

What if you domed the pen? If you had a crown in the middle and had it packed down. Then you add six inches or so of what we affectionately refer to as sandy loam. The sandy loam dries out quickly. The moisture hits the packed clay and is channeled away because of the crown


If the drainage ditch is on your property or you have access to it the surface and sub surface drains could be put in removing the water quickly from the pens.

I've went down ten feet in my yard with an auger and still be in clay. When I moved here in February 92 our back yard was unusable. It was a mudhole. That was then. This is now. We can have a killer rain and ninety nine percent of the water is taken off the property via surface and subsurface drains. We have no standing water, ever.

I don't know about where you are but most places changing water flow in such a way that's detrimental to the neighbors gives you a chance to go to court. I'd keep that in mind.

As for clay soil. The only thing I think I'd put in as a request about my remains after I'm gone is to not but them in clay soil. Just in case there is an afterlife I'd hate to think I'd lose all opportunity to enjoy it and spend enternity instead stuck in the mud. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[Rusty]

I have tried to raise the road. The barn is 2' higher than the original grade, and the slope across the paddocks is to the original grade - although it still looks pretty flat to me. The problem with surface redirection is that the water ends up somewhere else that I don't want it on my property. I think pumping will be a necessity, as my property is lower that the crest of the ditch bank. Your clay sounds a lot nastier than ours. However, the clay here goes down to bedrock, some 80' to 90' down. Thanks for the help! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif