Washout-proofing a ditch

[sunbeam67]

I don't know if this will help your issue but I had a a problem holding a pond over flow. I took old car tires cut out one side wall and bolted them in a grid cut out side up and filled them up with rip rap. The tires kept the rip rap in place and silt filed in and Bermuda grass took over and now you do not see the fix.

 

[blueman2]

See attached photo, which unfortunately doesn't show the 10-12 vertical inch drop from driveway surface to water very well.

I have this drainage ditch along my gravel driveway feeding multiple culverts all in the hope it will keep my driveway from washing away.

Mostly it works. Most of the length of the driveway the bedrock is right at the base of the ditch. It probably is here too, the pebbles you see are the gravel it's constantly washing out of my driveway. So it's not something I can deepen with a tractor. I might be able to push it back a, but that probably wouldn't work unless I move the ditch back the whole length of the driveway, which isn't pragmatically feasible (trees, rocks, difficult spaces).

So need some way to line the driveway gravel so that the next rain won't just wash it out. I have no idea what to use. Cement / cinderblocks of some kind seems easiest, would that work? I'm looking for suggestions from people who have overcome this particular erosion problem.

I hate having to regularly throw more gravel (purchased by the truckload) at this problem.

3 or 6 inch crushed stone. Screened round stones won't work. They need to be trap rock. I have a 6 foot drop from my driveway and in the spot where it washed out, I filled with 1.5 inch crushed stone, and it is working fine, and I am not far from southern VT (northern MA) just below Keene NH and it has rained like hell for the past month.

 

[charris65]

I hear ya, man! After dealing with the same problems with our half mile driveway for 20 years, we had it paved. It was expensive but, not having to rework the driveway after every heavy rain and scraping off a layer of dirt and gravel every time plowing snow, it has been way worth it. Anything done, short of paving, is wrought with additional maintenance headaches that continue to make more work for you and, as you know, cost you more time and money. The paved driveway makes it much easier to plow snow since you can put the bucket or blade down right on the pavement and not worry that it will take half your driveway away.

 

[kwbobwi]

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[OhioCowboy]

See attached photo, which unfortunately doesn't show the 10-12 vertical inch drop from driveway surface to water very well.

I have this drainage ditch along my gravel driveway feeding multiple culverts all in the hope it will keep my driveway from washing away.

Mostly it works. Most of the length of the driveway the bedrock is right at the base of the ditch. It probably is here too, the pebbles you see are the gravel it's constantly washing out of my driveway. So it's not something I can deepen with a tractor. I might be able to push it back a, but that probably wouldn't work unless I move the ditch back the whole length of the driveway, which isn't pragmatically feasible (trees, rocks, difficult spaces).

So need some way to line the driveway gravel so that the next rain won't just wash it out. I have no idea what to use. Cement / cinderblocks of some kind seems easiest, would that work? I'm looking for suggestions from people who have overcome this particular erosion problem.

I hate having to regularly throw more gravel (purchased by the truckload) at this problem.

My solution after many years of the same problem was to install an 8" double walled corrugated pipe (whatever size as needed) down the driveway. Expensive but I installed 60 ft one year, 100 ft the next and so forth until it was complete. I found rerouting worked for a while.

 

[polarisalpacas]

So need some way to line the driveway gravel so that the next rain won't just wash it out. I have no idea what to use. Cement / cinderblocks of some kind seems easiest, would that work? I'm looking for suggestions from people who have overcome this particular erosion problem.

A commercial product we have used on a number of road and highway projects is becoming widely available in the US. It's known as Concrete Cloth or Concrete Canvas. Essentially a roll of two layers of fabric (usually geosynthetic or canvas) with a layer of cement/fiber/sand sandwiched between. It comes dry and wrapped up in a roll, and comes in several thicknesses depending on expected conditions. You roll it out, either in overlapping transverse sections if it is a wide ditch or channel, or longitudinally if it's a narrow ditch. You should toe it in at the top of the ditch or channel. Once it's in place, you wet it down. The cement mixture sets up, and you have an impervious "relatively" quick concrete ditch lining. It comes in various widths and roll lengths. There used to just be one supplier in the US, but I see that a number of companies are now producing and selling it. You can probably find it at a commercial building materials supplier. Be aware, it's not cheap (placing a cast-in-place concrete ditch is slightly cheaper), but it's quick to install, and pretty much instant and permanent. You can do a search on Youtube for Concrete Canvas or Concrete Cloth for videos to see how it's installed and used. The British have also used it to make "permanent" inflatable shelters for military and medical use - pretty cool stuff!

 

[fogish]

Call your county and see if they have an engineer or hydrologist that will come look at it and give you recommendations. I have a conservation district in my county and they even help with the costs on some situations.

 

[FERLING]

I hate riprap lined ditches. You can’t mow it. I’d rather have the erosion.

Weed killer takes care of it or if you like to work weed eater the high spots.

 

[Louhasaboat]

See attached photo, which unfortunately doesn't show the 10-12 vertical inch drop from driveway surface to water very well.

I have this drainage ditch along my gravel driveway feeding multiple culverts all in the hope it will keep my driveway from washing away.

Mostly it works. Most of the length of the driveway the bedrock is right at the base of the ditch. It probably is here too, the pebbles you see are the gravel it's constantly washing out of my driveway. So it's not something I can deepen with a tractor. I might be able to push it back a, but that probably wouldn't work unless I move the ditch back the whole length of the driveway, which isn't pragmatically feasible (trees, rocks, difficult spaces).

So need some way to line the driveway gravel so that the next rain won't just wash it out. I have no idea what to use. Cement / cinderblocks of some kind seems easiest, would that work? I'm looking for suggestions from people who have overcome this particular erosion problem.

I hate having to regularly throw more gravel (purchased by the truckload) at this problem.

I have the same issue along one of my access roads that I’m about to rebuild. A few years ago I discovered a GeoTech Pocket product that comes in 9’x26’ segments that works for both roadbed and ditch purposes. It also allows water to migrate underneath the rock that drains well and really packs even better as it ages. My first use was putting a rock access driveway access to my 5th Wheel cover. It’s been in use for over 6 years and is designed for 20,000 lbs or more per squire foot. I used a 6” pocket, but for a ditch I would recommend 2” or 4” pocket. I’m going to us the 2” pocket on my 6% to 8% ditch grades and 4” pocket for the steepest 10% ditch grades. My water management ditch base design is 18” wide and 12” deep. Using 16” strip segments, I get 6.75 16” strips of 4” and 6”, or 175 feet of ditch lining per package. I have never lost gravel even at the swill entrance to a culvert or ditch turn location. Yes it costs, but so does the time and gravel lose I had beforehand. Hopefully this is useful. My first use was in TX, my new location is on a hillside driveway with lots of WA rain runoff. I’m attaching product images on design and layout.

 

[Tony H]

Anyway to slow the water coming down the slope? Multiple swales on the slope?